UK government plans to ban airlines charging parents to sit with children

The UK government plans to ban airlines from charging parents to sit with children, with new rules that would require carriers to seat anyone under 14 next to a parent or accompanying adult at no cost. GOV.UK gives the date of the announcement as 2 October 2026. The government says the aim is to ease pressure on family budgets in time for next year’s summer holidays.

Passengers would also be able to correct simple name mistakes on bookings without paying. The measures are the latest in what Prime Minister Andy Burnham calls his “everyday fixes”.

What the airline seat charges ban changes, and when

Under the plans, airlines would have to seat children under the age of 14 with a parent or accompanying adult free of charge. The government says a parent and child can currently be charged up to £104 on a return journey to sit together. Passengers would also get greater flexibility to fix simple name errors for free, ending charges the government says are “sometimes as much as £40”.

GOV.UK said the changes will be delivered after Royal Assent of the Civil Aviation Bill, with industry engaged on “swift and fair implementation”. The Guardian reported that the bill, formally the civil aviation (consumer protection and regulatory reform) bill, is still going through parliament. It will give ministers flexible powers to set out passenger rights and the duties of airlines and airports.

Ministers are understood to want the rules in place before next summer’s holidays, according to the Guardian and Which?. The Liverpool Echo noted that no firm date has been announced. In practice, the order is: the bill completes its passage, receives Royal Assent, and the detailed rules are then set and phased in with airlines.

Who is affected: families and airlines separating parents and children

The rule is aimed at families flying with children, including very young ones. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said it was unfair to make parents and “children as young as three” pay extra to sit together. GOV.UK said the changes will apply to all airlines operating in the UK, giving passengers consistency whichever carrier they choose.

A simple example shows the scale. The CMA found Ryanair’s mandatory family seat typically cost about £8 each way, or about £16 return. The government’s £104 figure is a ceiling for a parent and child on a return trip, so what families pay will vary by airline. A parent who paid the full £104 and then a £40 name correction would have spent £144 on charges that the new rules are meant to remove. That is the upper end, not a typical bill.

Ryanair changed its policy in June 2026 after a CMA investigation. Which? said the airline had been the last major carrier to insist on the fee. Parents can still pay to reserve a seat of their choosing and have their children sit alongside them free, the Guardian reported. The new rule also covers a wider age group than the current CAA guidance that Airlines UK cites, which applies to under-12s.

What supporters and critics say about the government regulation of airline family seating fees

Mr Burnham said: “Charging parents just to sit with their children is a rip-off, plain and simple.” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said parents “should not have to feel the pinch just to sit next to their child on a flight”. Which? welcomed “firm action” and said it had pressured many airlines into dropping these fees over the past 10 years.

Which? also pointed to safety. It quoted Dai Whittingham, chief executive of the UK Flight Safety Committee, who said in 2019 that in an emergency anyone will try to reach loved ones, “even if it involves clambering over others”.

Industry disputes the premise. Tim Alderslade, chief of Airlines UK, said: “We were surprised to see this given UK airlines already allow minor name corrections free of charge and adhere to current CAA guidance on the seating of children under 12.” He said government should focus instead on the tax burden and the cost of sustainable aviation fuel sub-mandates.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary called the announcement “typical political spin” and pointed to Air Passenger Duty and air traffic control failures. A Ryanair spokesperson said passengers already have a 24-hour grace period to correct minor spelling errors for free. Jet2 said it already corrects simple name errors free and follows CAA guidance. Wizz Air said it automatically seats a child beside one adult, though the whole family may not sit together.

What to do now

Nothing changes yet, because the rules depend on the bill becoming law. If you are booking for summer 2027, read the airline’s family seating policy before paying for any seat, and check whether it says a child will be seated beside an adult at no charge. Keep booking confirmations and receipts for any seating fee, so you have a record if the rules change.

Check every name against passports before you confirm a booking. Ryanair says it allows a 24-hour window for minor spelling corrections. If you travel with more than one adult, note that Wizz Air says only one adult is guaranteed to sit beside the child. Its advice is to choose seats at booking or check-in if the whole family wants to be together.

Finally, watch for the implementation date once the Civil Aviation Bill receives Royal Assent. Airlines are expected to be told how and when the new duties apply.