Is United making it easier for families to sit together?

United Airlines Is Making It Easier for Families to Sit Together — Here's How. The airline has introduced a new seat map and updated their policy for families traveling with kids. Alison Fox is a Travel + Leisure contributor. She has also written for Parents.com, The Wall Street Journal, and amNewYork.



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United's family seating policy guarantees families with children under age 12 in certain cabins can sit together for free, regardless of fare type.

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On most major airlines, kids must be at least five years old to fly alone, yet recently, infants as young as 11 months have been seated away from their parents.

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Some parents assume they will automatically be seated with their kids. Others may end up separated from their families if they are rebooked due to a cancellation. Regardless of the reason, airlines are not legally required to seat families together.

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If you want a window seat, then suppose you choose from left to right (looking toward plane's nose): kid, kid, parent (aisle), parent (aisle). if in the middle then it's parent, kiddo, kiddo, parent. Mirror image it if you want the other side of the plane.

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Tammy Nelson was flying on Delta Airlines from Cincinnati, Ohio, to San Jose, California, when she was asked to swap seats with a woman who wanted to sit next to her two children.

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While it's possible you'll get lucky and your flight crew will accommodate a one-time swap, we don't recommend this route, especially on a long flight, unless the person in economy truly doesn't mind sitting there the entire flight.

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In fact, most regular airlines now charge for seat selection anyways. It's often around $10-$30 per seat per flight segment, so if you cave in and pay for that, it can add up quickly. You shouldn't do it. No matter which airline you're flying on, don't ever pay to select a seat.

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To keep flights orderly and boarding smooth, airlines calculate that it makes sense for small children to board early with a parent and get settled before the anxious masses wanting an on-time or early departure.

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After takeoff, passengers are free to move about the cabin without fear of disrupting critical weight distribution. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's OK to take over empty seats without warning.

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For a party of five who likes to occasionally chat during the flight, sit three in a row and two directly behind or in front in the window or aisle seat to easily socialize with each other without bothering the passengers around you.

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You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes through the checkpoint. These are limited to 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item. This is also known as the 3-1-1 liquids rule.

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For families, the best seats on a plane will be one of two places: at the front or all the way in the back. Sitting in the bulkhead row gives you and your smaller tots more room to move around and space to use a bassinet. You also don't have to carry your luggage very far.

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