Pete Buttigieg says a new rule from the Department of Transportation could save families hundreds of dollars on airline travel.

On Thursday, the department unveiled a new rule banning airlines from charging fees to families seated together while traveling on a flight. Specifically, the proposed rule would require airlines to assign adjacent seats for families with children ages 13 and younger for no additional fee within 48 hours of booking their trips.

The rule would also mandate refunds, free rebooking, and other options when adjacent family seating is not available and airlines that fail to comply with the fee-free family seating requirements would be subject to civil penalties, the U.S. secretary of transportation tells PEOPLE.

“This is the latest step in a series of passenger protections we have launched,” Buttigieg explains.

But for Buttigieg, the issue of family travel is a personal one.

“I do know what it’s like to fly with little kids,” he says, adding that he and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, frequently travel with their own children, Joseph “Gus” August and Penelope Rose. “Often, Chasten and I take our toddler between Michigan and Washington DC and — even on the best of days — that is a very challenging thing to do.”

The Department of Transportation says its proposed rule could save a family of four as much as $200 per round trip if seat fees are $25. But more than anything, it will save them from the hassle of trying to find seats located next to one another, to ensure young children aren’t on their own during a flight.

“We get hundreds of complaints from parents not seated with their kids,” Buttigieg says. “They have to bargain and beg [to switch seats] once on board the plane. Which puts other passengers and flight crew in a difficult position.”

As Buttigieg explains, the proposed rule works as follows: “When you book a flight, the airline knows the age of the children, so they know if there’s an adult traveling with small children. Then, they have to either seat the family together on the spot, or within 48 hours they have to show you can be seated together. If not, you get your money back or get on a flight that does have that availability.”

The rule is all part of the department’s focus on protecting travelers amid flight delays and cancellation — especially relevant considering the recent global technology outage that saw major airlines such as Delta delaying and canceling thousands of flights.

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While the proposed rule will go through a public comment period and could be changed before being implemented, some airlines — including American, Frontier, Alaska and JetBlue — have voluntarily eliminated fees for family seat selection in accordance with the proposed mandate.

“If an airline violates this rule once it goes into effect, there will be penalties for every case,” Buttigieg says. “The fact that some airlines have already made a commitment to adhere to the rule demonstrates that it can be done. ”

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