The UK government has announced a new travel proposal that will save families a substantial amount of money during their 2027 summer holidays. According to government proposals, a new plan has been introduced to crack down on the extra charges that come with booking a holiday amid rising cost of living costs.
Airlines required to seat children for free
Scrapped charges include airlines being able to issue child seating fees on planes. Under new plans revealed today (October 2), airlines will now be required to seat children under the age of 14 with a parent or accompanying adult free of charge.
Passengers will also no longer need to pay to tweak the name on their flight booking, if they need to correct a mistake. This is being put in place to end unfair charges that can sometimes cost up to £40 for minor admin tweaks.
Prime Minister speaks out against 'rip-off' charges
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "Charging parents just to sit with their children is a rip-off, plain and simple. And being hit with a hefty fee for a simple spelling mistake on a booking form isn’t right either.
"People are fed up with these little charges that add up, so I’m putting a stop to them."This is what our everyday fixes are all about. Giving people room to breathe by tackling the small irritations that catch people out, waste their time and cost them money."
Changes expected before summer holidays
It's believed that ministers will try to implement the changes before the beginning of next year’s summer holidays. According to the Department for Transport, for a parent and child to sit together on a flight can currently cost up to £104 for a return journey.
Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said: "It’s 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."
New system for disruptive passengers
Additionally, the government has announced it is working with airlines and trade unions to create a new system for sharing information on persistently disruptive passengers. In 2025, over 1,000 serious disruptive passenger incidents were logged by airlines, causing significant disruption to passengers and crew as well as costs for the airline.
The new system will make disruptive passengers easier to spot, keeping staff and passengers safer from the get-go and enabling airlines to take decisions on whether to extend a ban on their airline. MPs are currently in the process of creating a new set of rules for travel companies, as the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill makes its way through Parliament.
