What This Bill Does
This bill requires airlines to let children age 13 and under sit next to a family member without paying extra fees. The bill amends federal transportation law to establish this requirement and sets up a system for investigating complaints when airlines violate this rule.
Who It Affects
Air carriers (airlines) that provide air transportation; children age 13 and under traveling by air; family members accompanying these children; the Secretary of Transportation.
Key Provisions
• Airlines must allow children age 13 or under to sit in a seat next to an accompanying family member without charging an additional cost beyond the base fare price (Sec. 2(a))
• The Secretary of Transportation must investigate each complaint about airlines violating this requirement (Sec. 2(b)(1))
• The Secretary of Transportation must publish data about complaints of violations in a way that matches how other consumer complaint data is published (Sec. 2(b)(2))
What Changes
Airlines can no longer charge extra fees to seat children age 13 or under adjacent to their accompanying family member. The government will now track and investigate complaints about airlines that do not follow this rule.
Important Definitions
The bill defines "family member" as someone who is 16 years old or older and is responsible for accompanying the child. This includes a parent or legal guardian (Sec. 2(c)).
Effective Date
Six months after this bill becomes law.
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 525
To amend title 49, United States Code, to ensure that a child can sit
next to a family member on a flight at no additional cost.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 16, 2023
Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. SCHUMER, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, and Mr.
BLUMENTHAL) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and re-
ferred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
A BILL
To amend title 49, United States Code, to ensure that a
child can sit next to a family member on a flight at
no additional cost.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Families Fly Together
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Act of 2023’’.
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•S 525 IS
SEC. 2. ENSURING THAT A CHILD CAN SIT NEXT TO A FAM-
1
ILY MEMBER ON A FLIGHT AT NO ADDI-
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TIONAL COST.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 417 of
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title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the
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end the following:
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‘‘§ 41727. Ensuring that a child can sit next to a fam-
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ily member on a flight at no additional
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cost
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‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date that is 6
10
months after the date of enactment of this section, each
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air carrier providing air transportation shall ensure that
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a child, who is age 13 or under on the date the flight
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is scheduled to occur, is able to be seated in a seat adja-
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cent to the seat of an accompanying family member at
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no additional cost to the base fare price.
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‘‘(b) INVESTIGATIONS OF COMPLAINTS.—
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transpor-
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tation shall investigate each complaint of a violation
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of the requirement under subsection (a).
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‘‘(2) PUBLICATION OF DATA.—The Secretary of
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Transportation shall publish data on complaints of
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violations of the requirement under subsection (a) in
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a manner comparable to other consumer complaint
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data.
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•S 525 IS
‘‘(c) FAMILY MEMBER.—For purposes of subsection
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(a), the term ‘family member’ means, with respect to a
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child described in such subsection, an individual who is—
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‘‘(1) 16 years of age or older; and
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‘‘(2) responsible for accompanying such child,
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including a parent or legal guardian of such child.’’.
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(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap-
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ter 417 of such title is amended by inserting after the
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item relating to section 41726 the following:
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‘‘41727. Ensuring that a child can sit next to a family member on a flight at
no additional cost.’’.
Æ
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