British Airways moves Fuerteventura flights to Heathrow and adds Lapland flights this winter
BA's winter schedule moves its Fuerteventura flights from Gatwick to Heathrow and adds twice-weekly Gatwick flights to Rovaniemi over Christmas.
Family travel news
Travel news for families
The updates that matter when you're planning a holiday with young children, from entry rules to government advice, in plain English.
Foreign Office updates Middle East advice for UAE, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt
The Foreign Office has refreshed its regional tensions advice for the UAE, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, with warnings about flight cancellations and airspace closures.
Manchester gets direct flights to Billund, home of LEGOLAND, from April
Norwegian will fly Manchester to Billund twice a week from 1 April 2027, and tickets are already on sale.
Ryanair bag drop closes 60 minutes before departure from 10 November
Families checking a bag on Ryanair flights will need to drop it 20 minutes earlier than now, at every airport Ryanair flies from.
New plans to protect disabled air passengers and their wheelchairs
The Department for Transport has set out steps to reduce wheelchair damage and improve airport support, though the strongest new powers still depend on a Bill that has not yet become law.
ETIAS has no start date as EU borders can keep pausing EES checks
The EU has dropped its planned late-2026 start for ETIAS, the online travel authorisation, and countries can keep pausing EES face and fingerprint checks at busy borders until the end of 2026.
UK airport eGates are going contactless, but passports stay in the bag
Contactless eGates have started at East Midlands and Birmingham airports, with more due by early 2027, but families still need valid passports and the usual child eligibility rules apply.
Airlines to seat children with a parent for free under government plans
The UK government plans to make airlines seat children under 14 next to a parent or accompanying adult at no extra cost, and to let passengers fix simple name errors for free. It isn't law yet.
NATS says a software fault caused the 8 September flight disruption
NATS's preliminary report blames a legacy software defect for the 8 September air traffic failure, and the CAA says passengers can claim refunds, re-routing and care but compensation is unlikely.
British Airways to restart Heathrow to Dubai flights in November
British Airways plans to restart Heathrow to Dubai flights on 3 November 2026, with Abu Dhabi still suspended and Foreign Office warnings still in place.
France and eight other countries are easing full EES border checks until the end of the year
Nine European countries including France, Italy, Greece and Portugal are limiting face and fingerprint scans under the EU's Entry/Exit System while problems are fixed, after a temporary exemption ended on 6 September.
Rail passengers can now switch operator when a train is cancelled
From 20 September 2026, passengers whose train is cancelled can board another participating operator's service on the same ticket, which can help families getting to ports, airports and UK breaks.
Thailand cuts visa-free stays for British visitors to 30 days
From 15 September 2026, British passport holders visiting Thailand for tourism can stay 30 days without a visa instead of 60, which matters for longer family trips.
New EU border checks are lengthening airport queues, and the ETIAS permit has slipped to 2027
The EU's Entry/Exit System is running and adding to airport queues this summer, while the separate ETIAS travel permit has slipped to 2027, so here's how the border checks work for families and why there's nothing to arrange for ETIAS yet.
Extreme heat and wildfires in southern Europe this summer, and what it means for a family
Record heat and early-July wildfires have hit parts of Greece, Spain, Portugal and France, but most trips are going ahead, so here's how to plan around the heat with a baby or toddler and what the health advice says.
Free hand luggage is coming to European flights in 2027, but every airline still sets its own rules this summer
The EU has agreed that every passenger can carry two bags at no extra cost, though it won't apply until 2027, so here's the deal, the decade-long fight behind it and what each airline charges for hand luggage right now.
Air traffic control strikes are disrupting European flights again
Air traffic control strikes are hitting European flights this summer, and a walkout in France can cancel a flight that never lands there, so here's how it works and what you're owed if yours is cancelled.