The UK government is moving to prohibit airlines from charging parents additional fees to seat children under 14 next to them during flights. The proposed regulation would require that young passengers be seated adjacent to their parents or accompanying adults at no extra cost. Additionally, passengers would no longer face charges for correcting name errors on flight bookings.
Ministerial intentions include implementing these changes before the start of next year’s summer holiday period. The measures form part of a broader initiative by Prime Minister Andy Burnham focused on eliminating what he characterizes as incremental charges that accumulate during family holiday planning. These rule modifications are being developed as MPs review the civil aviation consumer protection and regulatory reform bill, which would grant ministers authority to establish passenger rights standards and define obligations for airlines and airports.
Currently, arrangements for parents and children to occupy adjacent seats can cost up to £104 on a round-trip flight, according to the Department for Transport. Earlier this year, Ryanair adjusted its family seating practices following an investigation into charges levied on parents traveling with children aged two to eleven. The Irish carrier’s previous mandatory family seat fee typically amounted to approximately £8 each direction. Under revised policies, parents retain the option to pay for preferred seat selection while their children receive adjacent seating at no charge.
The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has concurrently announced efforts to address disruptive passenger conduct on aircraft through development of an information-sharing framework involving government bodies, airlines, and trade unions. Government data indicates airlines documented over 1,000 significant disruptive passenger incidents in 2025, including a mid-air altercation that necessitated flight diversion. The proposed system would enable airlines to exercise discretion in excluding persistently disruptive passengers from their services.
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