ICYMI: Bloomberg: 'United Airlines Plans to Ease Fees on Seats for Families After Biden's Call Out'

In his State of the Union address, President Biden called upon Congress to ban airline fees for family members to sit with young children: "Baggage fees are bad enough. Airlines can't treat your child like a piece of baggage."

Today, United Airlines responded to President Biden's call by making it easier for parents to sit next to their young children for free.

The President will continue to call for Congress to pass his Junk Fee Prevention Act while enacting his competition agenda. As he said, "Junk fees may not matter to the very wealthy, but they matter to most other folks in homes like the one I grew up in. … I know how unfair it feels when a company overcharges you and gets away with it. Not anymore."

Read more coverage below:

Bloomberg: United Airlines Plans to Ease Fees on Seats for Families After Biden's Call Out
[Siddharth Vikram Philip, 2/20/23]

United Airlines Holdings Inc said it will introduce a seating policy that would make it easier for adults to book adjoining seats for children under 12 without charges after President Joe Biden vowed to outlaw such fees in his State of the Union address this month.

[…]

The Department of Transportation said it would publish a dashboard of charges in order to bring transparency to families faced with unexpected fees to sit with their children, as well as work to ban such levies, after Biden touted his administration's efforts to crack down on so-called "junk fees."

United's change comes after the DOT issued a notice last year, encouraging US carriers to have policies that allow children to be seated next to an accompanying adult to "the maximum extent practicable and at no additional cost."

Wall Street Journal: United Airlines to Ease Family Seating Fees
[Alison Sider and Dawn Gilbertson, 2/20/23]

Lawmakers, regulators and President Biden have taken aim at additional charge for adjacent seats

United Airlines Holdings Inc. said it would make it easier for parents to book airplane seats next to their young children without paying a fee, making a change to a common practice that has come under scrutiny by regulators.

[…]

The move comes as lawmakers and regulators have said airlines need to ensure that families don't incur extra charges to guarantee seats together—part of the Biden administration's broader effort to curb what it describes as junk fees.

The U.S. Transportation Department issued a notice to airlines last summer, urging them to make sure that children 13 years old and younger can sit next to an accompanying adult without any extra charge. The White House this month said the Transportation Department would propose rules banning airlines from charging fees for family members to select seats next to children 13 years old or younger and called on Congress to "fast-track the ban on family seating fees."

"We'll prohibit airlines from charging $50 round trip for a family just to be able to sit together," President Biden said during his State of the Union address this month. "Baggage fees are bad enough. Airlines can't treat your child like a piece of baggage."

USA Today: United Airlines will let families sit together more easily with new booking policy
[Zach Wichter, 2/20/23]

United Airlines is rolling out booking technology improvements to help families sit together more easily onboard – even those who are traveling on basic economy tickets.

[…]

The airline's move comes as the Biden administration is pushing to crack down on airline fees it sees as extraneous. During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden specifically called out carriers that charge families to sit together.

"Baggage fees are bad enough – they can't just treat your child like a piece of luggage," he said.

CNBC: United says it will make it easier for families to book seats with their children for free
[Leslie Josephs, 2/20/23]

United Airlines said Monday that new technology will open up more seats on its flights so children can sit with an adult in their party without paying a fee, a type of charge that's drawn scrutiny from the Biden administration in recent months.

[…]

President Joe Biden has called on lawmakers to "fast-track the ban on family seating fees," the White House said earlier this month. In July, the Transportation Department told U.S. airlines to "do everything in their power" to ensure travelers under age 13 are seated next to an accompanying adult without additional charges.

"Baggage fees are bad enough," Biden said during his State of the Union address earlier this month. "Airlines can't treat your child like a piece of baggage."

The Points Guy: United rolls out new family seating policy for economy tickets
[Caroline Tanner, 2/20/23]

In what may set the standard for domestic airline seating policies, United Airlines, one of the Big Three, has announced a new policy for families to sit together for free with children under age 12 in certain cabins, regardless of fare type.

[…]

Advance seat fees, which are between $20 and $100 each way, depending on the carrier, fare type and route, have caught the attention of President Joe Biden and the Department of [Transportation], both of which aim to halt these fees, among other so-called junk fees, via the Junk Fee Prevention Act.

"We'll prohibit airlines from charging up to $50 round-trip for families just to sit together," Biden said during his State of the Union address in January. "Baggage fees are bad enough — they can't just treat your child like a piece of luggage."

Thrifty Traveler: United Unveils New, Free Seating Policy for Families & Kids
[Kyle Potter, 2/20/23]

With the Biden administration gearing up to crack down on airlines that charge more for families to sit together and other "junk fees," United Airlines rolled out a new policy Monday it says will make it easier to get seats together for free – even with the cheapest basic economy fares.

[…]

It's a clear response to increasing pressure from the White House.

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. The Department of Transportation is also expected to add seat costs for families to the new customer service dashboard it rolled out last summer.