Airlines to drop seat fee so kids can sit by parents asks New York senator

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The New York Democrat is reacting to an linked Press story last week detailing how families this summer are going to find it harder to sit as one without paying fees that can add up to hundreds of dollars over the original ticket price.

“Children need access to their parents and parents need access to their children,” Schumer said in a statement. “Unnecessary airline fees shouldn’t serve as a literal barrier between mother and child”.

Since last year, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and United Airlines have amplified the percent of seats they set aside for privileged frequent fliers or customers willing to pay extra. Fees for the seats — on the aisle, next to windows, or with more legroom —vary, but classically cost $25 extra, each way.

Airlines are probing for more ways to raise revenue to offset rising fuel prices. Airfare alone naturally doesn’t cover the cost of in commission a flight. In the past five years, airlines have extra fees for tartan baggage, watching TV, skipping security lines and boarding in the early hours. Fees for better seats have existed for a few years but have proliferated in the last 12 months.

Schumer is asking Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to subject rules preventing airlines from charging parents more to sit subsequently to kids. He is also asking the industry’s trade group, Airlines for America, to influence carriers to voluntarily waive the fee for families.

Two years ago, Schumer got five big airlines to pledge that they wouldn’t charge passengers to stow carry-on bags in overhead bins. The promise came after Spirit Airlines became the first U.S. carrier to levy such a fee.

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