12:15 PM EDT, 08/01/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Adds statement from Airlines for America trade group in the third and fourth paragraphs.)

The US Department of Transportation proposed a new rule that would prohibit airlines from charging so-called junk fees to families seeking to sit together on flights, the regulator said Thursday.

The proposed rule would require airlines to seat parents next to their young children for free when adjacent seating is available at booking. If enacted, the rule would save a family of four as much as $200 per roundtrip if seat fees are $25, the regulator said.

In a statement to MT Newswires, the Airlines for America trade group said none of its member airlines charge family seating fees at this time.

Those airlines - Alaska Air Group ( ALK ) , American Airlines ( AAL ) , Delta Air Lines ( DAL ) , Hawaiian Holdings (HA) JetBlue Airways (JBLU), Southwest Airlines ( LUV ) and United Airlines (UAL) - also "make every effort to accommodate customers traveling together," including families flying with children, according to the A4A statement.

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