united airlines He said Monday that the new technology will open up more seats on his flights so that children can sit with an adult in their group without paying a fee, a type of charge that has drawn scrutiny from the Biden administration in recent years. months.
United will give parents or other adult travelers accompanying a child under the age of 12 access to «preferred» seats, as well as regular economy seats, if necessary, at the time of booking so they can sit together.
The change applies to travelers with standard and basic economy tickets and will take effect next month, though United has already increased some seat availability.
The airline will also not charge customers a fare difference if they switch to a flight to the same destination that has adjacent seats.
In recent years, airlines have been charging travelers to reserve seats at «preferred» locations on flights. They don’t come with extra legroom or other perks, but are often located at the front of the plane, although they can cover a significant number of seats on a plane.
President Joe Biden has called on lawmakers to «speed up the ban on family seat fees,» the White House said earlier this month. In July, the Department of Transportation told US airlines to «do everything in their power» to ensure that travelers under the age of 13 are seated next to an accompanying adult at no additional charge.
«Baggage fees are bad enough,» Biden said during his state of the union address earlier this month. «Airlines can’t treat your child like a piece of luggage.»
Such seats usually vary in price. On a round trip between Newark, NJ, and Los Angeles in August, preferred seats on a United flight cost $37 each way for one person.
delta airlines said it blocks certain rows of seats so families can sit together.
«Delta does not charge family seating fees and regardless of ticket class purchased, Delta will always work with customers on a case-by-case basis to ensure their family seating needs are met,» a spokesperson said in a statement Monday.
american airlinesThe booking platform will automatically search for available seats together at the time of booking for Main Cabin and Basic Economy passengers. Preferred seating and its extra legroom section, Main Cabin Extra, are opened on the day of departure if needed, a spokesperson told CNBC.