Little has changed in the two years since
The reason: The Trump administration has declined to draft new rules detailing how airlines should apply the new law. That means that kids, in some cases, are still being separated from their parents while other families are paying more — in advance — to guarantee seats together.
Consumer advocates have lobbied Transportation Secretary
That has not satisfied the critics.
"Your inaction makes DOT a witting accomplice to airlines who hold kids hostage and separate them from their families,"
The airline industry opposed the family-seating requirement and other provisions that
A spokeswoman for trade group Airlines for America says decisions about customer service are best left to airline employees.
"Airlines have always worked to accommodate customers who are traveling together, especially those traveling with children, and will continue to do so," said the industry group spokeswoman,
Airlines say they have deployed new tools to seat families together.
In cases of last-minute bookings, there might not be four or five seats together so families could be split up, but usually each young child can be seated next to a parent or other family member, he said.
Likewise,
Both airlines acknowledge there can be some rare occasions when families are still separated.
"I was stunned to learn that a child as young as 5 years old was not required to sit with their parents," Wellner said. "One bad traveler next to a young kid and I am sure a pretty big lawsuit would be headed their way."
The problem dates back more than six years. That's when airlines started to increase the number of coach seats requiring an extra fee or elite status to book in advance. Some of them had extra legroom, but many of those seats were just closer to the front of the plane.
Fliers were either separated from their loved ones or forced to pay
In the
Consumer advocates and some travel experts say airlines fail to even offer options when buying a ticket online or on mobile apps to indicate that a passenger is 13 or younger — many sites only ask if a passenger is much younger than that. They accuse the airlines of pressuring parents to pay an extra
"The airlines are super-clear — they are not guaranteeing you will sit next to your kids. It's very stressful," Hull said. The extra
The advent of so-called basic economy seats — which generally don't allow customers to pick seats until shortly before the flight — has made matters worse, according to Hull, further scaring families into paying more for a ticket that comes with a seat assignment.
Travel experts offer some advice for families:
—Book early to ensure the best selection of seats.
—Don't buy basic-economy fares, which don't come with any advance seat assignments, even though they may be cheaper.
—Check the seat-availability chart and pick seats before clicking on "pay."
— If you must pay fees to find adjacent seats, ask the airline to waive them — you might get a quicker response by contacting the airline on social media.
—If you don't have assigned seats, or during booking got seats that aren't next to each other, arrive at the gate early and ask the gate agent for help.
—As a last resort, appeal to the kindness of fellow travelers and ask other passengers if they will trade seats.
Some airlines, like American, set aside a higher percentage of seats for customers willing to pay for more legroom or other amenities. That reduces the number of seats that may be available to families looking for the lowest price.
Unlike other airlines,
David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter
Compare Online Car Insurance Quotes And Save Money
Accel at College Station Secures Health Insurance Agreement with United Healthcare
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits
Life Insurance