Aug. 1 (UPI) — The Biden administration said on Thursday it will propose a new rule to eliminate the extra charges airlines impose to seat families with young children together, calling them “junk fees.”
The proposal would ban the fees for family seating, require airlines to seat parents next to their children for free within 48 hours of booking if adjacent seats — next to each other in the same row and not separated by an aisle — and require free rebooking and other options to rectify situations where families can’t sit together.
It would also require airlines to disclose fees for family seating upfront and impose a penalty for each family seating fee and instance where a young child isn’t seated next to their parent or accompanying adult.
The Department of Transportation said it could cost a family of four up to $200 per roundtrip to sit together in adjacent seats. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the new rule would make it easier for families to fly together.
“Many airlines still don’t guarantee family seating, which means parents wonder if they’ll have to pay extra just to be seated with their young child,” Buttigieg said in a statement. “Flying with children is already complicated enough without having to worry about that.”
The Transportation Department said young children sitting away from their parents can be problematic for a variety of reasons if the child has to use the restroom, need feeding assistance, or help with their seatbelts.
“Parents who decided not to pay family seating junk fees are stuck figuring out how to sit next to their children in the midst of the hectic boarding process,” the Transportation Department said.
“This can lead to problems for other passengers on the flight. Once boarded, airlines may ask these passengers to ‘voluntarily’ forfeit their seats, which they may have paid for in advance, and move to a less desirable seat so that a parent and child can sit together.”
The announcement is a part of the Biden administration’s ongoing effort to eliminate “junk fees” from several economic sectors. In October, the Federal Trade Commission issued requiring businesses to disclose all prices upfront for goods and services instead of tacking those prices on at or near the point of purchase.
Not all of the administration’s efforts have gone smoothly. In May, a federal judge in Texas blocked the White House’s plans to cap the fees on late credit card payments.