The UK government has announced plans to ban airlines from charging parents extra to sit beside their child on flights. Under the proposed rules, airlines would be required to seat children under 14 next to their parent or supervising adult free of charge.
According to the Department for Transport, a parent can currently pay an extra £104 for a return journey to secure a seat next to their child. Prime Minister Andy Burnham described charging parents to sit beside their children during a flight as a "rip-off, plain and simple".
Name correction fees to be scrapped
The plans also include ending fees for passengers who need to amend their name on a flight booking due to an error, such as a spelling mistake. The government said it would end the "unfair and irritating charges – sometimes as much as £40 – for minor mistakes or admin tweaks".
In a statement, the government added: "While most UK airlines already offer protections against hidden costs, these new reforms will give passengers greater consistency on all airlines operating in the UK."
A date for the changes has not yet been announced, but it has been suggested they could be introduced before the summer holidays next year, with the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill awaiting approval.
Airlines respond to the proposals
Prime Minister Andy Burnham commented: "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."
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander 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."
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."
However, some UK airlines have pushed back against claims they charge 'extra' fees for parents to sit with their children. UK airlines often seat one adult and one child together but do not always guarantee that a whole family will be seated together. Tim Alderslade, chief of Airlines UK, said: "UK airlines already allow minor name corrections free of charge and adhere to current CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) guidance on the seating of children under 12 with their accompanying adult."
Ryanair, Jet2 and Wizz Air statements
A Ryanair spokesperson said: "UK Airlines do not charge [the Transport Secretary's] claimed 'extra' fees. Currently, all UK airlines, including Ryanair, allow (and have always allowed) children under 12 to sit with their parents free of charge. Similarly, passengers are already given a 24-hour grace period to correct minor spelling errors on bookings free of charge."
Earlier this year, Ryanair amended its family seating policy following an investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in June. The budget airline previously required parents travelling with children aged between two and 11 to reserve a mandatory family seat, which typically cost around £8 each, the watchdog found. Children were then assigned a seat next to or near their parents, free of charge.
A Jet2 spokesperson said: "As a customer champion that is repeatedly recognised by organisations such as Which? for our industry-leading customer service and customer-friendly policies, we already correct simple name errors free of charge. We also adhere to CAA guidance on the seating of children with their accompanying adult without charge, and have processes in place through the booking, check-in and boarding process to support this to ensure everyone has the best experience when they fly with us."
Wizz Air affirmed that it automatically assigns seats together for the child and one adult under its existing child seating policy. On the Wizz Air website, it explains: "During the check-in process, the adult and the child will automatically be assigned seats next to each other. Please note that the entire family might not be seated together, as the child will be seated next to one of the adults."
The website adds: "To ensure seats together for the entire family, we recommend selecting seats during the booking process or at check-in. Purchased seats also enable passengers to check-in up to 30 days before the flight. For more details, please refer to the Seating policy section. If a seat is not automatically allocated, please contact our Live Chat agents for assistance. For the child's comfort, a baby car seat can be brought on board free of charge."
