What to do so that your family is not seated in different rows on the plane

As the holiday travel season approaches, more and more families are preparing to fly. But those who are trying to save money will have to deal with one disturbing aspect of travel: basic economy tickets often do not allow you to choose your place on your own. Edition Travel+Leisure versed in how to make sure that the family is not divided on the flight.

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To help families navigate their rights and avoid extra fees or a hectic flight, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has recently issued guidelines for families on airplanes.

Each airline has its own family seating policy. Some, e.g. American Airlines, have a computer system that recognizes families traveling together.

“If seats are limited, [the airline] will attempt to allocate seats so that children under 15 years of age are seated next to at least 1 adult in the same booking entry (which may result in separation of adults in the group),” DOT says.

But it’s important to understand the individual rules of your airline before flying.

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The most important thing is to communicate with the airline. Most will try to help families sit together, since it's easier for flight attendants and fellow passengers to have an adult supervising the child.

Travelers can make it easier to rearrange seats by booking flights for their family on the same reservation, with each family member seated next to each other. If you're booking through a third-party site, be sure to contact the airline directly—as early as possible—to confirm your booking.

If your family still has not been assigned a seat next to each other on the day of your flight, come early to the airport and explain your situation to the boarding agents. They may not be able to accommodate the whole family together, but they are likely to try to seat each child next to an adult.

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Some airlines such as Deltawill reserve and block “a limited number of seats prior to departure and will use the seats, if any, to accommodate families and for other needs.”

And if there is any problem during your flight, you can report them later in the DOT.

In order not to be at the opposite end of the cabin from your loved ones, avoid low-cost airlines such as Spirit or Frontier, or just pay to book your seats together.

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