Theres no denying, however, that this policy will be well-received by United customers and the current Administration. If you want your family to sit together, steer clear of Deltas basic economy fares because they do not include advanced seat selection. This includes families who have Basic Economy tickets. Fantastic to know that families without children will continue to be punished with junk fees! United Airlines Unveils Generous Family Seating Policy Meanwhile, Cranky Flier just highlighted how unreliable United's advance schedules are more than 90 days out, something that has also drawn the ire of the Administration - whether it should or not. @Tim Dunn nothing is better than what Delta does ever. (RTTNews) - United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has updated its family seating policy to allow children under 12-years old to sit next to an adult in t. covers news and travel for TPG. It made messing with car seats much easier during boarding, and getting off the plane last was so much less stressful than rushing with all our junk with 100 impatient people behind us. Its a shrewd move from United Airlines. Their app is so far ahead of every other airline I've ever used it's not even funny. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved.Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this sites author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. This shift back towards family-friendly policies makes sense on the part of airlines, even if you exclude the Biden Administration's focus on airline fees and operations. Im sure well see other airlines follow. They are supposed to be tagged together (it wont let you book otherwise so it has to be called in) but even when the reservation was together it couldnt get us enough seats on the same flight so it put us on two flights but somehow since he has low status so it puts him on a later flight. We're focused on delivering a great experience for our younger passengers and their parents and know it often starts with the right seat.. And on every single one of those flights I was shocked by the kindness and helpfulness of total strangers. United Airlines has updated its family seating policy for parents flying with children under 12 years old. Editorial Disclosure:The content featured on UpgradedPoints.com has not been influenced, provided, or reviewed by the credit card companies mentioned. A professional journalist, he joined the company in November 2018 after five years covering state and national politics for The Associated Press and working at several newspapers across the country. Holding back certain seats and using technology to, in essence, force seating together represents a far smarter way of handling this recurring issue. There is no situation in business where revenue is cut and there arent other changes - that is just the nature of corporate capitalism (and thank God for that). If all standard economy seats are occupied, United will even open up Preferred seats toward the front of the plane to avoid separating families. "We're focused on delivering a great experience for our younger passengers and their parents and know it often . Nothing is ever good enough. The airline also blocks a handful of rows in the main economy cabin on most flights to accommodate groups and families. Read more:Can I Sit with My Child Flying Basic Economy? 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CHICAGO, Feb. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- United today announced an improved family seating policy that makes it easier than ever for children under 12-years old to sit next to an adult in. Luckily, airlines are falling in line and making it easier for families traveling together to sit together. Your email address will not be published. Time for airlines to designate the last few rows in coach as Family Seats and for Preboards. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Yet the only thing the airline industry is getting dropped on its head is bailout money. I agree with you that it's a pleasant surprise to see them lead the way on this so quickly. It shouldnt have to take POTUS to mention it in his SOTU speech to make this happen! Here are a few more helpful tips for families flying United: There is a lot of overlap with the guidance for getting your familys seats together on most U.S. airlines (with Southwest being the exception). And Ive never felt the same about United after that. This should land your family in an A or B boarding group, and most of the time, you wont have an issue getting your familys seats together. Some of his favorite places include Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Tokyo, Japan, and Italy's Amalfi Coast. Someone thats not me is getting something! Both times it was fixed only after lots of pain on my end but I downgraded myself to coach just this past November to make it work. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card also has a benefit of four Upgraded Boardings per year. United Airlines Announces Family Seating Policy Changes - Business President Joe Biden singled out these additional costs in his State of the Union address earlier this month, touting his administration's proposal that would prohibit airlines from charging up to $50 roundtrip for families just to sit together as part of a broader crackdown on resort fees, Ticketmaster, and other fees he deemed unfair. Extra legroom and space. This is the only way to guarantee your entire family will sit together during your flight. It should never have not been like this in the first place. Too many want something for nothing which is almost criminal IMHO. Delta implemented a similar group United has gotten great with optics. Confirm seat selections made through third parties on Alaska Airlines website or by speaking with a reservations agent by phone. A United spokesman confirmed the new feature is not yet available for basic economy fares, though that's expected to go live once the new seating policy is fully implemented sometime in early March. EXCEPT on a United flight I took from chicago to seattle last year. United Makes It Easier for Families to Sit Together - PR Newswire Flyers should begin to see more options to pick adjacent seats for their children immediately, and the seat map will now open up Preferred Seats if no free adjacent economy seats are left to choose from. Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This post has been updated with new information. In most instances, busier flights are going to be more expensive and are less likely to have adjacent seats open. No matter what United, or most other airlines do, people here will shit on them and complain anyway it seems. This is even being offered on basic economy tickets, which ordinarily dont offer free seat assignments. But enforcing that requirement has been a challenge with the spread of pesky basic economy fares and ultra-low-cost carriers like Spirit and Frontier that always charge for seat selection. American Airlines Like most major airlines, American allows you to choose your seats when booking or at any time leading up to your flight. Essentially, A1 is the best boarding position and youll have the most seating options available to you when you board the plane. Biden pushed the Junk Fee Prevention Act during his State of the Union address this month that will target such airline fees, as well as resort and concert ticket fees, according to CNN. Delta implemented a similar group seating capacity to its res system months ago. Anyone boarding first without status should be seated in the back. The good news is that Alaska Airlines' family seating policy does guarantee that children under 14 will automatically be seated with at least one parent or guardian at no additional charge, including on Saver fares. Book children on the same reservation as adults in your party. I also throw screen time rules out the window on travel days. I dont want to encounter an entitled Mom (Yes, I said it) who believes I an required to give up my seat during the boarding process just so her early puberty son can sit next to Mommy & Daddy. It sounds like Uncle Bob and Aunt Sally would still rightfully so be out of luck :). Photo of the phone (lol)..to send to Deltas training dept? Rapid Rewards A-List and A-List Preferred members (and those traveling on the same reservation) automatically receive a boarding position 36 hours prior to departure, though you will still need to check in within 24 hours of your flight to receive your boarding pass. United has the right to change the Rules, benefits (including Lounge hours, locations, amenities and services), access policies and conditions of membership and use, in whole or in part, at any time, with or without notice. Im looking forward to your economically grounded arguments. Customers also won't be charged if there is a difference in fare price between the original and new flight. (Had he been in the middle seat, I might have needed an adult beverage thrown in to sweeten the deal, but I digress.). Were focused on delivering a great experience for our younger passengers and their parents and know it often starts with the right seat. Southwest Airlines is the one airline on this list that does not assign seats in advance, so you cannot purchase a specific seat assignment ahead of time. Read up on everything there is to know in our full review of the carrier. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. United Polaris, United First Class and Economy Plus seats remain separate products and are excluded from this family seating policy change. Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. CHICAGO, Feb. 20, 2023 / PRNewswire / -- United today announced an improved family seating policy that makes it easier than ever for children under 12-years old to sit next to an adult in their party for free - including customers who purchase Basic Economy tickets. Theres another angle to this, its becoming harder and harder to hire gate agents. Youll probably want to avoid basic economy on United if you want your party to stay together. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL". United Airlines has a new family seating policy, making it easier than ever before for children under 12 years of age to sit next to an adult in their party for free. No hating on United here. They will ask for volunteers to move seats and help accommodate your family. To guarantee your family sits together on an Alaska Airlines flight: All but one of Delta's fare types allow you to select your seats when you purchase your tickets. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. After all, a four-year-old should not be seated between two strangers, even if the family books last-minute seats. This is a business that is making good decisions. The reservation system picks this up - or can be done by an agent - so this is not 'impressive' new news. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure. US airline customers have long complained about seating that separates young children . If you're traveling with children under 15 on any fare type, American's system will detect that you are a family traveling together and automatically search for seats together if you don't choose them yourself. United said a new seat map feature makes it possible by automatically finding adjacent seats for families booking together. Yet another reason families will not be proactive with seat selection. The U.S. If only scattered seats are available at the time of booking, you are better off letting Uniteds system automatically choose seats for you because it will attempt to seat families on the same reservation with unassigned seats together. To get as high of a boarding group as possible, youll need to check in exactly (like, to the second) 24 hours prior to your flight. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. The seat map technology, which will cover Basic Economy tickets, will dynamically find available adjacent Economy seats at the time of booking. United Introduces New, Family-friendly Seating Policy American's policy (as stated here) does not detract from anyone while Delta automated the process (also as stated on here) and neither grandstanded about their accomplishments. Even more legroom and space, fully reclining seats United Polaris. For all travel policy questions, email travelpolicy@gsa.gov. The change even applies to those passengers who purchase Basic Economy tickets. What you need to know. The feature will then offer complimentary upgrades to available preferred seats, if needed. United Airlines to introduce new family friendly seating policy We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. That's what I thought as well - moving people around is probably an issue for gate agent and flight attendant job satisfaction as well as a factor in delays in boarding and take off. United Introduces Family-Friendly Seating Policy | FareCompare Required fields are marked *. If youre traveling soon with children under the age of 12, you should notice the ability to choose seats next to yours for your kiddos without any additional charges. If you require extra time to board then that means you need extra time to deplane. Regardless, some industry analysts have connected the dots, including Gary Leff, a travel expert who runs View from the Wing. Those circumstances often result in more stress and a longer boarding process for everyone. This is going to be a lot of fun when the once-a-year family flyers discover that they need to pay a substantial amount of money in order to sit together because they are flying a codeshare, have been accommodated on another airline due to IROPS, hold a ticket which has been issued on the wrong ticket stock and so on. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.