Can airlines split children from their parents? And how to sit together

There is no UK law that says children have to be seated with their parents on a plane. 

Airlines can legally separate even the under-fives from their mum and dad, although this would be against Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) guidelines.

The CAA says: ‘Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults. This is because the speed of an emergency evacuation may be affected by adults trying to reach their children.’

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Is splitting up families safe? 

In 2019 we spoke to Dai Whittingham, Chief Executive of the UK Flight Safety Committee who told us that separating passengers is at best unwise, and at worst fatal.

‘It’s human nature,’ he says. ‘In an emergency situation anyone will try to get to their loved ones, even if it involves clambering over others, impeding the evacuation and putting lives at risk.’

Dai Whittingham argues that any airline that intentionally splits travelling companions up is ‘putting its profits ahead of passenger safety’.

Since then more airlines have confirmed that they will make sure children are kept near their parents - although there’s no guarantee that you’ll be on the same row.

Which airlines sit families together?

Most airlines will seat people who book together for free, whether they’re families or not. Paying for a seat is usually unnecessary - except with a couple of carriers, as we’ll see below.

We’ve looked at the policies of some of the major airlines to see how likely they are to seat children with parents - and whether you’ll need to pay extra.

Also, be warned that some airlines will charge hundreds of pounds more for a baby than others.

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Will British Airways seat families with children together for free?

Yes - it guarantees that children will be sat with at least one adult family member. 

British Airways says it aims to seat families together but, where this is not possible, ‘children will at least be seated with one adult in the same booking.’ If you’re travelling with a child that’s under two you can choose your seats for free.

All children under 14 years must travel accompanied by an adult aged 16 years or over. Anyone under the age of 14 won't be allowed to fly unaccompanied. Children between 14 and 16 flying on their own will need a parental consent form to travel.

In our most recent airline survey 94% of BA passengers who didn’t pay to select seating were seated with their travel companions anyway. 

How much does British Airways charge for babies?

Its website says that it’s a ‘percentage of the adult fare’ but doesn’t specify how much. On two long-haul bookings we checked it was around 12-13% of the adult cost and for a short-haul flight around 20%.

For London to Florida, when we looked, a baby would cost £239 - a significant sum when some airlines will let you take infants on your lap for free. 

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Will easyJet seat families with children together for free?

Probably. It says: ‘We’ll make sure each child under 12 is seated close to an adult on your booking. However we may only be able to arrange this at the airport or on board, which can cause delays for you and other passengers, and not everyone may be seated together.’

EasyJet says: ‘Whilst our seating system will always try to seat families together, seats are allocated on a first come first served basis, so the earlier you check in the more likely you are to be seated together.’

Children between the ages of two and 15 cannot travel without somebody over 16 accompanying them (but they don’t necessarily need to be seated close together). 

In our most recent survey 89% of easyJet passengers who didn’t pay to select seating were seated with their travel companions anyway.

How much does easyJet charge for babies?

Infants under two travel on their parent’s lap for £25 each way. Babies can travel with EasyJet from 14 days old. 

Will Jet2 seat families with children together for free?

Yes. Jet2 says ‘we will always endeavour to seat children and infants under the age of 12 next to their accompanying adults. If this is not possible for any reason, we will ensure children are seated as close as possible, and no more than one row away.’

Jet2 allows children aged 14 or over to travel alone. Younger children will need somebody 16-plus with them.

In our most recent airline survey 89% of Jet2 passengers who didn’t pay to select seating were seated with their travel companions anyway. 

How much does Jet2 charge for babies?

Infants under two can travel on their parent’s lap for £20. The minimum age is 14-days-old.

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Will Ryanair seat families with children together for free?

No. It won’t split parents up from their children - but at least one adult will need to pay to reserve a seat..

Adult family members are quite likely to be split up.  In our survey only 62% of people who didn’t pay to select a seat were seated together - the rest were split up.

Only Wizz Air was more likely to split travel companions up. Almost half (46%) of Wizz Air passengers who didn’t pay for seat selection ended up being seated away from their families or other travel companions. However, Wizz Air says that it will seat children with an adult without them having to pay.

Ryanair says: ‘For safety reasons, children under the age of 12 must sit beside an accompanying adult, and infants (aged 8 days to 23 months inclusive) must sit on an accompanying adult’s lap. It is mandatory for an adult travelling with children under 12 (excl. infants) to reserve a seat.’

Up to four children can sit with each adult for free - but the adult has to pay to reserve a seat. 

How much does Ryanair charge for babies?

Infants under two travel on their parent’s lap for £25 each way. Babies can travel with Ryanair from 8 days old.

Will Tui seat families with children together for free?

Probably. It says: ‘We’ll attempt to accommodate your party together wherever possible, although this can’t be guaranteed. Seats together means seats that are alongside each other, immediately in front and behind each other. Parties may be separated by an aisle.’

With Tui, 89% of people who didn’t pay for seat selection were seated together anyway. 

How much does Tui charge for babies?

Its website says: ‘Charges for infants vary depending on the route and length of the flight, and will be detailed in the booking process.’ 

We looked at three bookings, one short-haul (London to Malaga), one London to Florida and one long-haul Manchester to Thailand) and a one-year-old was free in all cases. 

Tui confirmed to us that there isn’t currently any charge for babies (under-two) sitting on a parent’s lap.

Babies have to be at least 14-days-old to travel.

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