US warns airlines it may issue regulations barring child seating fees

The US DOT Friday warned airlines it may issue regulations prohibiting them from charging extra fees to allow young children to sit next to accompanying family members. The agency cited a 2016 law that required it to review U.S. airline family seating policies. The agency issued a notice urging airlines to ensure children age 13 or younger are seated next to an accompanying adult with no additional charge to the maximum extent practicable, and said it could take regulatory action later this year after it reviews airline policies. The Transportation Department said it has received few complaints about the issue but said “even one incident is one too many.” It added that airlines should implement policies enabling workers “to make immediate adjustments as needed to ensure young children are able to be seated adjacent to accompanying adults” but are not required to provide seats that would result in an upgrade. The agency said airlines using seat blocking should monitor its ability to ensure adequate numbers of seats are blocked to meet demand for adjacent seats for passengers traveling with young children. Last month, the department noted that US consumers lodged more than quadruple the number of complaints against US airlines in April compared with pre-pandemic levels. <br/>