ArcaMax

Once upon a time, I'd advise parents to bring their safety seat to the gate in the hopes that the flight attendant would "give" them an empty seat -- and put them next to it.

Today, not only aren't there any empty seats but truly, the only guarantee that your family will sit together is to purchase "extra legroom," seats. Families have reported to me that even when they thought they had seats together, they would arrive at the airport to discover that's not the case. (More often than not, the plane has changed and now has a different configuration of seats.)

It turns out there was a provision included as part of the 2016 FAA Reauthorization Bill that would have alleviated the problem. However, the secretary of transportation had a year to decide if it was appropriate to establish policy directing air carriers to seat children 13 or under adjacent to an older family member at no additional cost, except, of course, if the adjacent seat would require an upgrade.

Since then, there has been no directive at all. Nothing has happened," said Leocha.

Those families who fly only once or twice a year seem the most blindsided, especially when the gate attendants typically leave it to the parents to convince someone to switch a seat. One parent suggested that offering free drink coupons might convince them. I'm not so sure.

There is so much we can't control when we fly -- flight delays, weather, long security lines. (Consider signing up for TSA Pre Check -- just $85 for five years and you speed through security without taking off your shoes or unpacking laptops or liquids. And kids 12 and under can go through with you at no extra charge!)

One thing you can control is to keep your baby or toddler as safe as possible onboard -- in a safety seat.

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow "taking the kids" on www.twitter.com, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.)

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