In a tweet,
United States President Biden has written that airlines should offer family
seating without a fee.
“You ought to be able to fly with your child – and sit next to
them – without paying an additional fee. It's time all airlines offered
fee-free family seating,” he wrote.
I'll leave
it up to you to decide if this is just election-year rhetoric or not, but it
still brings up the interesting question of whether he is right or wrong.
Both.
I remember
when I flew to Paradise Island for the Atlantis opening of its association with
the Nickelodeon Channel, and I traveled with my then eight-year-old son. It was
just him and me, and I was unhappy to find out we were about 10 rows apart.
It's
undoubtedly a feeling of frustration and helplessness.
But perhaps
airlines can amend the booking process to accommodate more families. That
doesn't mean family members should travel for free, whether 10 rows apart or
sitting right next to each other.
So families
should still pay the full price for a seat, but they shouldn't have to spend an
extra fee just to sit near each other.
I get it. I
do. Airlines are a business, and this, in part, is how they make their income.
Far be it from me to tell somebody how to run their business. But there seem to
be enough fees, ranging from baggage to changing seats.
You're
already paying full price for the seat, and nobody is asking for a break on
that. But you shouldn't have to spend extra just to sit near your child.
As I
suggested, perhaps this can all be done during the booking process. Or maybe
there can be a designated area in the cabin for families traveling with small
children. I don't have all the answers; I'm not an airline executive.
But this is
a common sense issue. There has to be a solution. United Airlines, for
instance, is about to spend millions for a Super Bowl commercial in which it
touts its no-change fee service. If you can change your seat without incurring a
fee, this can be done.
The
airlines can still make their money, and passengers can have peace of mind by
sitting next to their eight-year-old.
So yes,
families should be seated next to each other. No, they shouldn't have to pay
extra for the privilege.
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