The Government will ban airlines from charging parents extra to sit with their children on flights, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced. The rule changes are part of a crackdown on the "little charges that add up" when families plan holidays, and passengers will also no longer need to pay to correct name mistakes on bookings.
New seating rules for under-14s
The new rules will require airlines to seat children aged under 14 next to their parents or an accompanying adult free of charge. According to the Department for Transport, sitting together can currently cost a parent and child up to £104 on a return journey.
Mr Burnham said: "Charging parents just to sit with their children is a rip-off, plain and simple." He added that people are "fed up with these little charges that add up".
Industry reaction and next steps
Rory Boland, editor of 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."
The changes are expected before next year's summer holidays as the Civil Aviation Bill makes its way through Parliament. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander also announced a crackdown on disruptive passengers, with airlines able to ban persistent troublemakers.
Tom Vaughan, travel insurance expert at Confused.com, said: "It's the kind of change that makes a real difference, because these extras quickly add up. Our research shows that optional costs such as choosing seats, adding luggage and speedy boarding leave holidaymakers paying an extra £214 per trip on average. With family holidays already expensive, cutting out certain seating fees means families can keep a little more of their budget for the trip itself."
