February 21, (THEWILL) – United Airlines, on Monday, announced a new seating policy that makes it easier for families with children under 12 years old to sit together for free including customers who purchase Basic Economy tickets.
United’s new policy is made possible through a series of investments in a new seat map feature that dynamically find available adjacent seats at the time of booking.
According to the airline, the online seat engine first reviews all available free economy seats and then opens complimentary upgrades to available preferred seats, if needed.
The airline said customers travelling with children under 12 will see more adjacent seat options immediately, adding that the complete policy change will be effective by March.
“In instances when adjacent seats are not available prior to travel – due to things like last minute bookings, full flights or unscheduled aircraft changes – United’s new policy also lets customers switch for free to a flight to the same destination with adjacent seat availability in the same cabin. Customers also won’t be charged if there is a difference in fare price between the original and new flight,” the airline stated.
Commenting, Linda Jojo, Chief Customer Officer for United, said “In an era where more families are working in a hybrid environment, they’re travelling more often – and they’re flying United. We’re focused on delivering a great experience for our younger passengers and their parents and know it often starts with the right seat. We look forward to rolling out more family-friendly features this year.
“Many airlines try and use a more manual process to seat families together that can include blocking random seats or asking agents to facilitate seat swaps at the gate. Those circumstances often result in more stress and a longer boarding process for everyone.
“Today’s announcement reflects the investments United has made in its technology and tools. Since last summer, the airline has worked to improve its ability to seat families together more easily by optimizing the airline’s seat engine to prioritize families, who did not have seats assigned before their day of travel and prioritize adjacent seating for families during schedule changes, aircraft swaps or irregular operations.”
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
