UK government to ban child seating fees and booking name-change charges
New UK government plans will require airlines to seat children under 14 with an adult free of charge and to let passengers correct booking name errors at no cost. Ministers also want a new system for sharing information on disruptive passengers.
Airlines in the UK would have to seat children under 14 next to a parent or accompanying adult at no extra charge, under plans the government announced. Such charges can currently reach 104 GBP on a return journey, according to the announcement.
Passengers would also be allowed to correct name errors on bookings free of charge. The government called the existing fees for minor mistakes or administrative changes, which can run to 40 GBP, unfair.
The government said the measures are part of a wider effort to ease pressure on the cost of living.
Separately, it said it has started working with airlines and trade unions on a new system for sharing information about persistently disruptive passengers. Airlines logged over 1,000 serious disruptive passenger incidents in 2025, causing disruption to passengers, crew and carriers, according to the announcement. The proposed system is meant to make repeat disruptors easier to identify, help keep staff and passengers safe, and let airlines decide whether to extend a ban on a passenger across their network.
Sources
- airportindustry-news.comUK: Government to Scrap Extra Booking Charges and ‘Unnecessary’ Admin Charges