American fathers are reportedly preparing to fight back against proposed plans to force airlines to seat family members together, following growing complaints from mothers who claim their children are being deliberately scattered around aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is facing increasing pressure to investigate allegations that US airlines are deliberately separating families during seat allocation, despite numerous empty seats being available nearby. Budget airlines, particularly Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant, are expected to come under scrutiny.
ScandalHQ caught up with Spirit Airlines’ head of communications, Ledley Patterson, who apparently doubles as an airline pilot, cabin crew member and check-in assistant whenever the company is short-staffed.
Patterson insisted that the airline’s seating arrangements were entirely innocent.
“Our seats are allocated randomly, and the algorithm ensures we try to sit families together where possible.”
Before rushing off to charge an incoming passenger $99 for bringing a bag approximately three millimetres too large, Patterson helpfully presented us with an invoice for the questions asked and directed any further enquiries to the Spirit Airlines website.
Mother of five Katie North, from Ohio, said her entire family had been scattered across the aircraft during a recent flight from Orlando, despite spotting several rows with empty seats.
“I think it’s a disgrace. We paid over $15 per person for those flights and I had to spend the entire journey worrying about my children, not knowing who they were sitting next to. We should have the option to sit next to each other without having to pay an additional $2 fee.”
However, not everyone was particularly concerned about the seating arrangements.
Father of four Trevor Earlington, from Texas, has encouraged airlines to retain their apparent policy of distributing children around the aircraft like complimentary in-flight entertainment.
“There is a lot to be said for getting some peace and quiet on a flight. In fact, I would be happy to pay extra NOT to sit next to my children. The messing, singing and childish behaviour drives me mad.”
Earlington also suggested that airlines introduce a special family separation package, allowing fathers to enjoy an uninterrupted flight while their wives deal with the children, snack requests and repeated questions about when they will arrive.
The FAA has stressed that it is a federal government agency, so passengers should not expect anything particularly swift to come from the investigation. Officials confirmed that the process could take several years, involve numerous committees and potentially result in a strongly worded report that nobody will read.
Meanwhile, the newly formed Dads United movement is reportedly preparing to lobby Congress against any legislation that would force airlines to seat families together, arguing that the right to enjoy four hours of uninterrupted peace and quiet should be protected under the Constitution.
