Take off for passengers as government scraps extra charges when flying

Holidaymakers are set to save money as government steps in to ease pressure on the cost of living in time for next year’s summer holidays, scrapping child seating fees and unnecessary admin costs.

Under new plans announced tomorrow (2 October 2026), airlines will be required to seat children under the age of 14 with a parent or accompanying adult free of charge. 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.

Passengers will also be given greater flexibility to correct simple name errors on bookings for free, ending unfair and irritating charges – sometimes 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.

While most UK airlines already offer protections against hidden costs, these new reforms will give passengers greater consistency on all airlines operating in the UK.