Checked 15 October 2026. The UK government plans to stop airlines charging extra to seat a child under 14 beside a parent or accompanying adult. Do not treat 2 October as the start date. The government removed the application date from its announcement on 2 October to correct an error. The announcement ties delivery to Royal Assent of the Civil Aviation Bill; it does not establish a replacement commencement date.
If you are booking now, use the airline’s current family-seating policy. Several already offer a free allocation route. Paying can still be reasonable when you need particular seats, the whole party together, or certainty before check-in. The biggest gap to check is a child aged 12 or 13: an under-12 policy does not cover them.
What was announced, and when does it apply?
The Department for Transport announcement was first published on 1 October 2026 and updated on 2 October. It proposes fee-free child/adult seating for children under 14 and free correction of simple booking-name errors. Its body also refers to 2 October as the announcement day; neither date is a reliable commencement date.
The intended scope is greater consistency across airlines operating in the UK. The Parliamentary stages page still lists Commons committee stage from 20 October, a provisional future date. Final implementation details, exceptions and treatment of existing reservations need confirmation. Do not assume a refund for seats already bought.
Age wording matters: under 14 means through age 13. easyJet’s response uses “14 and under” when describing the proposal, which is broader. This guide follows the government’s under-14 wording and does not promise coverage for a 14-year-old.
Current airline policies: free allocation versus choosing your seats
These are the published policies checked on 15 October, not a completed booking test or a guarantee for a partner-operated flight. “Together” can mean different things. Keep the child and accompanying adult on the same reservation and check the operating carrier.
| Airline | Current published free route | What you may still pay for or need to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | For children aged 2–11, choose free random allocation: the child is seated beside an accompanying adult on the same reservation. Other adults and teens may be separate. | Choosing specific seats in advance is a paid option. If no seats together are available, the help page says to select another flight. Check availability before committing. |
| easyJet | The system tries to keep families together. Check-in opens 30 days before departure; the help page recommends checking in early, no later than 7 days before. It promises under-12s close to an adult, with arrangements at the airport or on board if necessary. | Exact seats or the whole family in one block are different preferences. Its October response says crew will seat families together, but the operational help page uses “close to” for the under-12 fallback. Ask the airline if an adjacent seat is essential. |
| British Airways | If you skip paid selection, BA tries to assign family seats a few days before departure and says each under-12 sits next to an adult from the booking. | The party may be split across rows or the aisle. Children aged 12 or above may sit separately. Infant-on-lap bookings can have additional free advance-selection benefits; check the booking conditions. |
| Jet2 | Jet2 says it seats under-12s next to an accompanying adult. Without pre-booked seats, this may only be arranged at the airport or on board. | Paying reserves preferred seats in advance. For assisted travel, use the airline’s assistance process rather than assuming a normal seat purchase meets the requirement. |
Sources: Ryanair family help, easyJet child-travel help, easyJet’s October response, BA seating policy, Jet2 family seating.
Do not rely on old Ryanair advice that an adult always has to buy a reserved family seat. Its 25 June 2026 announcement introduced the free allocation option for bookings from that date. The current help page confirms it. That is an airline policy change already announced in June, separate from the October government proposal. Ask Ryanair about an older booking; do not infer retrospective treatment.
Should you pay now? A decision table
| Your actual need | Practical choice before paying |
|---|---|
| One under-12 next to one adult; any suitable row is acceptable | Check the free allocation route first. On easyJet, note the close-to versus adjacent wording. You may be buying advance certainty rather than access to a family policy. |
| A child aged 12–13 must sit beside you | Ask the airline for its current commitment for that age. If it cannot confirm an arrangement you can accept, compare the cost of reserving the necessary seats or choose another flight. Do not rely on the proposed law. |
| Two adults, children and a teenager must all sit together | Price the seats needed for the whole group. A child/adult pairing does not necessarily put the second adult or teenager alongside them. |
| You need a particular row, window or early confirmation | Compare paid selection with your value for that preference. Free allocation does not promise your chosen location. |
| Separate reservations, mixed airlines, disability or additional support needs | Contact the operating airline before buying. Confirm linked arrangements and assistance; do not assume a generic family policy is sufficient. |
Compare the minimum acceptable trip, not every optional seat
Separate two budgets: the cheapest arrangement that meets your needs, and the arrangement you would prefer. Otherwise a cheap headline fare plus unnecessary seat purchases can look worse than a more expensive fare with a sufficient free allocation.
Illustrative example, not live prices: a family of four sees Flight A at £480 return and Flight B at £520. Selecting four seats at £8 per person on each of two flights adds £64, taking A to £544. But if A’s verified free allocation meets the family’s needs, A remains £480. If the family needs a specific arrangement for a 13-year-old or wants all four together, use the actual seat quote: the £40 headline saving is the maximum extra cost A can absorb before it stops being cheaper, assuming all other required costs are equal.
Repeat the calculation for bags, ground transport and each flight. Never assume one quoted seat fee covers a return trip. Record both the minimum acceptable total and preferred total in the Travel Budget Spreadsheet. If comparing fare bundles, use the Flight Fare Decision Checker with your own current quotes; it compares bundle costs, not family-seating eligibility. Read the relevant Ryanair Basic versus Regular guide before paying for a bundle solely to obtain seats.
A spelling mistake? Check the free correction route immediately
The proposed reform concerns simple errors. Replacing one traveller with another is a different transaction. Do not buy a second ticket or pay a full name-change fee before checking which category your error falls into.
- easyJet: its booking-management help already allows free spelling and title corrections. Other changes can be chargeable.
- Ryanair: the published correction rules allow one free correction of up to three characters per name up to 48 hours before departure. Swapping first and last names is a separate once-per-passenger allowance within 48 hours of booking. These are two different clocks; a full name change can incur a fee.
- British Airways: most spelling corrections can be handled by phone without a correction charge when all flights are BA-operated, though changes in taxes, fees and carrier charges may still be payable. For agent-issued tickets, contact the issuing agent. Updating Advance Passenger Information alone does not correct the e-ticket.
Check the booking confirmation against the travel document now, and ask for confirmation that the ticket itself is corrected. For an imminent departure or an error outside the stated allowance, contact the airline or issuing agent promptly; do not wait for the new legislation.
Before you book
- Enter the children’s correct ages and keep the accompanying adult on the same reservation.
- Decide whether you need one adult beside each child, everyone together, or specific seats.
- Check the operating airline’s current policy and the free-allocation option on both flights.
- Price only the extras necessary to meet that requirement, then compare the complete trip.
- Check names immediately and diarise check-in. Raise unsuitable allocations with staff before departure.
Editorial note: source-backed analysis checked on 15 October 2026. Airline policies can change. The government proposal has no confirmed replacement start date in the announcement reviewed here. We have not tested a paid booking, refund claim or every route. The featured image is an original AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a particular airline or evidence of a seating guarantee.