The US Department of Transportation is proposing a new rule that would ban airlines from charging parents more to sit with their young children.
Under the proposal unveiled Thursday, U.S. and foreign airlines would be required to seat children age 13 and under for free next to a parent or accompanying adult.
If adjacent seats are not available when parents book a flight, airlines must allow families to choose between receiving a full refund or waiting for a seat to become vacant. If seats are not available before other passengers begin boarding, airlines must give families the option to rebook for free on the next flight with available adjacent seats.
The Biden administration estimates that the rule could save a family of four up to $200 (roughly Rs. 16,759) in seat fares for a round-trip trip.
“Flying with kids is already complicated enough, there’s no need to worry about this anymore,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Airlines for America, the trade association representing the industry, said in a statement that airlines are already trying to accommodate families.
“Each airline has different policies and all make every effort to ensure that families sit together,” the group said in a statement.
But Buttigieg noted that only four airlines — Alaska, American, Frontier and JetBlue — already guarantee that children 13 and under can sit next to an adult for free.
Congress authorized the Transportation Department to propose a rule banning family seating fees as part of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in May.
The bill also creates penalties for airlines that violate consumer laws and requires the Department of Transportation to publish a “dashboard” so consumers can compare seat sizes on different airlines.
The Department will take comments on the proposed family seating arrangement rule for the next 60 days before making a final rule.
Airlines are opposing the Biden administration’s campaign to eliminate “junk fees.”
In April, the administration issued final rules requiring airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for canceled or delayed flights and disclose fees charged for baggage or cancellations.
The airlines sued to stop the fee rule and earlier this week, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked it from taking effect, ruling that it was “beyond” the agency’s authority. The judges granted the airlines’ request to halt the rule until their lawsuit is settled.
Asked if the family seating rule would suffer the same fate, Buttigieg said the Transportation Department also has the support of Congress, which authorized the rule.
“Whatever rule we put forward, we believe it’s well-established by our authorities,” Buttigieg said during a conference call to discuss the family seating rule.