Move to end charges for parents to sit by children on flights
The government says sitting together can currently cost a parent and child up to £104 on a return journey.
Move to end charges for parents to sit by children on flights
The government says it will make sure parents cannot be charged for sitting beside their children on planes if new powers are approved in Parliament.
UK airlines said they were following existing rules.
If MPs approve the Civil Aviation Bill, the Department for Transport says it will consult on removing any charges for being seated next to children under 14, or for correcting minor errors on flight bookings.
While saying most UK airlines already provide protections against hidden costs, the government said its planned reforms would create greater consistency across all airlines operating in the country.
Trade body Airlines UK said it was surprised by the announcement, adding that UK airlines already permit minor name corrections free of charge. It also said they follow the regulator’s current guidance on seating children under 12 with their accompanying adult.
The Department for Transport says an arrangement to sit together can currently cost a parent and child up to £104 on a return journey.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the proposed rule changes are part of a crackdown on the “little charges that add up” when families plan holiday trips.
“Charging parents just to sit with their children is a rip-off, plain and simple,” he added, and being “hit with a hefty fee for a simple spelling mistake on a booking form isn’t right either”.
The department says minor mistakes or admin tweaks, such as correcting a name on a booking form, can cost passengers up to £40.
It added that the new rules were the “latest example of the Prime Minister’s series of ‘everyday fixes’ to tackle the irritations that make life difficult and hit people’s wallets”.
“Parents should not have to feel the pinch just to sit next to their child on a flight, or for amending a simple booking error,” said Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
Travel said it was “clearly unfair to force parents and children as young as three to pay an extra fee just to sit together”.
“Airlines that have separated families are putting profit ahead of passenger peace of mind,” he was quoted as saying by the Press Association.
The package of changes includes a new system for sharing information on persistently disruptive passengers, which would be developed with help from airlines and trade unions.
The government says that in 2025 more than 1,000 serious disruptive passenger incidents were logged by airlines, including a mid-air brawl that led to a flight being diverted.
Alexander said everyone deserved to travel knowing their flight would not be disrupted by “bad behaviour from a small minority”.
Airlines UK said it welcomed a commitment to crack down on disruptive passengers.
It is understood that ministers will try to bring in the changes before the start of next year’s summer holidays.