If D.O.T. gets its way, families will sit together on flights for free

Right now, domestic airlines treat traveling families differently. A handful, such as JetBlue Airways, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, guarantee that parents can sit next to their children. But on the others, parents are left to pay for more expensive assigned seats or to bank on the good will of strangers. Recently, President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have pressured airlines to implement fee-free family seating, a continuation of the Biden Administration’s push for airlines to be more transparent and accommodating of travelers. President Biden even called on Congress to pass legislation targeting fees for families to sit together. Instead, the Transportation Department is directly taking aim at them with a new rule proposed today. “Many airlines still don’t guarantee family seating, which means parents wonder if they’ll have to pay extra just to be seated with their young child,” Buttigieg said in a statement. “Flying with children is already complicated enough without having to worry about that.” Story has more.<br/>