As Families Begin Travel for Memorial Day Weekend, Senator Markey Demands DOT Ban Expensive Airline Family Seating Fees

Letter Text (PDF) Washington (May 22, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today wrote to Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy urging DOT to finalize a draft rule to ban family seating fees on airlines within 60 days. In 2024, Senator Markey, alongside now-Vice President JD Vance, worked to pass this provision into law in Section 516 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 . Since then, Trump’s DOT has taken no action to finalize the regulations needed to ban family seating fees. As families begin travel for Memorial Day Weekend, Senator Markey demands DOT eliminate these egregious airline fees. In the letter, Senator Markey wrote , “The failure to advance this common-sense, family-friendly protection stands in stark contrast to the Department’s own campaign to ‘Make Travel Family Friendly Again.’ Seating a young child far from their parent is an obvious safety risk, and many families feel they have no choice but to pay the seating fees, raising the already high cost of plane travel. Given DOT’s interest in making ‘travel family friendly again,’ it is strange that the Department has taken no action to ban this predatory practice that drives up costs for families.” Senator Markey continued , “DOT’s failure to ban family seating fees is the latest example in a deeply concerning trend in DOT actions that prioritize airline bottom lines over family budgets. With ticket prices soaring due to rising fuel costs — a result of President Donald Trump’s illegal war in Iran — DOT should be working aggressively to reduce the cost of plane travel. That the Trump DOT won’t move ahead with a ban on family seating fees — a bipartisan proposal championed by the current Republican Vice President — demonstrates its true favored constituency: the airline industry.” Senator Markey is one of the leading champions for flying families. In October 2025, Senator Markey led 17 of his colleagues in a letter to DOT calling on the agency to withdraw its proposed rollback of regulations to ensure airlines compensate travelers for delays and cancellations caused by the airline. In December 2025, Senator Markey co-led legislation with Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) to codify pro-consumer delay compensation rules. ###