The UK government has announced plans to ban airline charges that force parents to pay extra to sit next to their children under the age of 14. The reforms will also require airlines to allow passengers to correct simple name errors, such as spelling mistakes, on bookings free of charge.
New rules for family seating
Under the proposals unveiled today, airlines will be required to seat children under the age of 14 with a parent or accompanying adult free of charge. The move follows an investigation by the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) earlier this year into budget airline Ryanair, which charged around £8 each way for such seating.
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.”
Airlines’ existing policies
Ryanair, which the CMA said was the only major operator to charge such a fee, changed its policy in June. Its website now states that children aged between 2 and 11 must sit next to an accompanying adult, and infants (8 days to 23 months inclusive) must sit on an accompanying adult's lap. Families may choose either to reserve seats or select free random allocation, and if random allocation is selected, children will be seated next to an accompanying adult on the same reservation free of charge.
British Airways already makes clear that children up to the age of 12 will be seated for free, though it notes there may be an additional fee for choosing seats in advance. EasyJet’s policy states that if seats are not chosen in advance, it will make sure each child under 12 is seated close to an adult on the booking, though this may be arranged at the airport or on board.
Government’s wider consumer reforms
The government said the move is the latest in the Prime Minister’s attempts to give people breathing space, following action already unveiled on costly subscription traps and school uniform rip-offs. Heidi Alexander, Transport Secretary, said: “Parents should not have to feel the pinch just to sit next to their child on a flight, or for amending a simple booking error. That's why we're scrapping these unnecessary charges for all airlines – another everyday fix to help put money back in people's pockets and give households more breathing room.”
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, added: “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 ten 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.”
