Travelling as a family can quickly become expensive, particularly once you start adding all the extras that come with booking a flight. But parents could soon have one less fee to worry about as the UK government has announced plans to stop airlines charging parents extra to sit next to their children.
Under the proposed new rules, airlines would be required to seat children under the age of 14 with a parent or accompanying adult free of charge. According to the government, a parent can currently face charges of up to £104 on a return journey to ensure they are seated with their child.
The plans would also give passengers greater flexibility to correct simple mistakes on flight bookings without paying an additional fee. The government website states that minor name corrections can currently cost travellers as much as £40.
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.”
However, despite the government’s announcement, the changes have not yet come into force.
The changes are set to be delivered through the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament. The Bill completed its stages in the House of Lords in July and received its second reading in the House of Commons on 9 September. It is now due to be scrutinised by a Public Bill Committee, which is expected to report to the House by 22 October.
The Bill itself does not introduce the ban on family seating charges. Instead, it would give the Secretary of State new powers to make regulations concerning air passenger rights and the duties of airlines and other air transport providers.
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