MPs set to outlaw airlines charging parents for sitting with children under 14 on flights

The government says it will ensure parents cannot be charged for sitting next to their children on planes if new powers get approval in Parliament.

If the Civil Aviation Bill gets approved by MPs, the Department for Transport (DfT) says it will consult on scrapping any charges for being seated next to children under the age of 14 or correcting minor errors on flight bookings.

While acknowledging most UK airlines already offer protections against hidden costs, the government said its proposed reforms would provide greater consistency across all airlines operating in the country.

Trade body Airlines UK said minor name corrections are already allowed free of charge, while airlines including easyJet and Ryanair have denied that extra fees exist.

Airlines UK said it was surprised to see the announcement and added UK airlines adhere to current Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) guidance on the seating of children under 12.

The DfT says it can currently cost £104 for a parent and child to sit together on a return journey while small mistakes or admin tweaks can cost passengers up to £40.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the proposed rule changes are part of a crackdown on the “little charges that add up” when families plan their holiday trips.

“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,” said Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.

Ryanair said “no such extra fees exist” and accused Alexander of “pretending to do something while in reality doing nothing”.

The airline’s CEO Michael O’Leary said this “is not an ‘everyday fix’ it’s just ‘everyday spin’ from a Govt that keeps raising taxes on air travel for UK families and visitors”.

An easyJet spokesperson similarly said they and other UK airlines “already offer free changes for spelling mistakes and we have never forced parents and children to pay to sit together”.

The airline noted the only change under the government’s proposal is moving the age of children included in the current rules from 12 to 14.

Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said it was “clearly unfair to force parents and children as young as three to pay an extra fee just to sit together”.

“Airlines that have separated families are putting profit ahead of passenger peace of mind,” he said.

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