United’s new family seat policy helps customers, hurts competitors and flatters politicians
by Gary Leff on February 20, 2023
United Airlines airlines have announced a new family seating policy that makes it easier for families to be assigned seats together at no additional cost. This gives them an edge over their competitors on an issue they already consider mandatory, and earns them political points with the Biden administration for doing so.
United’s seating map tool searches for available adjacent seats during the booking process. They will use this to make more adjacent seats available, even in more expensive coach seats, when children under 12 are part of a booking. A full rollout of the feature will occur next month.
The airline also allows free flight changes without fare difference if adjacent seats are unavailable prior to travel. Their new policy even applies to basic economy fares. However, the policy does not apply to seats in Economy Plus or Premium cabin.
regulation can come
Although only 0.38% of DOT consumer complaints concern family seat issues, part of the focus on the Department of Transportation’s pending fee disclosure regulations includes family seat fees, and Secretary Buttigieg has angered airlines about charging additional fees for families to ensure this to be able to sit together. Additional rules are expected.
Family Seating Benefits Airlines
Airlines should want families to sit together. It means parents are supervising children, and it keeps other people’s children away from unrelated passengers. It improves the cabin experience, and airlines won’t lose a lot of money in the process. And it reduces complexity at the gate and during boarding, when families try to get the attention of gate agents and flight attendants for help with reseating — contributing to on-time departures.
The biggest obstacle has been technology investment to make assignable seats available when infants make a reservation with adults, or in this case to program automatic seat assignments to occupy them together.
United prevails politically and imposes future costs on competitors
United imposed vaccination orders on employees ahead of the Biden administration. They are at the forefront of green investments (and looking for fuel subsidies) – they fund direct carbon capture, electric aircraft and sustainable fuels. Now they are giving the Biden administration and Secretary Pete what they want to force on other airlines.
- You see a mandate coming
- United have actually turned around in IT, they were one of the least capable but have greatly improved the booking experience and their app experience.
- You are able to do this. The policy makes sense, it’s helpful to have pre-teens supervised by their parents after a flight.
- And it makes sense to impose costs on competitors. If United can do it, other airlines can too. It undermines objections to a federal mandate.
- And all while trying to gain political favor.
This is a customer win, a competitor win, and a political win, all rolled into one. United has been very politically savvy since directing the framing of their narrative on President Obama’s former press secretary.