Airlines to be banned from charging parents to sit with their children

Airlines flying in the UK will have to seat children under 14 with a parent or accompanying adult at no extra cost, under plans announced by the government on Friday 2 October.

The Department for Transport said a parent and child can currently be charged up to £104 on a return journey just to sit together.

The plans would also let passengers correct simple name errors on their bookings for free. The government said this would end "unfair and irritating charges – sometimes as much as £40 – for minor mistakes or admin tweaks".

What is changing

Under the proposals, airlines operating in the UK could no longer charge extra to keep a child under 14 next to the adult they are travelling with. Families would not need to buy seat selection just to make sure a young child is not seated among strangers.

A passenger whose name has been misspelt on a booking, for example one letter left out of a first name, would be able to fix it without paying an administration fee.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham described charging parents just to sit with their children as "a rip-off". The measures are part of a wider government push against the small charges that add up when families book holidays.

When it will apply

Parliament still has to pass the changes before they can take effect. Ministers want them in place before next summer's holidays, so they do not yet apply to existing or new bookings.

Until then, families are advised to check their airline's own policy before paying for seats. Many airlines already seat young children with their parents free of charge, usually as long as everyone is on the same booking, and some automatically allocate seats together at check-in.

Airlines push back

The airline industry has questioned whether the measures are needed. Tim Alderslade, chief executive of the trade body Airlines UK, said the industry was surprised by the announcement, given that UK airlines already seat children with their parents.

Ryanair's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, has also criticised the plans. He argues that UK airlines do not charge these fees in the first place, either for children to sit with their parents or for minor spelling changes to bookings.

The changes matter to thousands of households in West London, where many families fly regularly from Heathrow and other London airports, often to visit relatives abroad. During school holidays, seat selection fees on each leg of a journey can add a noticeable amount to the cost of a family trip.

The government has not yet published a date for when the legislation will come before Parliament.