New flight rule change could save thousands of UK families from £104 'rip-off' charge
A new rule for airlines could save families more than £100 on their next holiday without them having to lift a finger.
Newly released Government plans will block airlines from charging parents extra to sit with their children on planes.
Passengers will also not be charged if they need to correct their name on a flight booking.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the new rules are designed to crack down on all those ‘little charges that add up’ when families are planning a getaway.
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Burnham said: “Charging parents just to sit with their children is a rip-off, plain and simple.
“And being hit with a hefty fee for a simple spelling mistake on a booking form isn’t right either.
“People are fed up with these little charges that add up, so I’m putting a stop to them.
“This is what our everyday fixes are all about – giving people room to breathe by tackling the small irritations that catch people out, waste their time and cost them money.”
MPs are currently in the process of working out a new set of rules and guidelines for travel firms, with the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill.
It’s thought that the rules will be in place before the start of next year’s summer holidays.
Under the proposal, airlines will be required to seat children under the age of 14 next to their parents or an accompanying adult for free.
Data from the Department for Transport, shows that as things currently stand an arrangement to sit together can currently cost a parent and child up to £104 on a return journey.
Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said: “It’s clearly unfair to force parents and children as young as three to pay an extra fee just to sit together.
“Airlines that have separated families are putting profit ahead of passenger peace of mind.”
The new rules come just months after budget airline Ryanair made changes to its policies after an investigation was launched into the company charging parents to sit with their kids on flights.
Ryanair previously required parents traveling with children aged between two and 11 to pay a mandatory fee to reserve a family seat and little ones were then allocated a seat next to or near their parents.
The mandatory fee typically cost around £8 each way, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) watchdog found.
However, following the investigation, the Irish airline said it was tweaking its policy so parents will still have the option of paying to reserve a seat of their choosing and have their children alongside them free of charge.
At the time, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said its previous policy was ‘the most progressive and transparent in Europe’.
He said: “Families may have to wait until after they have checked in to find out their seat allocation and are more likely to be seated at the rear of the cabin – but at least the CMA will be able to claim they have done something for consumers.”
Claire Reid