Frontier Announces New Family Seating Policy

Frontier Airlines is joining the movement to make flying with young children a little easier for families.

The airline has just announced that it has enhanced its booking system to ensure that children under a certain age will be seated with at least one responsible adult in their party when flying Frontier.

“At least one parent will automatically be seated with any children with their daily group who are under the age of 14,” the airline said in a statement. “At no additional charge, the airline automatically assigns seats based on family members’ ages before the check-in window opens.”

Just yesterday, United Airlines announced a similarly family-friendly booking policy. The carrier said it has invested in a new seat map feature that dynamically finds available adjacent seats when booking, allowing travelers with children under 12 to see more seat options immediately, as TravelPulse reported.

The new search feature first reviews all available free Economy seats and then opens complimentary upgrades to available Preferred Seats, if necessary.

In United’s case, the policy change will go into effect in early March and applies to Economy and Basic Economy customers.

The new booking system for Frontier Airlines has been in operation for a few months already.

“We recognize the importance of seating children next to an adult with whom they are traveling,” Daniel Shurz, senior vice president, commercial, Frontier Airlines, said in a statement. “Since last October, we have been doubling down on our efforts and further enhancing our system for ensuring a parent is seated with any children under the age of 14 in their family group. The system is working well and we are receiving positive feedback.”

Customers also have the option to choose their own seats for a fee on Frontier, if they prefer.

The shift among carriers to more family-friendly booking policies comes after the Biden Administration publicly criticized U.S. airlines for charing families unfair fees. The Department of Transportation issued a warning to airlines earlier this summer, stating that they must stop charging families extra fees in order to sit together.