Airlines should assist families with seating, no need for Biden’s input
If you want to sit together with your children on a plane, common sense says you have two options:
Pay a premium for buying good seats next to one another, or grab the very worst rows, which will hopefully continue to be free at the time of purchase.
Some airlines in recent years have made that latter choice unavailable:
If you’re going to buy the cheapest tickets, you don’t get to choose where you sit at all, and so reserving the three or five worst seats together is not an option. That means that a budget-conscious family, which may not care where it sits as long as they all sit together, ends up paying a premium for seats or asking a fellow passenger to switch seats — which sometimes goes awry.
On social media, “family separation” on airlines has become a thing, and so President Joe Biden, in an election year, is intervening.
You ought to be able to fly with your child – and sit next to them – without paying an additional fee.
It’s time all airlines offered fee free family seating.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 5, 2024
On one hand, Biden is right that all airlines ought to accommodate families in this regard. America has gone too far in the direction of individualism and is now family-unfriendly, which is why we have record-low rates of marriage and birth rates.
Accommodating families by allowing them to pick cheap seats in a block (assuming there are pairs or whole rows of seats available) is not costly to airlines, nor does it inconvenience other customers. An uncharitable interpretation is that airlines realized that families valued sitting together, and so they would deliberately split them up unless the families paid to be kept together.
Customers disliked this, and on most routes, customers have choices. So airlines that didn’t want to alienate customers changed their policies.
United Airlines announced a new “family seating policy” one year ago, making it easier for children under 12 to sit with their families. American Airlines followed a week later with an even more comprehensive plan. As summarized by travel writer Gary Leff:
“They ask you to book everyone in the same reservation, but still offer to have reservations noted if they are separate.
“You can choose seats together or skip seat selection if only paid options are available and you don’t want to pay. Even Basic Economy passengers without seat assignments will have seats assigned together if traveling as a family. (If there aren’t seats available for the entire party to sit together, they’ll ensure at least one adult is next to children under 15 on the reservation.)”
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Southwest Airlines was already doing this — the company has a family seating period that basically allows families to grab a whole row in the back of the plane.
If airlines are accommodating families of their own accord, it’s hard to argue that regulation is needed for the protection of consumers. In this light, regulation looks like simple election-year politics.
What challenges do airlines face when implementing fee-free family seating to ensure families can sit together on planes?
Ican families should not have to pay extra just to ensure they can sit together on a plane. It is a basic expectation for parents to be able to sit next to their children, especially on long flights where keeping an eye on their well-being is crucial.
However, on the other hand, airlines do operate as businesses, and they have the right to implement seating policies that maximize their profits. By charging extra for preferred seating or offering free seating selection only for higher-priced tickets, airlines can generate additional revenue. This is especially important for low-cost carriers that heavily rely on ancillary fees to stay competitive.
Nevertheless, the issue of family separation on planes has gained significant attention on social media in recent years. Many frustrated parents have taken to platforms like Twitter to express their discontent with having to pay extra fees just to sit together with their children. President Biden, recognizing this growing concern, has publicly stated that families should not have to bear this additional financial burden.
While Biden’s statement does not carry legal implications, it does put pressure on airlines to reconsider their practices. Airlines may see this as an opportunity to improve their customer satisfaction and differentiate themselves from their competitors. By voluntarily offering fee-free family seating, airlines can enhance their reputation as family-friendly carriers and attract more customers, especially those who prioritize convenience and affordability.
Implementing fee-free family seating may pose challenges to airlines. They need to ensure that families are seated together without compromising other passengers’ comfort or safety. Airlines may need to reevaluate their seat allocation strategies, considering factors such as passenger age, group size, and flight duration. This could involve reserving specific rows or sections for families or developing advanced seat assignment algorithms to accommodate their needs.
Furthermore, airlines need to consider the potential financial impact of offering fee-free family seating. They could explore alternative revenue streams or adjust their pricing models accordingly to compensate for the potential loss in ancillary fee income. This might involve revisiting the pricing strategy for other premium services or introducing new optional services that can generate additional revenue without burdening families.
In conclusion, the issue of family separation on planes is a matter that deserves attention and consideration from both airlines and authorities. While airlines have the right to implement seating policies that maximize their profitability, they should also take into account the expectations and needs of their customers. Fee-free family seating can serve as a win-win solution, benefiting both families and airlines. By offering this option, airlines can enhance their reputation, attract more customers, and potentially generate additional revenue channels. Ultimately, it is in everyone’s best interest to find a reasonable and fair solution to the issue of family seating on planes.
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