Are Airlines Becoming More Family-Friendly?

From priority boarding to improved in-flight entertainment, these airlines are taking steps to ease the stresses of traveling with kids.

By: Cameron Curtis

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Airlines That Are Putting Families First

The golden age of traveling with your kids may never fully be here, but the airline industry is taking some baby steps. Check out these policies and programs that aim to prioritize traveling families.

United Airlines

United is the first airline to introduce a new seat map technology feature, opening up more seats to help families with children under 12 find seats together free of charge. This also includes customers who purchase Basic Economy tickets. They’ve also announced that the one-and-only Oscar the Grouch will be its First Chief Trash Officer. He will be leading their new educational Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) campaign, which is all about turning garbage into jet fuel.

JetBlue

Even if you’re not able to sit all together, kids will be mesmerized by the treasure trove of choices for free in-flight DirectTV and movies available on JetBlue. On top of all that, Amazon Prime members can stream titles for free on their personal devices (Tumbleleaf, anyone?). Add in the unlimited snacks (which are available for the entire flight in their JetBlue pantry) and your kids will be glued to their seats.

American Airlines

The latest announcement from American guarantees that children 14 and under will be seated adjacent to an accompanying adult at no additional cost, including Basic Economy fares. You must meet all these conditions: Everyone is booked in the same reservation and adjacent seats are available in the same class of service your child is ticketed at the time of booking.

Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines provides priority boarding to all families traveling with strollers or car seats, which is especially nice when you have kids over 2 who still don’t want to walk down the jetbridge! For long-haul flights, they have officially approved the use of the Jet Kids BedBox™ so your little one can fully recline.

Southwest

Southwest offers Family Boarding, which occurs after the "A" group has boarded and before the "B" group begins boarding. This includes up to two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger, giving them more opportunity to choose seats. For families with children ages 7 and older, parents can seek assistance from a Flight Attendant for help with finding a seat adjacent to their child. If, and when you’re ready, their fee for unaccompanied minors (ages 5-11 for Southwest) is less than most major airlines. The cost is $100 roundtrip for the unaccompanied minor fee in addition to the airfare per child.

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