A family shouldn’t struggle to get seats together on a plane.
I’m pleased that airlines will now be required to seat children under 14 with a parent or accompanying adult free of charge
Expensive fees to swap seats place unnecessary pressure on parents at what’s already a costly time of year. Parents should not feel pressured to pay extra simply to sit beside their child – currently, a parent and child could be charged up to £104 on a return journey.
The government has also announced passengers will be given more flexibility to correct simple name errors on bookings for free, ending unfair charges.
Sometimes travellers are charged as much as £40 for minor mistakes or admin tweaks.
Alongside this, government has announced it is working with airlines and trade unions to create a new system for sharing information on persistently disruptive passengers.
In 2025, more than 1,000 serious disruptive passenger incidents were logged by airlines, including a mid-air brawl that resulted in a flight being diverted, causing significant disruption to passengers and crew as well as costs for the airline.
The new system will make disruptors easier to spot, keeping staff and passengers safer from the get-go and enabling airlines to take decisions on whether to extend a ban on their airline.
I welcome these changes. They’re common sense and put money back in people’s pockets.
