Schumer says bill would ensure children can sit with parents on flights at no extra cost

During a news conference Monday at the airport, Schumer revealed that many airlines charge parents what he called deceptive junk fees so they can sit with their children when they travel and avoid being split up on flights, or forced to plead with other passengers to exchange seats.

“This is a bad policy, plain and simple. Whether it’s Thanksgiving or any other time, airlines should not be forcing parents to plead once they get on the plane to sit with their kids or forcing parents into a game of musical chairs,” Schumer said.

At the request of federal entities, he said, four airlines have already committed to dropping the fees. They are Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airlines and American Airlines. Schumer said the U.S. Department of Transportation has been unsuccessful in pressuring six other airlines to follow suit.

“Some airlines will take away the fees for children if you complain, or say, ‘Oh, we can just ask people to switch once you get on the plane,’ but you don’t even know it until you’ve gotten off the plane that they’ve charged you another $50 or $100 if they sit you with your kid,” Schumer said.

The senator said it should be common sense for the airlines to chuck their fees when they already make billions of dollars in profit. While Schumer has spent years calling on the airlines to jettison the fees, he said he won’t stop until the practice has ended.

Angela Marinucci, who was recently elected to a four-year term on the Amherst Town Board that begins in January, joined Schumer at the news conference. Marinucci is the mother of three young children who said she knows that flying together…