The Consumer Travel Alliance (CTA) urges airlines to reconsider recently-adopted policies and fees that unfairly burden families with young children.

These include mandatory seat-reservation fees that can force a family of four to spend as much as $150 more for air transportation, and sometimes more, to be guaranteed seats together.

In addition, the elimination by some airlines of families-board-first policies have added stress to family travel, especially for those with toddlers in tow.

“Families traveling with infants and toddlers often can’t avoid checking extra bags filled with everything from the many clothes changes needed for small children to diapers, toys, special blankets, and baby bottles,” said Charlie Leocha, Director of the Consumer Travel Alliance.

“Meanwhile, elderly passengers who lack the upper-body strength to get carry-ons into access overhead bins, also must check baggage and pay extra fees.”

Seat reservation fees are part of the ancillary fees that airlines have created over the past five years in the name of allowing passengers to pay only for what they need and, naturally, of profits.

These extra fees, as well as being difficult to determine, compare across airlines and purchase, and fall unevenly on travelers.

United Airlines recently added a new wrinkle to its “family policy” by eliminating the option for families - even those with toddlers or babies - to board early. They are not alone. American Airlines stopped making families-board-early announcements several years ago.

Delta, JetBlue, and Virgin America continue to allow families with toddlers to board early and US Airways has a hybrid system that gets elite frequent fliers aboard first, then boards families prior to general boarding.

CTA recognizes that trying to legislate family-friendly behavior by airlines would be as easy as trying to keep three- and four-year-olds from fighting.

There are too many questions that legislation will have to consider. What is a family? How old are the children? What about unaccompanied minors?