[ad_1]
WASHINGTON, July 9 (The Associated Press) On Friday, the Transportation Department urged airlines to make it easier for families to sit together on planes at no extra cost.
In a notice to airlines, the department said airlines “should do everything in their power to ensure” that children 13 or younger are able to sit next to older family members.
Also read | Former UK finance minister Rishi Sunak bids to replace Boris Johnson.
The agency said it will monitor airlines from November and may propose new rules.
American Airlines, a trade group, said the airline “has been working hard to serve customers who are traveling together, especially those traveling with children, and will continue to do so.”
The Department of Transport said it had received more than 500 complaints over the past five years about families not being able to sit together. However, this is only about 1% of all complaints against airlines, dwarfed by complaints about refunds and flight problems.
In 2016, Congress urged airlines to let children sit next to family members for free, but the Trump administration’s Department of Transportation did not draft rules on the matter, nor did the Biden administration.
The department said Friday that airlines can do several things to help relatives sit together, including assigning adjacent seats or reserving areas for family members when booking.
More and more airlines are charging extra for desirable seats to boost revenue. The 2016 law doesn’t require them to make seat assignments, and passengers can be upgraded to a better cabin or seat if that seat costs extra.
The department also released a Bill of Rights for Airline Passengers with Disabilities, a summary of current laws for travelers to refer to. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
[ad_2]
Source link