Parents Now Protected From Having To Pay Extra To Sit With Their Kids On Flights

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Like there's a "Sit together" option without specific seat selection. Or there's no charge to select seats when booking with small children.

So what happens when a flight doesn't have any "no charge" seat selections left because the number allotted have been used up?

 

[RoseGold]

Have you flown SWA enough? Because that's is the opposite of what is going on. SWA doesn't have the same issues that other airlines with assigned seating does. Somehow the open seating policy works out better. SWA also has the higher age bracket than other airlines. They are 6 and under. Delta for instance is 2 and under. Plus the guidance isn't talking about SWA because they don't charge for any fee for any seat selection...because they don't have one. You may want to read into it more. The guidance is actually aimed more at airlines that presently charge a fee to select seats.

I don't fly SW at all, but I've flown pretty much every other airline multiple times, alone with a small child, in multiple countries, without paying for upgrades. Pretty much common sense that you don't seat a three year old next to strangers. This hasn't been an issue at all. It's not a problem, because no one wants a middle seat.

I guess the guidance is just saying something the airlines already want to do, or putting an actual age limit on where they should keep doing this. Or, I can see this being problematic with more than one kid, which I haven't done.

I can also see Southwest being a problem for this, if you don't get the priority boarding, though.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't fly SW at all, but I've flown pretty much every other airline multiple times, alone with a small child, in multiple countries, without paying for upgrades. Pretty much common sense that you don't seat a three year old next to strangers. This hasn't been an issue at all. It's not a problem, because no one wants a middle seat.

I guess the guidance is just saying something the airlines already want to do, or putting an actual age limit on where they should keep doing this. Or, I can see this being problematic with more than one kid, which I haven't done.

I can also see Southwest being a problem for this, if you don't get the priority boarding, though.

Hopefully you saw my edit because I added in the exact language from it which is that this isn't applying to airlines with open seating policy which is SWA, well the wording is they don't have the authority to do so because the issue isn't present in a high enough way to make oversight on it needed.

I realize you were maybe taking a stab in the dark but if you've never flown an airline before it's hard to point the finger at them. Believe it or not SWA don't have the same large issues that other airlines run into. Oh sure you'll run into people every now and then but you don't get to pay for your seat, the airline flies 3X3 planes, etc. The guidance is all about encouraging airlines to do what they can to ensure parents don't pay for seats for their young children to sit with them. It's just not applicable to SWA because that's not how they work.

An example nowadays is Delta blocking off seats during the purchasing process.

 

[mmouse50]

Southwest has family boarding between A and B groups so families with children under age 5 (or maybe 6) board at that time. The only problem I have seen is that if it is a totally full flight and the families with children that were too old for family boarding because of age, didn't bother with checking in early or buying early bird for priority seating. The flight attendents will ask a volunteer so that the child(ren) will not have to sit by themselves. I maybe wrong but I have never heard them ask for volunteers to switch seats so that a whole family could sit together, it is basically just an adult with a child.

Personally if I was flight with my child (no matter on the age) and I didn't want to worry about not sitting with them I would purchase whatever was needed so that I could guarantee me sitting by them.

 

[MillauFr]

Have you flown SWA enough? Because that's is the opposite of what is going on. SWA doesn't have the same issues that other airlines with assigned seating does. Somehow the open seating policy works out better. SWA also has the higher age bracket than other airlines. They are 6 and under. Delta for instance is 2 and under. Plus the guidance isn't talking about SWA because they don't charge for any fee for any seat selection...because they don't have one. You may want to read into it more. The guidance is actually aimed more at airlines that presently charge a fee to select seats.

ETA: from the July 2022 guidance: ".” Section 2309 states that “[w]hen considering any new policy under this section, the Secretary shall consider the traditional seating and boarding policies of air carriers providing scheduled passenger interstate or intrastate air transportation and whether those policies generally allow families to sit together.” In addition, Section 2309 does not authorize the Secretary to “impose a significant change in the overall seating or boarding policy of an air carrier providing scheduled passenger interstate or intrastate air transportation that has an open or flexible seating policy in place that generally allows adjacent family seating…”

So you've got it backwards who this is aimed at.

How does SW work when families have tight connections and they show up at the gate after C boards?

 

[sam_gordon]

I don't understand people at a Disney site having such antipathy towards parents. Not sure why airline profits are so important to you.

