The UK government plans to make airlines seat children under 14 next to a parent or accompanying adult without charging extra. The Department for Transport announced the change on 2 October 2026, along with free corrections for simple spelling mistakes in passenger names.
Some airlines charge to choose a seat, so a family who wants to sit together on a flight to Orlando or Paris can end up paying seat fees for each person. The government says a parent and child can be charged up to £104 for this on a return journey (October 2026). It also says most UK airlines already offer some protection against hidden charges. The new rules would apply in the same way on every airline operating in the UK.
Fixing a simple mistake in a name on a booking would also become free. The government says airlines can charge as much as £40 for this today (October 2026).
It isn’t in force yet. The changes depend on the Civil Aviation Bill becoming law, and the government hasn’t given a date for airlines to apply them, though it has linked the plan to next year’s summer holidays. Until then, each airline’s own seating rules still apply.
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