Biden urges US carriers to follow American Airlines on family seating

President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on US airlines to follow American Airlines in committing to eliminating family seating fees as part of their customer service plans. "No one should have to pay extra to be seated with their kids," Biden wrote on Twitter. "Time for more airlines to follow suit." Biden had urged airlines in his State of the Union earlier this month to take the action, saying, "Baggage fees are bad enough - airlines can't treat your child like a piece of baggage." Airlines for America, which represents the largest US airlines, has said its carriers do not charge for family seating. Other carriers have not adopted the commitment in customer service plans. Carriers that do not honor commitments in written plans can face enforcement actions from the US Department of Transportation. USDOT plans to propose regulations to bar airlines from family seating fees and will next week disclose on a government dashboard which airlines have committed to not charging such fees. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the family seating dashboard will "show which airlines guarantee families can sit together for free" and praised American Airlines "becoming the first US airline to commit to putting this guarantee in its customer service plan." American said its written plan "provides additional clarity" and is "proud to offer industry leading, customer-friendly policies that ensure a positive travel experience for families."<br/>