The Biden Administration plans to crack down further on airlines’ so-called nickel and diming.
The latest target is the extra fees airlines charge to seat families together.
The Department of Transportation would require airlines to seat parents and children under 14 together free of charge when seats are available at the time of booking.
The Department of Transportation just laid out the new proposal which the U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said says is ‘commom sense and should be standard practice.’
“What we’re doing is requiring that an airline not charge you extra to sit next to your kids — or your grandkids, it applies to any accompanied adults,” Buttigieg told CBS Mornings.
Buttigieg said there have been hundreds of complaints about this issue.
Often, seat swapping solves the problem onboard but this has on rare occasions led to altercations.
Trade group Airlines 4 America says not all airlines charge a fee and airlines ‘make every effort to accommodate customers traveling together.’
An appeals court this week temporarily blocked the DOT’s new rule requiring upfront disclosure of all airline fees before payment, so that customers can effectively compare the full cost.
This is part of the government’s war on ‘junk fees’ across a number of industry sectors.
