Your guide to airline family seating policies

As a mom of three, I’m no stranger to the ins and outs of flying with family.

I can disassemble and reassemble a double stroller with ninja-level precision so it will fit through the baggage scanner at security. And I am firmly in the camp that screen time rules do not exist on travel days. Most importantly, I don’t take any chances with getting my family’s seats together when we fly.

Related: Should you ask to switch seats on a plane?

Finding seats together when traveling with young kids can be costly and confusing.

Some parents assume they will automatically be seated with their kids. Others end up separated from their families when they rebook after a delay or cancellation. Regardless of the reason, airlines are not legally required to seat families together — though there is a proposal to change that.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation launched an online dashboard that displays, among other things, which airlines guarantee free family seating. This dashboard was part of a larger initiative to eliminate “family seating junk fees,” making it mandatory for airlines to seat young children next to an accompanying adult. However, much of this larger DOT initiative has either been rescinded by the new administration or struck down by appeals courts in recent months, though the dashboard remains intact for now. And while legislative efforts have been pending for a decade, it remains unclear when, or if, a bill will ever be signed into law.

That said, five airlines — American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines — voluntarily comply with the DOT guideline that airlines guarantee “adjacent seats for child 13 or under and an accompanying adult at no additional cost for all fare types.”

That doesn’t mean you’re completely out of luck when it comes to guaranteeing your family sits together if you’re flying on another major airline. Here is a guide to each airline’s family seating policy, and tips for ensuring your family members can sit together on your next flight.

American Airlines

Like most major airlines, American allows passengers to choose their seats at the time of booking or anytime before their flight.

There is no fee to choose your seats if you book a first-class, business-class, premium economy or Main Cabin fare. However, you will have to pay a fee to choose your seats if you purchase basic economy tickets — American’s least expensive (and most restrictive) fare type.

If you’re traveling with children under 15 on any fare type, American’s system will detect that you are a family traveling together and automatically search for seats together if you don’t choose them yourself. If adjacent seats are unavailable for your entire family, American guarantees children under 15 will be seated next to at least one accompanying adult on the same reservation at no additional cost.

Thus, if you can’t find seats for your entire family yourself, it’s better to skip seat selection entirely and let the automated system pick.

Related: Your ultimate guide to American Airlines AAdvantage

Alaska Airlines

To select your seats at the time of booking on an Alaska Airlines flight, you’ll need to book either a first-class, premium or Main Cabin ticket. If you purchase Alaska’s Saver fare tickets, the airline will automatically assign your seats upon check-in.

The good news is that Alaska Airlines’ family seating policy guarantees that children 13 and under will be seated with at least one parent or guardian at no additional charge, including on Saver fares. So even if you can’t find adjacent seats for your entire family, you can rest assured that your children won’t be seated separately from an adult. If you cannot get reserved seats together with your family during booking, call an Alaska Airlines reservation agent to review available seating options. As a last resort, arrive at the gate at least 60 minutes before departure and speak with a gate agent.

Delta Air Lines

Despite not having a family seating guarantee, all but one of Delta’s fare types allow you to select your seats when you purchase your tickets.

If you want your family to sit together, steer clear of Delta’s basic fares, which include Comfort Basic and Main Basic. These do not include advance seat selection. If you purchase a Classic or Extra fare, you’ll have the option to select your seats during the booking process.

Delta has other tips for getting your family’s seats together:

• Book children on the same reservation as the adults in your party.
• If you and your family cannot obtain seats together, contact Delta by phone to review your options or, as a last resort, speak with a Delta gate agent at the airport.

Flight attendants will sometimes ask for volunteers to switch seats; the airline also blocks a handful of rows in the main economy cabin on most flights to accommodate groups and families. Still, there are no guarantees unless you reserve your family’s seats together before arriving at the airport (preferably at the time of booking).

Frontier Airlines

Frontier Airlines’ base fares can be alluring to budget-conscious flyers. However, you’ll have to pay extra if you want the luxury of advance seating assignments. Unless you have elite status with Frontier, you must add an economy, premium or business “bundle” to choose your seats in advance. You can purchase bundles with cash or Frontier miles.

Luckily, Frontier’s family seating policy complies with the DOT’s recommendations and guarantees that children 13 years of age or younger will be seated automatically with at least one parent or guardian at no additional charge.

Frontier also recommends that families:

• Book children on the same reservation as adults in your party.
• Check in online or through Frontier’s mobile app as early as possible, so Frontier can assign group seats together if any are available.
• Ask a gate agent for assistance if your family is not assigned seats together.

JetBlue

JetBlue offers complimentary seat selection for all fare types except Blue Basic, and recommends families avoid Blue Basic to take advantage of free seat selection.

