UK to bar airlines from charging parents extra to sit next to their children

Airlines operating in the United Kingdom will be barred from charging parents extra to sit next to their children under planned government rule changes.

The new rule would require airlines to seat passengers under the age of 14 next to a parent or accompanying adult free of charge, removing a fee that has drawn criticism from families and consumer advocates.

Part of a wider crackdown

The change forms part of a broader push described as targeting the "little charges that add up" for airline passengers, an effort associated with government plans to rein in additional fees across the sector.

According to the report, passengers would also no longer need to pay extra for related seating arrangements tied to the policy, though the full scope of the rule was not completely specified.

Airlines have increasingly relied on optional fees for seat selection, baggage and other add-ons as a source of revenue beyond ticket prices, a practice that has drawn scrutiny from regulators and consumer groups in multiple countries.

The planned rule change would apply across UK airlines, though the timeline for implementation and the mechanism for enforcement were not detailed in the available reporting.

Consumer groups have long argued that families should not have to pay extra to ensure young children can sit beside a parent during a flight, framing the practice as an unfair add-on cost rather than a genuine premium service.