- American Airlines will guarantee children under 15 can sit with an accompanying adult on its flights.
- The policy has been published in its customer service plan, meaning it is now enforceable by law.
Last year's seasons of flight chaos prominently featured families separated once they got to their boarding gates — not being able to sit together. Now, airlines are finally doing something about it.
American Airlines said this week it's so committed to seating families together that it's officially stated that it will do so in the policy document it submits to the US government. Because the "family seating" plan is now filed with the government, American could face penalties if it doesn't follow through.
It's not clear what penalties AA could face; the airline didn't detail them to Insider and the Department of Transportation didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg praised American for becoming the first US airline to guarantee free family seating in its official customer service plan.
The plan outlines a "guarantee" to seat children under 15 with an accompanying adult, as long as the passengers are booked under the same reservation and the aircraft isn't unexpectedly changed to a smaller one, among other requirements.
"American Airlines lets families sit together at no additional cost," an American spokesperson told Insider. "We are proud to offer industry-leading, customer-friendly policies that ensure a positive travel experience for families traveling together."
Still, American told Insider that it has never actually charged a fee for family seating. The airline said it uses an automated process to ensure families sit together. The program prompts people during the booking process to not pay extra for seats together because it will recognize a family sitting together — if the family books on the same reservation — and will make any seat adjustments automatically.
The difference now is that American has officially put this process into its customer service plan — a commitment enforceable by law. To meet its promise, the carrier said if seats together cannot be accommodated, it will "rebook you at no extra cost or provide you a refund if you choose not to travel."
President Joe Biden took to Twitter to encourage other carriers to follow American's lead, saying "no one should have to pay extra to be seated with their kids" and that is it "time for more airlines to follow suit."
Frontier Airlines has since put the promise into its customer service plan, Buttigieg said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, other carriers, like United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, have committed to making free family seating easier. United made an announcement last week that trumpeted its commitment. But the promise is not in either airline's official customer service plans they file with the government — yet. Neither Delta nor United immediately responded to Insider's request for comment.
It's not clear why United and Delta haven't published a guarantee, though it's possible they might once a new addition to the Transportation Department's airline customer service dashboard is released next week. The dashboard will outline which airlines have made the family seating commitments. The agency is also proposing regulations that would bar airlines from imposing any family seating fee.
These actions will complement the DOT's dashboard revealed in September, which shows which airlines have promised things like meals and hotel rooms during delays or cancelations and was created after the summer of travel chaos.
The response from airlines to make family seating easier comes after mounting pressure from angry travelers, as well as online debates over whose responsibility it is to ensure accompanying adults and children sit together.
Last July, the DOT called on airlines to do "everything in their power to ensure that children who are age 13 or younger are seated next to an accompanying adult with no additional charge." In early February, Biden called on Congress to "fast-track the ban on family seating fees."