Earlier this summer, the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection issued a notice urging U.S. airlines to “do everything in their power” to keep children 13 and younger near their parents when flying.
The office will begin to review all airline policies and consumer complaints four months after the notice is issued.
United Airlines suggests passengers book and select seat assignments early to have the best chance to have a child under 15 years of age seated with an accompanying adult. Additional charges may apply.
“If it’s important for your family to sit together, you may want to consider purchasing advance seat assignments, if available, or selecting a different fare option,” according to the website.
If seats are not selected in advance, the airline will try to find adjoining seats for those on the same reservation prior to departure. But the airline warned that families may be split up.
If passengers would like to sit with a child booked on a separate reservation, they can call the United Customer Contact Center at 1-800-864-8331.
“While we strive to seat your family together, seat selections are not guaranteed and may be changed, including in the event of an aircraft substitution,” according to the website.
Is paying extra for seats an inevitability for families? Or can these pesky fees be minimized or circumvented altogether? And why do they even exist in the first place?
Unloved during the pandemic as their businesses were incapacitated almost overnight, airlines that cut back to survive the crisis are now blowing through profit forecasts and luring back investors.
a 13-year-old girl kidnapped in Texas was rescued in Southern California when passersby saw her hold up a “Help Me!” sign in a parked car and called 911, police said.
