On February 5, Biden posted a tweet on his official account "X", saying that "it's time for all airlines to offer free family seats." ”
"You should be able to fly with your kids and sit next to them at no extra cost," he wrote on X. ”
This isn't the first time he's called on American Airlines to stop charging more for travelers who book seats with their children. In March of this year, he was at the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.Ss.Department of Transportation)** to show consumers which airlines offer free family seats and which don't.
Some airlines had already made changes to their policies before announcing in March, such as United Airlines, which made it easier for families traveling with children under the age of 12 to find and select multiple seats. Frontier also changed its policy in February, ensuring that children under a certain age are always paired with at least one family member.
Later in September, JetBlue followed other airlines in changing their family seating policy, ensuring that passengers under the age of 13 can sit next to their parents or adult companions at no additional charge.
According to the Department of Transportation's Family Seating Chart, Allegiant, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines all offer some form of family seating fee, while Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, and Frontier Airlines do not.
Transport Minister Peter Buttigieg introduced a bill in early 2023 that would require airlines not to charge family seating fees to children aged 13 and under. The bill has not yet passed.