Airlines do not allow children under 5 to fly alone, but those same children can still be made to sit separately from their guardians. Airlines frequently reassign seats, resulting in families becoming separated. This issue has frequently been reported in the mainstream press.
This situation is not only potentially traumatic for the child and family, it is a safety hazard in the event of an emergency. Guardians are likely to try to fight their way to their child, impeding others from evacuating. Also, it is not reasonable to assume that a stranger is willing to take responsibility for a child in such an event.
This petition asks the administration to do what it can to require airlines to seat accompanied minors next to at least one member of their party.