Airlines to be banned from charging parents junk fares to sit next to their children

After several months of announcing that it was drafting a new rule against junk fares, President Joe Biden’s administration is now proposing a rule that would prohibit airlines from charging junk fares to seat families together on a flight.

“The Department of Transportation’s proposed rule would require airlines to seat parents next to their young children for free when adjacent seats are available at the time of booking,” the Biden administration said.

This new rule would reduce the seat tax by up to $200 per trip for a family of four on round-trip flights if seat fares are $25.

“Many airlines still don’t guarantee family seating, which means parents are left wondering if they’ll have to pay more just to sit with their young child. Flying with kids is hard enough without having to worry about that,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a virtual briefing. “The new rule we’re proposing today would prohibit airlines from charging parents a fee to sit with their children.”

The official confirmed that this effort is part of a comprehensive policy against junk charges, restrictions that have been proposed against banks, for example.

Ban junk fares for family seats: The proposed rule would prohibit airlines from charging junk fares for seating a young child (age 13 or younger) alongside his or her parent or accompanying adult.

Among other things, the proposal would require airlines to seat parents next to their young children for free within 48 hours of booking and, if there are no adjacent seats available, then at least require parents and children to sit in the same row.

“Airlines would be required to make adjacent family seats available in all classes of service and would be prohibited from defining class in a way that limits the availability of family seats, such as structuring basic economy to consist only of middle seats,” it said.

In case of non-compliance, airlines could be forced to refund flight reservations free of charge and offer options to families.

“If a passenger chooses to wait and adjacent seats are not available before other passengers begin boarding, the airline must provide families with the option to rebook free of charge on the next flight with available family seats or remain on the flight in non-adjacent seats,” it said.

The rule was published in the Federal Register, where it will receive public comment for 60 days.