Should You Swap Seats if a Parent Asks on a Flight?

When parents don’t pay to select seats in advance, they often rely on the kindness of fellow passengers to sit with their children. But should other travelers give up their chosen seats—sometimes paid upgrades—to make it happen?

Travel experts say no one is obligated to switch. Shelley Marmor, travel advisor at DiscoverCars, argues that if a family wants to sit together, they should plan and pay for it upfront. “Expecting strangers to give up their chosen spots because you didn’t want to spend the extra money is entitlement, not an emergency,” she says. Still, Marmor admits she’s happy to swap if she didn’t pay for her seat and the switch is reasonable.

Not everyone agrees. Maureen Poschman, a PR executive and frequent traveler, says she always moves to help families, even to a middle seat. “It’s a bit karmic,” she says, recalling times she needed others’ help when her kids were young.

Some U.S. airlines like American, Frontier, JetBlue, and Alaska guarantee children 13 and under can sit with an adult at no extra charge. Others, including Delta, United, and Southwest, do not—unless you pay. United now uses a dynamic seat map to assist families with kids under 12.

Flight attendants say they can’t force seat swaps. “We can ask, but we can’t make anyone move,” says veteran flight attendant Heather Poole. Her advice: pay for at least one aisle seat to improve your odds of a trade.

In the end, kindness helps—but planning ahead is what guarantees a seat together.

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Should You Swap Seats if a Parent Asks on a Flight?

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