Prime Minister Andy Burnham has confirmed a ban on extra charges for UK airline passengers, including a requirement for airlines to seat children under the age of 14 next to their parents or an accompanying adult at no extra cost on all UK flights.
According to the Department for Transport (DfT), a parent and child could currently be charged up to £104 to sit together on a return journey, but these charges are set to be scrapped in time for next year’s summer holidays.
Admin fees also scrapped
The plans, unveiled this month, will also ban unnecessary admin costs, meaning passengers will be able to correct minor mistakes, such as name errors which can cost as much as £40 to fix, on their flight booking without being charged.
While most UK airlines already offer protections against hidden costs, the government said the new reforms will give passengers greater consistency on all airlines operating in the UK.
Mr Burnham confirmed the changes on Saturday (October 17), saying the move aims to give families more breathing room, helping to take the pressure off parents.
Prime Minister's statement
In a post on LinkedIn, the PM wrote: “I know that holidays don’t come cheap. You work hard, save up and look forward to it all year. The last thing you need is to be hit with rip-off charges that leave a bad taste in the mouth.
“That’s why I’m putting a stop to airlines charging parents just to sit next to their children. Because it just isn’t right. And if you make a simple mistake when you book, like a typo in a name, you shouldn’t be slapped with another charge just to change it. So I’m fixing that too.
“Because these little extra charges don’t just take your hard-earned money. They leave you frustrated and feeling you’ve got a bad deal. I want to find everyday fixes that make life fairer and give families room to breathe.”
He added: “This is what you will get with my government. We’ve heard your concerns and we are acting to give people some breathing room. Now I don’t pretend these fixes alone will solve the cost-of-living pressures families are facing. But when you’re trying to make your money stretch, it all adds up.”
Regulatory alignment
The government said the changes will bring greater consistency across the sector and are set to be delivered following Royal Assent of the Civil Aviation Bill.
The move comes as regulators and lawmakers in the UK and Europe take a tougher stance on air passenger rights, with these changes meaning UK and EU rules line up more closely, giving passengers greater certainty.
Commenting on the changes, 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. Airlines that have separated families are putting profit ahead of passenger peace of mind.
“Which? has successfully pressured many airlines into dropping these fees over the past 10 years. So it’s welcome to see the government taking firm action on this by outlawing these charges completely and finally putting an end to this rip-off. It is also positive to see greater flexibility to amend simple mistakes, protecting consumers from unnecessary charges.”
