Do airlines typically charge for seating assignments when traveling w/ a small child?
I e-mailed Spirit airlines to see if I need to pay for seating assignments, or if they'd assign my 2 year old next to me by policy, and they told me to shell out the cash for the seating assignments. I thought that was a bit odd; it'd seem like you'd want to go out of your way to make sure somebody isn't sitting next to a child crying for their parents 8 rows away. As a paranoid father, I'd also like ensure my 2 year old isn't sitting next to Grabby the Child Predator.
Is this this not something airlines typically do by procedure?
Best Answer
Spirit Airlines charges for advance seat assignments, so yes you need to pay if you want to request seating in advance. Just because you have a child traveling with you is not grounds for them to waive that fee.
That said, in most likelihood, the counter agent checking you in or the automatic assignment algorithm will take into consideration that you are traveling with someone on a child's fare (assuming you bought a child specific airfare and not a standard ticket) and assign adjacent seats if possible.
But if you wanted a guarantee of seats together, you need to pay the fee.
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