Anyone that has ever tried air travel with a family knows from experience that it's not the easiest of things.
But a new policy from United Airlines (UAL) will address that issue in a way that will not only put a stop to sitting separated from your children on flights, but could attract more families to use the airline.
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Using what United calls a "dynamic seat map," children under the age of 12 will automatically be seated next to an adult in their party free of charge. This new system will be rolled out in early March.
Of course, based on prior bookings, the seats next to yours may not be available, but United has a fix for that too.
"In instances when adjacent seats are not available prior to travel -- due to things like last minute bookings, full flights or unscheduled aircraft changes -- United's new policy also lets customers switch for free to a flight to the same destination with adjacent seat availability in the same cabin. Customers also won't be charged if there is a difference in fare price between the original and new flight," the announcement reads.
This news will come as a big sigh of relief to parents -- especially those who have been caught up in the stress of being separated from their kids during flights or forced to pay a fee to sit together.
The change may be a result of a Feb. 8 announcement from President Joe Biden where he announced his intent to "stop junk fees," specifically calling out airlines for their seating policies for families.
“Americans are tired of being played for suckers,” he said. “Baggage fees are bad enough—airlines can’t treat your child like a piece of baggage.”
Some, however, were less than impressed with United's change.
