Here’s which airlines guarantee family seating
By Carly Coombs | Posted: Oct. 14, 2024
Traveling as a family can be expensive, and paying for seat selection on flights so everyone can sit together can add to the already hefty price tag.
While paying for seat selection on your flight will guarantee that your whole family sits together, some airlines do help families sit together free of charge or, at minimum, ensure children are seated with a parent.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has a helpful dashboard showing which of the top U.S. airlines provide family seating without a fee. Alaska, American, Frontier, and Jetblue airlines don’t charge fees for family seating. Breeze Airways, which flies out of the Provo and Ogden airports, also provides family seating free of charge.
While not all airlines guarantee family seating, the DOT is considering a new federal rule requiring all airlines to seat children next to parents free of charge.
DOT’s proposed rule would require airlines to seat children 13 years old and younger with a parent or accompanying adult at no extra cost, as long as seats are available.
Even if an airline doesn’t have a policy guaranteeing family seating, it’s always worth asking the gate agent to see if they can help adjust your seats.
If you’re hoping to get seated as a family, airlines recommend booking your family on the same reservation, as that will signal that your family needs seats together. In most cases, if you haven’t booked together, you can contact that airline to note that you are traveling as a family.
Here’s a look at what major airlines offer when it comes to family seating:
Delta
Without paying for seat selection, Delta has no guarantees ensuring children are seated next to their parent or an adult. The airline’s website directs customers to contact its reservations department for help in seating families together.
American
If you are flying American on a basic economy ticket (which doesn’t come with seat selection) and with children under 15, the airline will automatically try to seat your family together when assigning seats 24 hours before departure.
American doesn’t guarantee that your entire family will be seated together but its policy states that it will put each child under 15 next to at least one accompanying adult.
United
Families with children under 12 who are on Economy or Basic Economy fares will be seated together under United’s policy.
If seating assignments change at the last minute, causing your family to be separated, the airline notes that you can be rebooked on another available flight at no charge.
Southwest
Southwest currently has open seating, meaning no passengers have seat assignments, and customers snag their seats once they get on the plane.
Under this seating process, Southwest allows families with children under six to board after the A group, which boards first, usually allowing those families time to get seats together before the plane fills up.
Southwest announced in July 2024 that it would do away with open seating and switch to assigned seats sometime in 2025. So far, the airline has no information on the family seating policy once assigned seating is implemented.
JetBlue
For families with children under 13, JetBlue states it will ensure children are seated next to a parent or accompanying adult.
For Basic Blue fares — which don’t have seat selection — seat assignments will be given no later than 24 hours before departure.
Hawaiian
While Hawaiian Airlines doesn’t guarantee that children will be seated next to their parents, its policy does say the airline will do its best to seat children under 14 with a parent or accompanying adult.
Alaska
If seats are available, Alaska Airline’s policy guarantees that children under 13 will be seated next to an accompanying adult. Seat assignments will be made no later than 26 hours before departing.
If seats aren’t available next to each other, Alaska can book families on another flight for no additional charge.
Spirit
Spirit doesn’t guarantee families will be seated together without paying for seat selection. For families with children 12 and younger, gate agents and flight attendants will try to arrange seating to have children next to an adult if seats are available.
Frontier
Children under 14 will be seated next to an accompanying adult with no fee, and seat assignments will be provided no later than the day before the flight.
Allegiant Air
Allegiant, which operates out of the Provo Airport, doesn’t guarantee family seating and recommends that passengers pay for seat reservations if traveling with children.
Breeze Airways
Breeze, which flies out of the Provo and Ogden airports, guarantees children 12 and younger will be seated next to an accompanying adult as long as seats are available.