Traveling with children can be a stressful time for parents. Perhaps no more so then when traveling by plane. The truth is that no one wants to be on board with an unruly child or baby in distress, and the thought of altered habits, along with other people's potential judgment, may cause parents to lose sleep ahead of the day of the flight.

Hopefully, fellow travelers prove empathetic to any potential inconvenience, but it is still very much appreciated when airlines go out of their way to make the overall experience as easeful as possible. Of course, this includes not having to wait until the gate to know if you will get to sit next to your child.

With United Airlines new seating policy announced on Monday, it will now be easier for children under 12 to be seated next to and adult in their party for free. This includes customers who purchase Basic Economy tickets, which means that the airline would normally automatically assign your seat without guarantee for family or groups traveling together to be seated next to each other.

Technology FTW

This new policy is made possible through a new seat map feature that dynamically finds available adjacent seats at the time of booking. The new digital tool first reviews all available free Economy seats and then opens complimentary upgrades to available Preferred Seats, if needed.

Preferred seats on United are economy standard seats (meaning no additional leg room) that are closer to the front of the aircraft, in the rows directly behind Economy Plus. Passengers traveling with children will see the new option immediately, whereas the policy will roll out in its entirety in early March.

Image of smart phone with digital tool
Photo: United Airlines

Hybrid work prompting changes to services

Linda Jojo, Chief Customer Officer for United, commented on the new 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."

The airline says that when adjacent seats are not available prior to travel, for instance due to things like last minute bookings, full flights or unscheduled aircraft changes, the new policy will also allow families to change departures for one with available seats free of charge. There will be no cabin upgrade offered to accommodate the change; however, customers will not need to pay the fare difference of the tickets.

United Airlines flight attendant on plane
Photo: United Airlines

United further added that this investment into the new digital seat engine tool would reduce stress compared to manual seating procedures for families employed by other airlines, often causing longer boarding processes as a result.

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United's premium offerings, including Polaris, First Class, and Economy Plus, are exempt from the new seating policy.