NEW YORK—On top of the bag fees and other charges, families traveling this summer may have to pay extra just to sit next to one another.
Airlines are reserving a growing number of seats for elite customers or those willing to shell out more money. These seats often—but not always—come with a little extra legroom. The catch: setting these seats aside leaves fewer places for other passengers to sit without paying extra.
That means mom might end up in row 20, dad in row 23, and junior sitting all the way back in row 30, regardless of age. Airlines say their gate agents try to help family members without adjacent seats sit together, especially people flying with small children. Yet there is no guarantee things will work out.
