Airlines to be banned from charging parents to sit with their children: under-14s must be seated with an adult free of charge

The Department for Transport has announced a package it calls part of the Prime Minister's series of 'everyday fixes'. For anyone who flies with children, it is the most practical aviation news of the year: the fee for sitting next to your own child is to be outlawed, for British and foreign airlines alike operating in the UK.

What was announced

First, airlines will be required to seat a child under 14 with a parent or accompanying adult at no extra cost. By the government's own figure, a parent and child can currently be charged up to £104 on a return journey for this.

Second, passengers will be able to correct simple name errors on a booking for free. Airlines currently charge as much as £40 for a minor mistake or admin tweak.

Third, and not about money: the government, airlines and trade unions are building a system for sharing information on persistently disruptive passengers. In 2025 airlines logged more than 1,000 serious disruptive passenger incidents, including a mid-air brawl that forced a flight to divert. The system is meant to make disruptors easier to spot and help airlines decide whether to extend a ban.

When it starts — and why not today

There is a discrepancy inside the GOV.UK release itself, and it is worth knowing. The summary line says: 'From 2 October 2026, airlines will be required to seat children under the age of 14 with a parent or accompanying adult free of charge.' The body of the same release says the changes 'are set to be delivered following Royal Assent of the Civil Aviation Bill, with industry engaged to ensure swift and fair implementation.'

Royal Assent is the final stage of a bill's passage through Parliament. Until it happens, airlines are under no such obligation. The release itself ties the savings to 'next year's summer holidays' — that is, summer 2027. So if you are booking for half term or Christmas, do not count on a free family seat under the new rule: your airline's own policy still applies.

What to do while the rule is not yet in force

The government notes that most UK airlines already offer some protection against hidden costs, and that the reform is about making the rules consistent across all of them. Until the law lands, one rule works: read the policy of the airline you are actually flying with, before you pay rather than after.

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Before booking, find the carrier's family seating page and check up to what age seats together are free and whether you need to do anything at check-in. Book everyone in the family on a single booking rather than separate tickets: with split bookings the system almost never seats you together. Check in online the minute it opens, when the number of free adjacent seats is at its highest.

If there is a typo in a name, contact the airline as soon as you notice it: many carriers correct it free or cheaply within 24 hours of purchase, and the closer to departure, the more it costs.

What Which? says

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, quoted by the government: 'It's 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.' Which? has pushed individual airlines to drop these fees for ten years; this time it is an outright ban.

The wider context

The government links the announcement to other cost-of-living measures: the day before, on 1 October, the zero rate of VAT on electricity came in, saving households a further £45 by the government's calculation — we covered that on the day it took effect. The same list includes action on rogue traders, subscription traps and school uniform costs.

The release also notes that the changes bring UK and EU rules more closely into line, as regulators on both sides take a tougher stance on air passenger rights this year.

What already works today

Until the new bans are law, your existing rights still stand: compensation for delayed and cancelled flights, and for lost or delayed baggage. Those are not plans but live rules you can claim under right now — see our guides on delays and cancellations and on getting paid for your baggage.