Traveling in a group can be a challenge, and confusing airline policies can make the experience even more of an ordeal. For adults, being separated on a flight is an inconvenience. But for families with young children or caregivers of travelers with special needs, sitting apart on the plane can be a crisis.
For many years, families have favored Southwest Airlines for its open seating policy, which allows travelers to choose their own seats in boarding order. But Southwest switched to assigned seating on January 27 after more than 50 years of flexible seating, joining virtually every other commercial airline. Moving forward, all Southwest passengers will have designated seats and board the plane accordingly.
If sitting together on the plane is important for your family, here’s how to ensure you always get seats together.
What to know about family seating policies on US airlines
Concerns about families being separated on planes have grown so common that federal regulators have taken notice. In 2024, the Department of Transportation proposed a rule prohibiting US airlines from charging parents additional fees to sit next to children under 13. While that proposal has not yet become law, it highlights how significant the issue has become for travelers.
For now, airline policies vary. The DOT maintains an airline family seating dashboard summarizing family travel policies across 10 major US carriers. Alaska, American, Frontier, Hawaiian, and JetBlue guarantee family seating for eligible children at no additional cost, while Allegiant, Delta, Southwest, Spirit, and United do not.
Select your preferred seats when booking your flights
The simplest and most reliable way to sit together is to choose your seats when you purchase your tickets.
During the booking process, most airlines display a seat map that allows travelers to select exact locations. Take the time to click through each passenger on the reservation and assign seats individually. Tools like SeatMaps.com can help you get an idea of the aircraft layout and choose seats with desirable features like extra legroom or window views.
Courtesy of Southwest Airlines
Some airlines automatically block adjacent seats when minors are included on a reservation, while others attempt to make adjustments closer to departure. Reviewing these policies in advance can help you choose an airline and avoid surprises after the fact.
Pro tip: If you’ve chosen an airline that charges for advanced seat assignments, you may be able to recoup some of those costs with a good travel credit card that comes with annual travel credits toward eligible expenses. You may also avoid seat selection fees if you have elite status with that airline or if you purchase higher fare-class tickets.
Book everyone on the same reservation
Whenever possible, book everyone together in one transaction. This simple step makes it much easier for customer service representatives to assist if problems arise.
Keeping all family members on a single reservation is another essential strategy for ensuring you’re seated together, unless you’re experienced travelers with very specific reasons for separating your bookings. In fact, some airlines like Alaska require you to be booked on the same reservation with your children in order to be eligible for the guaranteed seat selection policy.
Airline computer systems do not automatically recognize separate bookings as part of the same group, even when the passengers share a last name, and it’s far harder to identify seating needs or make changes across multiple reservations, especially if you need to change your flights for any reason.
Pro tip: If you’ve already purchased your flights across different reservations, a quick call to customer service can help you link them.
Don’t book basic economy fares
Low-cost basic economy tickets can be tempting, especially for larger families trying to keep travel expenses down, but these fares come with significant drawbacks that impact seating choices.
Most basic economy tickets do not allow advance seat selection, even if you’re willing to pay for the privilege. Instead, seats are assigned automatically, often at check-in, after all the higher-paying passengers have had their choice.
For parents, basic economy creates unnecessary uncertainty since you’re far more likely to end up with scattered seat assignments, especially on airlines that don’t guarantee family seating.
Pro tip: If you can’t avoid basic economy, contact your airline immediately after booking to let them know you’re traveling with minors. Some carriers will make notes on the reservation or allow you to upgrade your tickets to a fare class that offers seat selection.
Avoid layovers whenever possible
There are pros and cons for families considering connecting flights. For families with little kids, layovers can offer a chance to stretch in the airport and get some of the wiggles out.
But if it’s extremely important to you to sit together during your travels, your safest bet is to book the most direct route, especially during busy travel periods. That way, you only have one flight to worry about instead of two or even three.
Pro tip: If connecting flights are your only option, do your homework ahead of time to ensure you know which gate you’re arriving into, which gate your next flight departs from, and make sure you budget enough time to purchase food, traverse the airport, and everything else you need to do before showing up to board your flight on time.
Timing is everything: Buy early and choose off-peak travel times
Purchase your flights as early as possible to give yourself the greatest flexibility in seat selection, since the best seats get snatched up as flights fill. If you have no choice but to buy last-minute tickets, contact your airline as soon as you’ve booked your tickets to ensure they know you’re traveling with little ones.
Choosing less popular travel times can also improve your chances of finding good seats together. Flying on Christmas Day itself, for example, can often be easier than fighting the holiday travel crowds the weekend prior.
Pro tip: Many travelers avoid early-morning or red-eye flights, which tend to be less full than routes operating during peak travel hours.
Check for flight changes (even if nothing is wrong)
Even after you’ve selected your seats, it is important to monitor flight reservations periodically, even if you haven’t gotten a notification that anything is amiss. Aircraft substitutions and schedule changes are common and can disrupt previously assigned seating.
For example, if your original flight is scheduled on a larger aircraft that’s later swapped for a smaller plane, you can easily end up in different seats even though your flight number and reservations remain the same.
Checking the reservation a few times in the weeks leading up to departure lets you spot any problems early, while there’s still time to correct them. Airline mobile apps make this process easy, and often allow free adjustments if better seats become available.
Pro tip: If you start seeing inclement weather reports, you can also proactively reach out to your airline to change your flights before you are rescheduled. That way, you may be able to stay at home in comfort and peace instead of spending an exhausting day at the airport getting nowhere.
Show up early and stick to your guns (if needed)
The best-laid plans can still go awry — but having extra time on hand can make all the difference when resolving unexpected issues, such as seating changes due to last-minute equipment swaps.
Customer service agents at the airport typically have more tools at their disposal on the day of travel than phone representatives do beforehand. Calmly explaining the situation and courteously emphasizing that you are traveling with minors often prompts agents to look for workable solutions.
Make sure you read all the fine print carefully before you travel, so you know your rights. That way, you’ll know your options should a situation arise that requires immediate decision-making.
Pro tip: If a problem remains unresolved by boarding time, parents still have options. If the seats you booked aren’t available and a satisfactory solution can’t be found, you can usually request to be booked on a later flight at no additional cost or request a full refund.
