I really don't see a problem with creating a law that prohibits charging a fee to put a minor under a certain age into a contiguous seat with ONE adult of the party, provided that the law is carefully written.
Some of the factors that I think would be important to include:
1. Purchase window: Set a minimum number of days before the flight that the tickets must be purchased; something like 60 ought to do it. After that it cannot be guaranteed.
2. Availability: open contiguous seats must be available at time of purchase, it isn't fair to move people who have already reserved seats if no contigous pairs are open at time of purchase. (However, along with this goes the caveat that IF the airline assigns seats at all, then open seat pairs must be made visible to the purchaser before purchase is finalized. No hiding any held-back pairs if the DOB of one of the passengers entered is after a certain cutoff date.)
3. Special sections may still exist: I would still allow the airline to set aside a certain percentage of coach seats as "premium", but there must also be a certain percentage of rows that do not contain any "premium seats." (So no designating EVERY aisle and window seat as premium.)
4. If the airline charges for ALL advance seat assignments, then it is OK to charge the standard base fee to seat the child in the same row as one adult; the key here is not to require payment of an optional fee just to get multiple seats in the same row.
First, let me be clear that my comments are not a personal attack on you, rather I will be attacking the idea.
To be blunt, I think idea this is terrible and rife for exploitation, law suits against the airlines, and full of unintended consequences.
To start, laws are not written with this sort of detail; rather, they are written in vague terms to permit encompassing many variations of a theme. A law would be very vague with the notation that a governmental agency, such as the FAA, would be required to clearly define the specifics, which would change from one administration to another without our vote. Once we open the door to regulation, it is very difficult to close it again.
Second, there is no real harm being done to warrant government intervention with regards to seating. Government is reactive in nature and will make proclamations and pass legislation in response to a situation, usually a situation that has caused real detriment and quantifiable harm to a class of people. Thus far, seating assignments on aircraft has not crossed this threshold.
Third, airlines do not
charge a fee to seat children next to adults! Airlines have fees for seating in specific areas for all passengers, regardless of age. if an airline had a specific fee for children to sit next to their guardian, then this would warrant a law; however, this is not occurring. If a parent does not purchase a ticket far enough in advance, they take the risk of not getting a booking with contiguous seating (the holidays are upon us and if you haven't bought yet, you are in a world of disappointment). If they do not understand this may occur, they are not doing enough research into their purchase (like looking at the seat assignment chart, asking the airline representative about it, etc). As such, the responsibility fall son the parent, not the airline in this case.
Fourth, airlines
do not hide seats. Rather, they purposely do not pre-assign a block of seats, so they are able to make adjustments at time of departure. This practice is not new, and is a reaction to previous experience where flexibility is required. To permit assignment of all seats on an aircraft would disenfranchise several groups of travelers, from those needing special seats (guide dogs on bulkhead seats), to those who have late connections and missed a flight due to irregular operations, to those who are loyal to the airline and those willing to pay extra for special seating (first/business class, seating in the front of the economy section, exit rows). This policy isn't a whim, nor is it a way for airlines to make extra money. Instead, the policy has been tested over decades as the best way to permit handling a myriad of situations. regulating this practice will have many unintended consequences.
Fifth, the reason many airlines have shifted from a variable fare based system to a variable fee based system is due to the tax structure. Under deregulation, the airlines no longer are able to ensure a set amount of revenue for tickets and competition has driven the price of airfare down significantly. As such, airlines are looking to maintain their profit margins while keeping ticket prices low. One avenue to accomplish this is to pay fewer taxes, which are excised on the airfare itself. The fees do not appear to be taxable, thus everything that would normally be baked into the ticket price are now called out separately as "fees". If the fees were a part of the airfare, we wouldn't even see them to be called out. Instead, it would simply be a single airfare for each seat, which already fluctuates based on capacity levels. As such, we likely wouldn't even know they are charging more for an aisle versus middle seat. Knowing is good.
In the end, legislation is not the answer. Instead, good personal practice is. Buy tickets early. Pick seats on purchase. Frequently monitor your reservation, so when changes occur you can make adjustments quickly. Arrive at the airport early and check-in at the 24 hour mark. Purchase seats at a higher ticket rate to help insure your needs are met (full Y fares will nearly guarantee contiguous seating, as will economy comfort or first class). Attain elite status with the airline. If truly required, be ready to ask your fellow passengers to swap seats (and maybe offer to buy a drink or something to make their effort worthwhile).
Otherwise, once we open the door with laws, they will always have unintended effects that may do more harm than good.
]), but checking in will help ensure seating together. This is hardest for the return trip, so be diligent.
