Andy Burnham's government has announced that some 'rip off' charges passengers face when flying will be scrapped. One of the key features of plans announced today (Friday October 2) is removing charges for parents who want to sit with their children.
According to the new plans, airlines will no longer charge parents and under-14s to sit together. In June this year Ryanair announced that it would allow families to sit together free of charge, following an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over potential overcharging of parents seeking to sit with their children during flights.
Other changes announced
Other changes announced today include removing admin fees for amending simple name errors on bookings, Sky News reports. It's understood that the changes will be brought in before the start of next year's summer holidays.
The Department for Transport said: "Passengers will also be given greater flexibility to correct simple name errors on bookings for free, ending unfair and irritating charges – sometimes as much as £40 – for minor mistakes or admin tweaks." According to the government department, families face charges of up to £104 on a return journey to sit together.
Consistency across carriers
While the majority of UK airlines already offer protections against hidden costs, the government says the new measures will bring consistency across all carriers operating in the UK. 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."
Passenger behaviour measures
As well as removing extra fees, the government said it is working with airlines and trade unions to do more about passenger behaviour. According to government figures, in 2025 airlines logged more than 1,000 serious disruptive passenger incidents. Using the new system, airlines could choose to ban persistently disruptive passengers from their aircraft.
