Some parents are uncomfortable letting their children sit next to a complete stranger in airplanes. Airlines are taking advantage of this predicament by requiring parents to pay more to ensure they are seated next to their children.
In the so-called family fee, carriers like Frontline Airlines are charging parents extra fee for advance set assignments. With this, parents must pay more money aside from the airline fare so their kids are sitting with them.
Parents who don't want to pay extra fees often resort to another measure in which they ask other passengers to switch seats so they can sit side-by-side with their kids, the Wall Street Journal wrote. Some carriers' advance seats are available and don't require additional payment, but they are middle seats that would put family members one behind the other instead of side-by-side.
British Airways, for example, charges extra fees for advance seat assignments, which cost from $51 to $58 per flight. For a family of four, the fee can reach more than $800 for the entire trip.
A spokeswoman for British Airways defended the family fee and said it has become really popular among passengers. Those who don't want to pay extra fee can secure a seat 24 hours before departure, while families with young kids can get seating arrangements 72 hours before departure, British Airways noted.
Senate Intervenes
The backlash against family fee has gained so much noise that the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a provision in the Federal Aviation Administration's yearly funding bill. In April, the Senate required carriers to seat a parent or a family member next to their child as part of the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act, Time wrote.
Airlines must also offer free seat assignments to families. Carriers that charge additional fees for all advance seating arrangements, like Allegiant Air, Frontier and Spirit Airlines, should offer the least expensive choice to families.
Carriers Providing Options
On the issue of seating assignments, American Airlines have begun checking three days before departure for families on the same flight without seat assignments and putting them in side-by-side seats. United Airlines, meanwhile, have revived early boarding for families with kids under two years old to give them ample time to be seated based on their needs.
Aside from seating arrangements and family fees, the Congress is also working on better ways to improve travelers' airline experiences, including fixing some issues blamed on the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA. Gizmodo wrote that the TSA is creating three hours-long lines for travelers, and is accused of incompetency, corruption, understaffing and not owning up to their mistakes.
