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The government has pledged that parents will not face charges for sitting alongside their children on flights if new legislation receives approval in Parliament. According to the Department for Transport, should the Civil Aviation Bill pass, there will be a consultation aimed at eliminating fees associated with seating parents next to children under 14, as well as costs for correcting minor errors on flight bookings.
UK airlines have maintained that they already comply with existing regulations. However, the government insists that although most airlines offer protections against hidden fees, the new measures would standardize these protections across all operators within the country. In contrast, Airlines UK, a trade organization, expressed surprise at the announcement, noting that UK carriers currently permit minor name corrections without charge and adhere to current rules requiring children under 12 to be seated with their accompanying adult.
The Department for Transport highlighted that parents can currently pay up to £104 for a return trip simply to sit next to their child. Prime Minister Andy Burnham emphasized that tackling such “little charges that add up” is a priority, stating, “Charging parents just to sit with their children is a rip-off, plain and simple,” and adding that levying “a hefty fee for a simple spelling mistake on a booking form isn’t right either.” The department also pointed out that fixing minor booking errors can cost passengers up to £40.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the proposed rules as part of an ongoing effort to address everyday annoyances that impact consumers financially. She remarked, “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.” Rory Boland, editor of the consumer magazine Which? Travel, criticized the airline practice of separating families, stating it is “clearly unfair to force parents and children as young as three to pay an extra fee just to sit together,” and accused these airlines of prioritizing profit over passengers’ peace of mind
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