United Airlines has just announced a new policy about their requirements for what the airline calls “seatmates of size,” which could require, if circumstances don’t find another solution, passengers to purchase another seat on the flight.
What do you think about this new policy (included here for your convenience)?
For the comfort and well-being of all customers aboard United flights, we have aligned with other major airlines’ seating policies relating to passengers who:
* are unable to fit into a single seat in the ticketed cabin;
* are unable to properly buckle the seatbelt using a single seatbelt extender; and/or
* are unable to put the seat’s armrests down when seated.
If unused seats are available on the ticketed United or United Express flight, then a customer meeting any of the above criteria will be reaccommodated next to an empty seat.
If no unused seats are available on the ticketed flight, then the customer must either purchase an upgrade to a cabin with available seats that address the above-listed scenarios, or change his or her ticket to the next available flight and purchase a second seat in addition to the one already purchased. If a customer meeting any of the above-listed criteria cannot be accommodated next to an empty seat and chooses not to upgrade or change flights and purchase a ticket for an additional seat, he or she will not be permitted to board the flight.
This policy applies to tickets purchased on or after March 4, 2009, for travel on or after April 15, 2009.
Please understand that we care a great deal about all of our customers’ well-being, and we have implemented this policy to help ensure that everyone’s travel experiences with United are comfortable and pleasant.
Fares
If an additional seat is purchased, the fare for that seat will be the same as the fare paid for the original seat, regardless of whether the additional ticket is purchased along with the original ticket or separately. This applies even if the additional ticket is purchased on the day of departure, when fares are normally higher.
Availability
If purchasing on the day of departure and an additional seat or upgraded seat is not available on the ticketed flight, then the customer will be required to rebook on the next United flight that has adequate seating available. Any fees that would normally be associated with this type of change will be waived in this circumstance. If adequate seating is not available and the customer decides not to travel, the ticket can be refunded without penalty, even if it is a nonrefundable ticket.
Baggage fees and allowances
Checked baggage policies apply per seat, so any checked baggage allowances will be multiplied by the number of tickets purchased. Baggage fees can also be distributed among the ticketed seats. For example, instead of paying first and second bag fees for two checked bags, a customer with two ticketed seats could instead pay two first bag fees.
Carry-on baggage policies are determined by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), not by United, and are per passenger, rather than per ticket. As a result, carry-on allowances remain the same regardless of the number of tickets purchased.
