Carriers in the UAE won't charge for seat reservations

The UAE’s major airlines have said they won’t follow in the footsteps of US carriers and start charging passengers extra to sit with their families, newspaper The National reported on Monday. 

US politicians have condemned plans in the States to charge passengers extra to reserve seats, saying the ‘anti-family’ policy would leave parents having to pay for the privilege of sitting with their children.

"Children need access to their parents, and parents need access to their children. Unnecessary airline fees shouldn't serve as a literal barrier between mother and child," The National quoted Charles Schumer, a Democratic senator from New York as saying.

In the UAE, budget airlines such as FlyDubai charge a fee to reserve seats in advance. Although those who check in early enough still have the choice of places to sit at no extra cost, the report added.

An Emirates airline spokesman told the paper: "Emirates has no plans to introduce an additional charge to allow passengers to choose a window or aisle seat.

"As part of our full service offering, Emirates gives passengers the choice of preselecting their seat when using our online check-in facility."

Meanwhile, Etihad also confirmed it had no plans to charge for seat reservations.