United Airlines’ New Seating Policy Allows Passengers with Children to Get Preferred Seats

Parents may experience stress when traveling with kids. Maybe not any more so than when taking a plane. The truth is that no one likes to travel with an unruly child or a baby who is in distress, and parents may have trouble sleeping the night before a flight because of their probable changed routines and other people’s potential judgment.

It is hoped that other passengers will be understanding of any potential annoyance, but it is still greatly appreciated when airlines go above and beyond to make the trip as comfortable as they can. Of course, this also means that you won’t have to guess if you’ll get to sit next to your kid until you get to the gate.

Due to a change in United Airlines’ seating policy that was announced on Monday, it will be simpler for young children to get a free seat next to an adult in their group. This applies to customers who purchase Basic Economy tickets, which implies that the airline will ordinarily randomly allocate your seat without making any promises that your family or other group members would be seated next to one another.

A new seat map function that dynamically locates available neighboring seats at the time of booking has made this new policy possible. The new automated technology first examines all free Economy seats that are available, then if necessary, offers up free upgrades to available Preferred Seats.

On United, the rows right behind Economy Plus, which are closer to the front of the plane and offer no extra leg room, are the preferred seats. The new option will be available immediately for those flying with children, but the full implementation of the policy won’t happen until early March.
United’s Chief Customer Officer, Linda Jojo, offered the following insight on the revised seating policy: “In an era where more families are working in a hybrid environment, they’re traveling more often – and they’re flying United. We’re focused on delivering a great experience for our younger passengers and their parents and know it often starts with the right seat. We look forward to rolling out more family-friendly features this year.”

According to the airline, the new policy will also permit families to switch departures for one with available seats without incurring any additional fees when adjacent seats are not available prior to travel, for example due to circumstances like last-minute bookings, full flights, or unforeseen aircraft changes. Customers will not be required to pay the fare difference for the tickets, but there won’t be any cabin upgrades available to accommodate the adjustment.

The investment in the new digital seat engine tool, according to United, will relieve stress for families compared to competing airlines’ manual seating practices, which frequently result in lengthier boarding times.

The new seating policy does not apply to United’s premium services, including Polaris, First Class, and Economy Plus.