Families flying from the UK are set to save money under new government plans to stop airlines charging parents simply to sit next to their children.

Under the reforms, airlines will be required to seat children under the age of 14 with a parent or accompanying adult free of charge.

The Government says families can currently face charges of up to £104 on a return journey just to ensure a parent and child are seated together.

The changes are intended to create consistent rules across airlines operating in the UK and prevent families feeling pressured into paying additional seat-selection fees.

Free corrections for simple booking mistakes

Passengers are also set to receive greater flexibility when correcting straightforward mistakes made while booking flights.

Under the plans, simple name errors will be able to be corrected without passengers being hit with an administration charge.

Some travellers can currently face fees of as much as £40 for minor amendments.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:

“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.”

She said the changes were intended to remove unnecessary charges while improving the experience of passengers travelling by air.

Government targets disruptive passengers

The Government is also working with airlines and trade unions on a new information-sharing system aimed at passengers responsible for serious and persistent disruptive behaviour.

More than 1,000 serious disruptive passenger incidents were logged by airlines during 2025, according to the Department for Transport.

One incident involved a mid-air fight which forced an aircraft to divert, disrupting passengers and crew and creating additional costs for the airline.

The proposed system is intended to make repeat disruptors easier for airlines to identify and help carriers decide whether existing airline bans should be extended.

Prime Minister calls family seating charges a ‘rip-off’

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.”

The measures form part of the Government’s programme of what it calls “everyday fixes”, targeting charges and administrative problems which increase household costs.

Consumer group Which? welcomed the proposed family-seating changes.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said it was unfair for families to face additional charges simply to ensure parents and young children could sit together.

Changes require new aviation legislation

The measures will not immediately change the rules passengers encounter when booking a flight.

The Government says the reforms are set to be delivered following Royal Assent of the Civil Aviation Bill, with the aviation industry involved in implementing the changes.

The legislation is also designed to strengthen wider passenger protections and give the Civil Aviation Authority additional enforcement powers.

The Government says the reforms will bring greater consistency to passenger protections across airlines operating in the UK and more closely align UK and European rules.