Life News

Pay to sit next to your child? UK plans to ban airline family seating fees by next summer

Airlines flying in the UK would have to seat passengers aged under 14 next to a parent or accompanying adult free of charge, under government plans reported on October 1. The Guardian said passengers would also no longer pay to correct a mistake in the name on a booking, and that ministers aim to bring in the changes before next year's summer holidays, using powers in the civil aviation bill now before parliament.

According to the Department for Transport, sitting together can currently cost a parent and child up to £104 on a return journey. Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the fees part of the “little charges that add up” for families.

“Charging parents just to sit with their children is a rip-off, plain and simple.” — Andy Burnham, via The Guardian

Rory Boland of Which? Travel told The Guardian it was “clearly unfair” to make parents and children as young as three pay extra to sit together. The paper noted that Ryanair changed its family seating policy earlier this year after an investigation. ITV News and Novara Media led with the ban itself.

How each outlet framed it

• The Guardian — the practical detail: age limit, booking-name fix, timing, and the consumer group's view.
• ITV News — a short consumer headline: airlines to be banned from charging parents.
• Novara Media — framed it as a Burnham policy move.
• The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon) — a 2024 report shows the US proposed a similar ban on family seating fees.

What we don't know yet: The exact start date, and how the rule will be enforced on airlines, depend on the bill and on rules ministers have yet to publish.