Airlines will now guarantee that children under the age of twelve be seated for free with at least one parent or guardian
NEW DELHI: Airlines will now have to make sure that, if traveling on the same PNR (booking reference), young children are placed alongside at least one of their parents or guardians during flights without having to pay an additional fee for seat selection. On Tuesday, the DGCA issued an order to airlines on this matter in response to many complaints from group travelers about being placed apart, particularly from their children, if they chose not to pay an additional fee for seat selection.
According to a revised regulation by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), “Airlines shall ensure that children up to the age of 12 are allocated seats with at least one of their parents/guardians who are travelling on the same PNR and a record of the same shall be maintained.”
The Air Transport Circular (ATC)-01 of 2024, which is entitled to “unbundle of services and fees by scheduled airlines,” grants airlines the authority to impose additional prices for amenities like free luggage, first-class seats, meals, snacks, drinks, and the transportation of musical instruments. Passengers have the option to pay for these additional services on an opt-in basis.
“Airlines provide these unbundled services on an “opt-in” basis; they are not required. Additionally, for passengers who have not chosen a seat for online check-in before the planned departure, there is a provision for automatic seat assignment. The current Air Transport Circular 01 of 2021 has been appropriately amended in light of the many incidents that the DGCA became aware of, whereby minors under the age of 12 were not seated with their parent or legal guardian,” a senior official said.
Travelers all throughout the globe, not only in India, have been irritated by the practice of group travelers being seated separately if they do not pay an additional fee for seat selection. For example, the US has been battling this problem.
On February 5, 2023, US President Joe Biden said on X, a previous Twitter platform: “When choosing a seat, some airlines charge extra, even for parents who want to sit next to their child.” The Junk Fee Protection Act should be passed by Congress in order to combat these costs and provide hardworking Americans with a little bit of breathing space.
The US Transportation Secretary then tweeted on March 1, 2023, saying: “The department will publish a family seating dashboard next week to show which airlines guarantee free seating for families.” I’m pleased that American Airlines is the first US airline to promise to include this assurance in its customer care program. President Biden tweeted in response, saying, “Today, American Air announced they’re doing just that. I called for airlines to eliminate family seating fees in my state of the union.” Nobody should have to pay more to sit next to their children. It’s time for more airlines to take note.
Airlines all around the world, including in India, charge for the option to choose your own seat in advance; those who choose not to pay this fee are assigned to the seats that were not reserved in advance. Because of this, families or groups traveling together are often placed apart on flights unless they pay an additional fee to reserve their seats in advance.