The good news is that JetBlue’s family seating policy guarantees that children 13 or under will be seated next to at least one adult traveling with them on the same reservation without an additional fee.

This applies to all fare types, including Blue Basic fares. At the time of booking, JetBlue’s system will assign seats together for at least one accompanying parent as long as adjacent seats are still available when you book your flight.

JetBlue does its best to keep families together and blocks a limited number of rows until the day of travel for passengers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors. If any seats are available after accommodating these passengers, JetBlue may be able to use them to seat families together.

Southwest Airlines

Until Southwest changed its boarding process earlier this year, it was by far the most family-friendly airline in ensuring that kids and parents were seated together. Now that Southwest’s family boarding process has flown the coop, the airline’s family seating policy operates similarly to those of most other airlines.

Families need to purchase a Choice, Choice Preferred or Choice Extra fare for advance seat selection at the time of booking. Basic fares are not eligible for advance seat selection, and seats will be assigned at check-in unless you purchase seats separately.

The exception to this policy is for A-List Preferred and A-List members and eligible credit card holders.

That said, Southwest does its best to seat children age 12 and under next to a parent on the same reservation, regardless of fare type. If you are not seated together, Southwest recommends speaking with a gate agent or flight attendant for assistance. If no adjacent seats are available, you have the option to move to the next flight with adjacent seats available.

Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines keeps its family seating advice plain and simple: The only way to guarantee you’ll be able to sit with your family is to purchase your seat assignments ahead of time.

Seat assignments start at $5 per person per segment and vary by route and seat location in the aircraft. You can purchase your seat assignment when you book your flight, during check-in or at any time in between. However, the earlier you choose the seats, the better the chance that your entire family will be able to sit together.

Spirit currently has no official family seating policy. It only states that it “can’t guarantee that you’ll get to sit with your friends or family” if you don’t purchase seat assignments; it says that gate agents will work to provide adjacent seats for guests flying with children age 13 and under whenever possible.

There are ways to save money when purchasing your seats, though. Spirit Saver$ Club members receive low fares and discounted prices for add-ons like bags and seats. There is an annual fee — but if you have a large family or plan on flying with Spirit often, the cost may be less than purchasing seats for your entire group.

Speaking of frequent flying, members of Spirit’s Free Spirit loyalty program at the Gold level receive, among other perks, free seat selection at the time of booking. Unlike with Frontier’s program, Spirit’s elite status perks, such as seat selection, do not extend to other members on the reservation.

United Airlines

United’s family seating policy guarantees families with children under age 12 in certain cabins can sit together for free, regardless of fare type. United’s “dynamic seat map feature” will enable passengers to book seats together for up to two travelers under 12 and an adult companion for free, including on basic economy fares.

Beyond that, however, you will have to be savvy about seat selection to ensure the rest of your party can sit together. Note that while most United tickets include seat selection, basic economy tickets do not. You will have to purchase seats for your entire party beyond the automatic pairing for travelers under 12.

If your seat assignments change due to an aircraft swap, United will allow you to switch to another flight with available seats in the same cabin for free.

Here are a few more helpful tips for families flying United:

• Book children on the same reservation as adults.
• Confirm seat selections made through a third party.
• If only scattered seats are available at the time of booking, you’re better off letting United’s system automatically choose seats for you, because it will attempt to seat families on the same reservation with unassigned seats together.
• If you cannot obtain seats together, arrive early at your departure gate and speak with a gate agent. They will ask for volunteers to move seats and help accommodate your family.

General tips

The guidance for getting your family’s seats together on most U.S. airlines overlaps greatly. You want to do everything possible to:

• Book early and select seats when you book — do not wait until the last minute to check your seat assignments.
• Avoid saver or basic fares, as these often do not offer complimentary seat selection.
• Choose your family’s seats at the time of booking. This may be included with your fare, or you may have to pay an additional fee.
• Speak to customer service. If you are unable to get your family’s seats together at the time of booking, call the airline and speak with a reservations agent to determine the best course of action.
• Keep checking, as seat availability may change in the months and weeks leading up to your flight — especially in the final week before your trip and again 24 hours before your flight.
• Get to the airport early. If you arrive at the airport and still haven’t been able to secure your family’s seats together, politely ask a gate agent or flight attendant for help. You may still be able to pay for an upgrade, or they can assist you by finding open seats. It may be too late to do anything official, but they’ll be much more willing to help if you approach them with kindness.

Bottom line

Sometimes kind travelers will help parents who end up in a bind on board, but there’s no guarantee. Luckily, most major airlines have systems in place to ensure kids aren’t seated separately from at least one parent.