US: 'Kids should sit with their parents': Petition urges airlines to seat families together for free

Families buying airline tickets are increasingly faced with a costly decision: pay up for seat assignments or risk not sitting together on the plane. Anna Laitin, director of financial policy for Consumer Reports' advocacy arm, said it's a calculation travellers with younger children should not have to make. The organisation last week launched an online petition urging American, Delta and United to allow adults traveling with children 13 and younger to sit together without paying a fee. The initial goal was 25,000 signatures, which was quickly surpassed. Monday, the number of signatures was approaching 45,000. A Consumer Reports review of more than 130 complaints submitted to the US DoT found that airlines have separated or suggested separating children as young as 2 years old from their parents on a flight. <br/>