{
  "id": 11363423,
  "title": "UK airlines to be banned from charging parents to sit with children",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/uk-airlines-to-be-banned-from-charging-parents-to-sit-with-children",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-01T21:41:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Business",
    "slug": "guardian-business",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/01/uk-airlines-to-be-banned-from-charging-parents-to-sit-with-children"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A planned rule change could ban UK airlines from charging parents to sit with their children on flights, according to government proposals. The new rule stipulates that airlines must seat passengers under 14 next to their parents or an accompanying adult for free. Additionally, passengers will no longer have to pay to correct errors in their flight bookings. Prime Minister Andy Burnham aims to introduce these changes before the start of the next summer holiday season, emphasizing the crackdown on \"little charges that add up\" when families plan their vacations. The Burnham-led civil aviation bill is progressing through parliament, granting ministers the power to set passenger rights and airlines' and airports' duties. Currently, charging parents to sit with their children can cost up to £104 for a return journey, as per the Department for Transport. Consumer magazine Which? Travel editor Rory Boland criticized the policy, stating that it is unfair to force parents and young children to pay an extra fee merely to sit together, as airlines prioritize profit over passenger comfort. Earlier this year, Ryanair revised its family seating policy following an investigation into charging parents to sit with children aged 2-11. The company previously required parents to pay around £8 each way to reserve a mandatory family seat, but now allows parents to pay to reserve a seat and have children seated next to them for free. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced plans to address disruptive passenger behavior, with airlines, trade unions, and the government collaborating on a system to share information about disruptive passengers, potentially leading to bans for repeat offenders.",
  "summary": "Planned rule change forms part of Burnham’s bid to crack down on the ‘little charges that add up’ Airlines will be blocked from charging parents extra to sit with their children on planes, according to government plans. The new rule would require airlines to seat passengers aged under 14 next to their parents or an accompanying adult free of charge. Passengers will also no longer need to pay to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}