UK to ban airline fees for seating parents with children under 14
The UK government plans to stop airlines charging parents extra to sit with children under 14 and to let passengers correct booking-name mistakes free. Ministers aim to bring the changes in before next summer's holidays.
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The story, neutrally told
The UK government plans to stop airlines charging parents extra to sit with their children on flights, requiring them to seat passengers aged under 14 next to a parent or accompanying adult free of charge. The GuardianLC “The new rule would require airlines to seat passengers aged under 14 next to their parents or an accompanying adult free of charge.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MirrorL “airlines will be required to seat children under the age of 14 with a parent or adult accompanying them free of charge” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Passengers would also no longer have to pay to correct a mistake, such as a spelling error, in the name on a flight booking. The GuardianLC “Passengers will also no longer need to pay to tweak the name on their flight booking if they need to correct a mistake.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MirrorL “Holidaymakers will also be given greater flexibility to correct simple name errors including spelling mistakes on bookings for free” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ The Guardian reports that ministers are understood to want the changes in place before the start of next year's summer holidays. The GuardianLC “It is understood that ministers will try to introduce the changes before the start of next year’s summer holidays.” Read at The Guardian ↗
The measures are being framed as part of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's drive against "little charges that add up"; he called charging parents to sit with their children "a rip-off, plain and simple". The GuardianLC “Charging parents just to sit with their children is a rip-off, plain and simple.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MirrorL “People are fed up with these little charges that add up, so I’m putting a stop to them.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ According to the Guardian, the changes are being taken forward as the civil aviation (consumer protection and regulatory reform) bill passes through parliament, which would give ministers flexible powers to set out passenger rights and the duties of airlines and airports. The GuardianLC “The proposed law will give ministers flexible power to set out passenger rights and the duties of airlines and airports.” Read at The Guardian ↗ The Department for Transport says arranging to sit together can currently cost a parent and child up to £104 on a return journey. The GuardianLC “An arrangement to sit together can currently cost a parent and child up to £104 on a return journey, according to the Department for Transport.” Read at The Guardian ↗
Earlier this year the Competition and Markets Authority investigated Ryanair over its "mandatory family seat" charge of about £8 each way for parents travelling with children aged 2-11; the Mirror says the CMA found Ryanair was the only major operator charging such a fee, and that Ryanair changed its policy in June. Daily MirrorL “Ryanair - which the CMA said was the only major operator to charge such a fee - changed its policy in June with kids up to the age of 11 seated next to their parents free of charge.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ The GuardianLC “The fee for a mandatory family seat was typically about £8 each way, the UK Competition and Markets Authority watchdog found.” Read at The Guardian ↗ The government said some airlines already offer such protections, but the reforms would guarantee the same rights whichever airline passengers use; the Mirror cites British Airways and easyJet policies of seating children under 12 with an adult. Daily MirrorL “The government said that while some airlines already offer protections on fees, the reforms will guarantee the same rights for passengers - despite who they fly with.”“All children under 12 will be seated with an accompanying adult.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Parents would still be able to pay to reserve seats of their choosing and have their children alongside them free of charge. The GuardianLC “parents will still have the option of paying to reserve a seat of their choosing and have their children alongside them free of charge.” Read at The Guardian ↗
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said parents should not "feel the pinch" to sit next to their child, and Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said it was unfair to force parents and children as young as three to pay to sit together and welcomed the move. Daily MirrorL “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.”“it’s clearly unfair to force parents and children as young as three to pay an extra fee just to sit together.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Alexander also announced a crackdown on disruptive passengers, with the government, airlines and unions working on a system for sharing information so airlines could ban persistently disruptive passengers; airlines logged more than 1,000 serious incidents in 2025, according to government figures. The GuardianLC “Airlines logged more than 1,000 serious disruptive passenger incidents in 2025, government figures show”“Using the new system, airlines could choose to ban persistently disruptive passengers from their aircraft.” Read at The Guardian ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets present the plan as a consumer-friendly government crackdown on hidden charges, built around Burnham's "rip-off" language and Which? support.
- Emphasis
- The Guardian adds the legislative route, the £104 maximum cost and the disruptive-passenger plan; the Mirror adds Ryanair, British Airways and easyJet policies and more Which? and Alexander quotes.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither carries comment from airlines or industry bodies on the plan or its costs; the Guardian omits the BA and easyJet policy comparison.
- Charged language
- “rip-off”“Rip-off”
- For example
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“Planned rule change forms part of Burnham’s bid to crack down on the ‘little charges that add up’” — The Guardian
“Rip-off airline charges including hidden fees for parents to sit next to children under 14 will be banned under government plans.” — Daily Mirror
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Airlines would have to seat children under 14 with an accompanying adult free of charge.
- Passengers could correct simple name errors on bookings without paying.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the charges a rip-off.
- Which? Travel's Rory Boland backed the move.
- Ryanair changed its family seating policy earlier this year after a CMA investigation.
Andy Burnham person
Burnham says the charges are a rip-off and the ban is one of his government's "everyday fixes" to give people "room to breathe".
“This is what our everyday fixes are all about – giving people room to breathe by tackling the small irritations that catch people out, waste their time and cost them money.” — The Guardian
Left2 articles
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UK airlines to be banned from charging parents to sit with children
Neutral Reports the planned ban as part of Burnham's crackdown, with legislative context, costs and a disruptive-passenger side measure.
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'Rip-off' airline charges including fees for parents to sit next to children under 14 to be banned
Sympathetic Leads with 'rip-off' charges being banned, relays ministers and Which? approval, and compares airline policies.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 1 Oct 22:41 First The GuardianLC UK airlines to be banned from charging parents to sit with children
- 1 Oct 22:43 +2m Daily MirrorL 'Rip-off' airline charges including fees for parents to sit next to children under 14 to be banned
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.