UK Government Bars Fees for Children Under 14 and Unnecessary Booking Admin Costs

Based on · First reported 2 Oct 2026

The UK government announced that airlines must seat children under 14 with a parent or accompanying adult at no charge and will no longer levy fees for what it calls ‘unnecessary admin costs’ linked to minor booking errors or changes. The policy also includes a plan to develop a new system for sharing data on persistently disruptive passengers, following more than 1,000 serious incidents reported by airlines in 2025. London Southend airport moved from third to first place among UK airports, while London Heathrow saw a 2.1% year‑on‑year decline to 7.8 million passengers in August.
The measures aim to reduce extra charges for families and streamline handling of disruptive passenger behavior, potentially improving the passenger experience and operational efficiency for carriers such as easyJet and British Airways. The government is working with airlines and trade unions to implement the information‑sharing system, which could help mitigate future disruptive incidents.

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