Summer Travel is Here: Shotgun!

Four Democrats in Congress reportedly have proposed "The Families Flying Together Act" to require airlines to have and implement policies that allow families can sit next to each other on flights.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is the  sponsor of the bill.  He says that "[f]amilies should not be stuck paying hidden fees, or buying 'premium' seats, simply because they wish to be seated together on crowded flights ... It is positively absurd to expect a two or three-year-old to sit unattended, next to strangers, on an airplane. It is up to air carriers to make their seating policies clear and easily accessible to the public."

The Department of Transportation would enforce the proposed law and required airlines to "establish a policy to ensure, to the extent practicable, that a family that purchases tickets for a flight with that air carrier is seated together during that flight."  Specifically the legislation has read:

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations with respect to ensuring families are able to sit together on flights, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Families Flying Together Act of 2012’.

SEC. 2. SEATING FAMILIES TOGETHER ON FLIGHTS.

(a) In General- Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall issue regulations directing each air carrier to--
(1) establish a policy to ensure, to the extent practicable, that a family that purchases tickets for a flight with that air carrier is seated together during that flight; and
(2) make the policy described in paragraph (1) available to the public on an appropriate Internet Web site of the air carrier.
(b) Definitions- In this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) AIR CARRIER- The term ‘air carrier’ has the meaning given that term in section 40102(a) of title 49, United States Code.
(2) FAMILY- The term ‘family’ means a grouping of individuals that includes, at a minimum--
(A) a child who is 12 years of age or younger; and
(B) an individual who is--
(i) 18 years of age or older; and
(ii) responsible for accompanying that child, including a parent or legal guardian of that child.

Chances are this bill goes the way of most airline passenger rights legislation (not likely to be enacted in to law) and moms and dads will still need to ask fellow passengers for the courtesy of moving seats.  And, even if enacted, it is not clear that airlines would be legally responsible to passengers in the case violations occur.