According to United, for Basic Economy fares:
Seats will be assigned prior to boarding. Customers traveling together, including families, will not be able to sit together.
My husband and I plan to travel this summer with our 7-year-old daughter between San Francisco and Austin (3-and-a-half hours each way). If we buy Basic Economy tickets, will they really seat our child away from both of her parents? (I have no problem with being seated separately from my husband, as long as my daughter is with one of us.)
To clarify, I understand the letter of the policy. I would like to know how it is applied.
Update
I ended up buying the more expensive tickets for me and my daughter, booking an aisle and a window seat, and I got the cheaper seat for my husband. That way, at least one of us will be with our daughter. Most likely, the person in the middle seat between me and my daughter would be happy to trade with me or her, so we are next to each other, or with my husband, which would put the three of us together, but I would not pressure them to do so.
Since posting, I found these related questions:
- How old does a child need to be to sit separately from parents when flying? (Aer Lingus international flight)
- Being separated from one's young children on a flight (Thomson, United Kingdom)
