The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday that it is proposing to ban U.S. and foreign airlines from charging families with young children to sit next to each other on a plane if adjacent seats are available at the time of booking.
The Biden administration has said it plans to write regulations banning the fees in February 2023 as officials pressure airlines not to impose them voluntarily.
In May, Congress passed a law banning the practice, which was signed by President Joe Biden.
Biden has repeatedly clashed with airlines, pushing for stricter new consumer rules and criticizing airlines for charging fees.
His administration has also moved aggressively to thwart further consolidation in the passenger airline industry, including blocking a partnership between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines and killing a partnership between JetBlue and American Airlines.
The Department of Transportation launched the Family Seats Dashboard in March 2023 and announced that four airlines — Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways — have committed to guaranteeing family seats at no additional charge.
The Transportation Department said all other major domestic airlines have policies to allow families to sit together but don’t guarantee it.
The proposal would prohibit airlines from charging a fee to assign children to sit next to their parents on U.S. flights.
If that isn’t possible, to accommodate adjacent seats for multiple infants, airlines must provide seats across the aisle from the parents, either in front of or behind them.
If a passenger chooses not to board the flight, DOT will require a refund or free rebooking if adjacent family seats are not available.
If airlines fail to comply, they could face civil penalties.
Earlier this week, a US appeals court blocked new US Department of Transportation rules on airlines’ advance disclosure of prices until a regulatory overhaul is completed.
Biden said in May 2023 that his administration would propose new rules that would require airlines to provide cash compensation to passengers for significant flight delays or cancellations when the airline is at fault, but the Transportation Department has not yet released its proposal.
