Source: Sky News
The government is scrapping some of the extra charges people face when flying.
This includes parents having to pay to sit with their children and “unnecessary” admin costs. Under the plans announced last week, airlines must sit under-14s with their parents free of charge.
Passengers will also be able to amend simple name errors on bookings without admin fees.
The Department for Transport said it was “ending unfair and irritating charges – sometimes as much as £40 – for minor mistakes or admin tweaks”. It is thought ministers will try to bring in the changes before the start of the summer holidays in 2027.
According to the Department for Transport, an arrangement to sit together costs a parent and child up to £104 for a return journey.
Most UK airlines already offer protections against hidden costs, but the government says the new measures will bring consistency across all carriers operating in the UK.
Earlier this year, Ryanair adjusted its family seating policy after an investigation was launched into the company charging parents to sit with their children on flights.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Charging parents just to sit with their children is a rip-off, plain and simple. And being hit with a hefty fee for a simple spelling mistake on a booking form isn’t right either. People are fed up with these little charges that add up, so I’m putting a stop to them.”
The government also says it is working with airlines and trade unions to do more about passenger behaviour.
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.