I don't think anyone here cares about airline profits. People either:
A) Pay for their seats ahead of time and don't want to get bumped because someone refuses to pay for theirs.
B) Don't pay for their seats (to save money) and don't want to see airlines do away with that savings.

 

[sam_gordon]

No, there are plenty of options. Like there's a "Sit together" option without specific seat selection. Or there's no charge to select seats when booking with small children.

And what happens when all of the "reserved" "sit together at no charge" seats get taken? Then you're back in the same boat.

This is about money. You would rather save money than ensure (as much as you can) that you sit with your child.

 

[FlippityFlier]

Personally if I was flight with my child (no matter on the age) and I didn't want to worry about not sitting with them I would purchase whatever was needed so that I could guarantee me sitting by them.

The discussion is mainly about kids so young that you *must* sit with them.

 

[MillauFr]

The discussion is mainly about kids so young that you *must* sit with them.

Which isn't a problem if you pay to sit next to them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

How does SW work when families have tight connections and they show up at the gate after C boards?

TBH we've just not see that be a problem. It may be like what the PP just mentioned about swapping a seat out in the event it happens although that's going to be likely to be middle to back half of the plane anyways that an FA even asks. In all the flights I've been on or my husband can't say I've encountered it in any measurable amount. I don't even remember an instance of this happening but we do tend to fly early mornings and late evenings on the way back. I assume if it was a widespread issue people would be complaining about it on the Boards lol.

 

[FlippityFlier]

And what happens when all of the "reserved" "sit together at no charge" seats get taken? Then you're back in the same boat.

This is about money. You would rather save money than ensure (as much as you can) that you sit with your child.

If all the sit-together seats are taken at booking time that means there are no two seats together, so paying a fee wouldn't be an option anyway.

And to go in circles -- I *must* sit with my five year old. I have no choice, the airline has no choice. I shouldn't be forced to pay for that. Of course I want to save money, that's why I'm flying Spirit. But their entire model is making up the money lost to dirt-cheap fares by making things like snacks and carry-ons optional and fee-based, and there are a few things don't fit that system, like seatbelts. I don't think kids should get free drink service; I can bring water with me. But small kids cannot sit alone, so should be exempt from the optional/fee system.

 

[FlippityFlier]

Which isn't a problem if you pay to sit next to them.

Which isn't optional so makes no sense as an optional fee.

 

[MillauFr]

If all the sit-together seats are taken at booking time that means there are no two seats together, so paying a fee wouldn't be an option anyway.

And to go in circles -- I *must* sit with my five year old. I have no choice, the airline has no choice. I shouldn't be forced to pay for that. Of course I want to save money, that's why I'm flying Spirit. But their entire model is making up the money lost to dirt-cheap fares by making things like snacks and carry-ons optional and fee-based, and there are a few things don't fit that system, like seatbelts. I don't think kids should get free drink service; I can bring water with me. But small kids cannot sit alone, so should be exempt from the optional/fee system.

Those are the reasons I would never consider booking Spirit or SW. It is just too much of a gamble. I prefer piece of mind and always pay more to book on Alaska.

 

[RoseGold]

Those are the reasons I would never consider booking Spirit or SW. It is just too much of a gamble. I prefer piece of mind and always pay more to book on Alaska.

Spirit has moved people around for me a couple times, but their computer seems to understand this better than others, actually. Spirit is actually easier to get to fix this, because they have cheap people they can just bump around. It's harder on airlines where a lot of people pay for seats. I wouldn't say Spirit is a beacon of customer service, but this is a problem they can handle well. Avoid Spirit for other reasons sure, but this isn't the reason why.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If all the sit-together seats are taken at booking time that means there are no two seats together, so paying a fee wouldn't be an option anyway.

And to go in circles -- I *must* sit with my five year old. I have no choice, the airline has no choice. I shouldn't be forced to pay for that. Of course I want to save money, that's why I'm flying Spirit. But their entire model is making up the money lost to dirt-cheap fares by making things like snacks and carry-ons optional and fee-based, and there are a few things don't fit that system, like seatbelts. I don't think kids should get free drink service; I can bring water with me. But small kids cannot sit alone, so should be exempt from the optional/fee system.

Each airline has different travelers in mind.

In recent years there has been an unbundling to give passengers the ability to save some money in exchange for something else whether it's seat selection, overhead bin space, etc (this goes for carriers as well as just booking fares like basic economy).

