If an airline changes your seats and separates you from your child, contact the carrier as soon as you notice and ask it to restore adjacent seats. If the whole party cannot sit together, request that each child sit next to an accompanying adult. Check the assignments again before travel; if the issue remains, arrive early and ask airport or gate staff for help. U.S. Department of Transportation guidance also allows dissatisfied travelers to complain to the airline or DOT.
1. Check the reservation and the airline’s policy
Open the airline’s booking and verify that you and your child are on the same reservation. Check the operating carrier’s current family seating policy and the DOT Airline Family Seating Dashboard. Carrier commitments and their conditions vary, so do not assume a particular arrangement or fee waiver applies to every flight or fare.
If you booked through a travel agency or another third party, DOT advises confirming the seats directly with the airline as soon as possible. The operating carrier is the one to contact about the seats on the flight.
2. Contact the airline and request adjacent seats
Use the airline’s reservations channel and explain that the seats changed after booking. Ask for you and your child to be seated together. If the entire party cannot sit together, ask that each child be seated next to an accompanying adult. DOT’s family guidance says: “If your seat assignments have changed, you can contact the airline to ask for help.” (DOT, Tips for Families and Links to Airline Webpages.)
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If the airline asks you to pay for seats, ask it to explain the policy that applies to your reservation and whether a fee-free family seating commitment covers your situation. Do not assume a fee will be waived: eligibility depends on the carrier’s current commitment and its conditions.
3. Keep records of the change
Save the original confirmation, the updated seat assignment, any notice about an aircraft change, and messages or notes from your conversations with the carrier. If you paid for a seat, keep the receipt. These records can help you explain what changed if you need further assistance or want to complain.
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4. Recheck seats before travel
Check the booking again before leaving for the airport. DOT notes that seat assignments can change after booking, including when an aircraft is substituted for one with a different layout. If the new assignment separates you from your child, contact the airline again rather than relying on the earlier confirmation.
5. Ask airport or gate staff for help
Arrive early enough to give the airline time to address the problem. If the seats are still separated, speak with airport staff; if it remains unresolved, tell the gate agent before boarding. On an airline with open seating, notify the gate agent before boarding begins if the carrier’s commitment requires it. Ask staff to keep each child next to an accompanying adult even if the full party cannot sit together.
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6. Understand what U.S. guidance does—and does not—guarantee
Carrier commitments have conditions
The DOT dashboard lists major carriers that commit to fee-free adjacent seats for a child age 13 or under and an accompanying adult, subject to conditions. The dashboard page states that it was last updated September 5, 2025; check the live page and the airline’s own policy for current terms. Conditions for airlines that assign seats may concern whether the child and adult share a reservation, whether adjacent seats are available at booking in the selected class, aircraft substitution, how seats are selected, later changes, and whether the cabin layout makes adjacency possible. Open-seating commitments may require the child and adult to be on the same reservation and a gate agent to be notified before boarding. Which conditions apply depends on the carrier.
The federal rule described by DOT is a proposal
Federal law directs DOT to review and, if appropriate, establish policies to enable children age 13 or under on covered scheduled interstate or intrastate flights to sit next to an accompanying family member over age 13 to the maximum extent practicable and at no additional cost, subject to specified exceptions (49 U.S.C., Chapter 423). Separately, DOT’s Family Seating in Air Transportation page describes a proposed rule that would require U.S. and foreign carriers to seat children age 13 and under next to an accompanying adult at no added cost, subject to limited exceptions. The cited page identifies it as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, not a final rule. These sources do not establish an unconditional right to a particular seat on every itinerary.
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7. Complain if the airline does not resolve the issue
DOT says dissatisfied travelers can complain to the airline or to DOT. Describe the original seat assignment, what changed, your child’s age, the seating arrangement you requested, and the carrier’s response. Include relevant booking details and the records you saved.
Keep seating and child-restraint safety separate
Seat assignment does not determine whether a child is properly restrained. The FAA recommends securing a child in an approved child restraint system in the child’s own seat throughout the flight (FAA Kids’ Corner). A restraint does not secure adjacent seats; confirm any restraint arrangement with the airline.
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