A bipartisan bill led by U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) to establish a seating policy for young children under the age of 14 on airplane flights became law on May 16 as part of a larger Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) package.
President Joe Biden signed into law the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, H.R. 3935, which includes Rep. Wagner’s Fly Together Act, H.R. 4193, legislation to ensure young children are seated together with their family members on flights.
“Parents in Missouri and around the country understand how challenging and expensive it can be to fly with your children. The last thing parents need is to be nickel and dimed by airlines and forced to pay extra just to sit next to their child,” Rep. Wagner said. “My legislation prohibits airlines from forcing families to pay even more money on top of their ticket cost just to sit together.”
The congresswoman’s bill, which is cosponsored by lead cosponsor U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), requires that no later than 180 days after the date of enactment, the U.S. Transportation Secretary shall issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish a policy directing air carriers that assign seats, or allow individuals to select seats in advance of the date of departure of a flight, to sit each young child adjacent to an accompanying adult, according to the bill’s text.
The notice of proposed rulemaking must include a provision that prohibits an air carrier from charging a fee, or imposing an additional cost beyond the ticket price of the additional seat, to seat each young child adjacent to an accompanying adult within the same class of service, the text says.
“Now that my Fly Together Act is law, parents and grandparents can more affordably fly with their children seated next to them and they can be confident they won’t be charged unjust fees just because they want to ensure their child is safe and close to them,” said Rep. Wagner.