Southwest is the most family-friendly of the 10 main U.S.
airlines. That's the conclusion of loyalty travel website The Points Guy, which
weighed the policies and offerings of airlines in 10 areas that are of
particular concern to families traveling together.
"Some of the features most important to families when
they fly fall into the categories of securing seats together, the ability to
pack without blowing the budget on bag fees, getting to your destination on
time, knowing what to expect from onboard meals and kid-friendly entertainment,
and the ability to make use of airline miles to keep out-of-pocket travel costs
as low as possible," The Points Guy said.
The company released its "The Best Airlines for
Families in 2018" report Wednesday in conjunction with its acquisition of
the family award travel blog "Mommy Points," the content of which
will now be incorporated into The Points Guy website.
JetBlue came in second, one notch behind Southwest. In
third place was Delta, followed by Hawaiian, Alaska, United and American. The
three primary U.S. ultra-low-cost carriers were at the bottom of the ranking,
with Frontier topping Spirit and Allegiant.
Southwest grabbed the top ranking on the strength of no bag fees
and no change fees, its extensive domestic route network and a boarding policy
that virtually assures that families traveling with a child age 6 or younger
will be able to sit together for no extra fee. Southwest also scored for the
straightforward redemption value of points in its Rapid Rewards loyalty program
and for its buy-one-get-one-free Companion Pass program.
JetBlue came in second based on the strength of its onboard
experience, which includes free streaming entertainment at every seat,
including Animal Planet, the Disney Channel and the Cartoon Network; an unlimited
snack basket available to all customers; and the most space in economy class of
any U.S. carrier. JetBlue also offers early boarding for families.
Conversely, American came in last among full-service
carriers due to its limited offering of complimentary seat assignments; a
loyalty program that makes it difficult to find at least four moderately priced
economy reward tickets; and a lack of consistent early boarding for families.
The ultra-low-cost airlines brought up the bottom of the
list because of their tight interior configurations, lack of inflight
entertainment, and their business models of charging for carry-on baggage, all
seat assignments and all food service.
Frontier did better than Spirit and Allegiant because of
family-friendly steps it is taking for holders of the airline's credit card as
well as for elite loyalty members. For example, Frontier recently introduced
family pooling of miles for cardholders and elites.
"This won't help the occasional Frontier passenger, but
it will make the experience better for the families that fly the airline the
most," The Points Guy said.