For the sake of the conversation don't put yourself in that position booking an unbundled carrier or unbundled fare. It serves no purpose for you to do so. We don't fly Spirit for lack of comfort on seats (especially as my husband is 6 ft 5) as well as other things. If you're flying Spirit because you want to save money you are choosing to exchange that for other things. It's counterproductive to book the airline in the first place and it's okay to say they aren't the airline for you.

 

[40ariel]

I always pay to select seats with my kids. However when our flights were cancelled on our last trip, we had to go standby on the next flight. They tried to seat us as best as possible with our kids who were under 10 at the time, but they couldn't do it and one my kids sat alone. He was uncomfortable but he survived. I think that is a situation that people don't always think about...

 

[sam_gordon]

If all the sit-together seats are taken at booking time that means there are no two seats together, so paying a fee wouldn't be an option anyway.

And to go in circles -- I *must* sit with my five year old. I have no choice, the airline has no choice. I shouldn't be forced to pay for that. Of course I want to save money, that's why I'm flying Spirit. But their entire model is making up the money lost to dirt-cheap fares by making things like snacks and carry-ons optional and fee-based, and there are a few things don't fit that system, like seatbelts. I don't think kids should get free drink service; I can bring water with me. But small kids cannot sit alone, so should be exempt from the optional/fee system.

And to continue the circle... YOU made the choice to purchase a ticket that did not include seat selection. You had other OPTIONS that would have allowed seat selection for everyone in your party that you CHOSE not to take advantage of. So how is that NOT "optional"?

Expanding the discussion... at what age is it ok for a child to sit by themselves? Keep in mind, five year olds across the country ride school busses daily.

I wonder if this is a decent compromise... airlines allow those under age 6(?) a free seat selection. That's it. Adults (or older kids) traveling with them have to pay the normal rate for their seat choice. If there aren't two seats together available at booking time, that flight is not available.

And a side question that no one has answered... shouldn't someone who gets bumped from their paid for seat get compensation (more than just a refund of their seat fee)? If I've paid for a window (or aisle seat) in the front 1/3, but because a family needs to sit together (and didn't pay for their seat), I get bumped to a middle seat in the back of the plane, IMO, that deserves at least twice the amount I paid for the seat. Think airlines would go for that? lol

 

[EACarlson]

How does SW work when families have tight connections and they show up at the gate after C boards?

The FAs will ask for someone to switch so a parent can sit with a small child. Older children are usually told to sit in any open seat. I've heard of FAs declaring they weren't leaving until someone moves, but have never witnessed it.
In my mind this is still all on the parents and planning properly. I'm not booking a tight connection with small children, in fact I've never flown a connection with my kids, booked one once but had it changed to a non-stop.
There are additional costs to having children and taking them on an airplane, not booking basic economy or flying a ULCC is one of them. Book a traditional coach ticket on one of the major airlines and this is non-issue.

 

[sam_gordon]

The FAs will ask for someone to switch so a parent can sit with a small child. Older children are usually told to sit in any open seat. I've heard of FAs declaring they weren't leaving until someone moves, but have never witnessed it.
In my mind this is still all on the parents and planning properly. I'm not booking a tight connection with small children, in fact I've never flown a connection with my kids, booked one once but had it changed to a non-stop.
There are additional costs to having children and taking them on an airplane, not booking basic economy or flying a ULCC is one of them. Book a traditional coach ticket on one of the major airlines and this is non-issue.

When my kids were young, I'd plan at least an hour layover if not 90 minutes. However, that still doesn't guarantee you won't get to the next flight late (if at all). I've had 90 minute layovers cut down to 10 minutes (fortunately we've had assigned seats). I've also had layovers completely eliminated. When that happened, Delta put us on the next flight (obviously) and arranged so 4/5 of us were "together" (including a 6 year old) and I was a couple of rows in front of them.

 

[focusondisney]

This idiotic parent wants the airline to fix the problem it caused: Assessing a fee on parents which is optional but basically isn't since sitting next to their small child is not optional, so declining the fee has the potential to cause problems for others. I don't expect others to move, I expect Spirit to work things out. (In reality, as I've mentioned above, it is almost for certain that nobody will have to move -- most people on Spirit are cheapskates so didn't pay the seat selection fee either.)

Maybe Spirit isn’t the airline for you if you have a need (to sit next to your child) that they can’t accommodate. Just like Delta isn’t the airline for me since I have a need ((nonstop flights) they can’t accommodate. Fly an airline that meets your needs. Just like the rest of us do.