United Airlines says it will stop charging families extra to sit together

While acknowledging that families are more likely to travel together, United Airlines said it would be easier for groups flying with small children to sit next to each other – without additional fees.

United this week announced new tools to allow families with children under 12 to choose seats together, even if they buy cheap Basic Economy tickets.

The initiative is based on a new seat map feature that helps customers find available adjacent seats when booking flights, United said in a statement.

Its seat finder first looks at the available economy seats and opens “preferred” seats for free when needed.

“Customers traveling with children under 12 will immediately see more options for nearby locations, and the full policy change will go into effect in early March,” United said in a statement.

United has urged passengers traveling with children to book tickets in advance to ensure seating is available nearby.

But if customers book flights at the last minute and nearby seats are unavailable, United will allow customers to switch to another flight to the same destination without additional fees, even if there is a fare difference.

“We are focused on providing our little passengers and their parents with an unforgettable experience, and we know that often it all starts with choosing the right seat,” said Linda Jojo, Director of Customer Experience at United. “We look forward to releasing more family-friendly features this year.”

United said it can be burdensome — not to mention frustrating for other customers — for families to book seats separately and then try to swap seats with other passengers at the gate or on the plane itself. It also slows down the boarding process, the airline says.

The move comes after President Biden, in his State of the Union address this month, said he would ban so-called “junk fees,” including the fees airlines charge family members for sitting with little ones. children.

The Biden administration has proposed Law on the Prevention of Unwanted Payments this will reduce many possibly fictitious charges, including pre-seat reservation fees, as well as unexpected fees for concert tickets and hotel room surcharges.

“We will force cable internet and mobile phone companies to stop charging you up to $200 or more when you decide to switch to another provider,” Biden said. “And we will stop airlines from charging families up to $50 round trip just to sit together.”

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