The New Travel Rule That Could Save Parents Money

Some good news for parents: A proposed rule could make it easier and cheaper to travel with kids.

“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,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement. A new rule from the U.S. Department of Transportation would “ban airlines from charging parents a fee to sit with their children,” saving families up to $200 roundtrip, Buttigieg said.

Another Junk Fee Crackdown

Right now, a few airlines guarantee that parents can sit next to their kids, including American Airlines (AAL), JetBlue (JBLU), and Alaska Airlines (ALK), according to the New York Times.

But some airlines make parents pay for more expensive assigned seats or only give them the option of sitting apart from their children when adjacent seats aren’t available.

This new rule would change that, giving parents the ability to book seats for their young children next to them at no extra charge. When adjacent seats aren’t available for their kids, parents would be offered a refund, an opportunity to wait for nearby seats to open up, or the ability to rebook tickets at no cost for the next flight where their entire family can sit together.

Airlines would also have to “clearly and conspicuously” post their family seating policy.

This is part of a larger effort by the White House to fight “junk fees,” hidden fees that make everything from eating out to hotel stays more expensive. As for the family seating rule, it could take months to go into effect, according to the New York Times, and there could be delays too. Another rule, which required airlines to clearly display fees for checking baggage and seat selection, has been held up in a U.S. Appeals Court, for example.

While parents wait for the rule to kick into action, they have other ways to save on travel, such as being flexible with travel times and using credit card miles. And don’t forget that children under 2 years old aren’t required to have their own seat.

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