UK airlines could be barred from charging parents to sit with children

The UK government plans to stop airlines charging extra to seat children under 14 next to a parent or accompanying adult. Ministers are understood to be aiming to introduce the changes before the start of next year’s summer holidays.

Passengers would also no longer pay to correct a mistake in a name on a flight booking. The Department for Transport says arranging seats together for a parent and child can currently cost up to £104 on a return journey.

Passenger rights bill advances

The measures are being debated in Parliament as the civil aviation (consumer protection and regulatory reform) bill progresses. The proposed legislation would give ministers wider powers to set passenger rights and define the duties of airlines and airports.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the charge for seating parents with children unfair and said the government wanted to tackle the small fees that increase families’ holiday costs. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, also criticised airlines for charging families to sit together.

Ryanair changes family seating

Ryanair adjusted its policy earlier this year after an investigation into charges for parents travelling with children. The airline had required passengers with children aged two to 11 to buy a mandatory family seat, typically costing about £8 each way, according to the UK Competition and Markets Authority.

Under the revised policy, parents can still pay to reserve a specific seat, while their children are seated alongside them without an additional charge.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has separately announced plans for airlines, the government and trade unions to share information about disruptive passengers. Airlines recorded more than 1,000 serious incidents in 2025, including what the government described as an onboard brawl that caused a flight to divert. Under the proposed system, airlines could ban persistently disruptive passengers.