Holiday Flights with Kids: Seats Together, Timing, and Backup Plans
How to guarantee adjacent seats, which flights to pick with children, and what to do when winter weather hits.
By WarBird Flight editors · Updated September 18, 2026 · 2 min read
Seats together
US carriers now commit to seating children 13 and under next to an accompanying adult at no extra charge when seats are available at booking. Ask the agent to request it on the reservation rather than hoping at the gate.
Which flights
Nonstops first. If you must connect, allow at least 90 minutes and avoid the last flight of the day, which has no backup if it cancels. Morning departures cancel least.
Winter backup plan
Buy standard economy so a weather rebooking or a date change costs nothing. Keep the airline app installed and the confirmation code handy. If a flight cancels, call while walking to the counter; the phone queue is usually shorter.
Book everyone on one reservation
Keep the whole family on a single booking rather than picking up separate cheap fares for each person. One reservation is what lets the airline's family-seating commitment apply, keeps everyone on the same flights if a schedule changes, and means one phone call fixes a disruption for all of you. Separate bookings can scatter the family across cabins during a weather rebooking and force you to argue each ticket individually. If a lap infant under two is travelling, have the agent add them correctly — it is not just a name on your reservation, and international lap infants can carry a fee and need their own documentation.
Pack the carry-on for a delay you didn't plan
Winter holiday travel and delays go together, so pack as if one is coming. Diapers, snacks, a change of clothes, chargers, and any medication belong in the carry-on, not the checked bag that may arrive hours after you do. A car seat can usually be checked free and, if you have bought the infant a seat, brought aboard for a safer and calmer flight. Board when the airline offers early boarding for families so you are not fighting for bin space with kids in tow. None of this is about the fare, but it is what turns a delayed holiday flight with children from a crisis into an inconvenience.
Booking window
Thanksgiving by early October, Christmas by mid-October, and earlier for Florida or Hawaii. Call (708) 866-8751 for one booking covering everyone, with seats, bags, and any lap infant added correctly.
Want a person to do this for you?
Licensed agents book, change, and cancel on every airline, 24/7, every day.
