Ryanair has axed its family seating policy – but kids’ fees still add up | Family holidays

R.Yanir recently stopped paying parents to sit next to their children, but depending on the airline, the hidden extra costs of flying with children can be significant. In some cases, you may even spend more for the baby in your arms than you would for your own flight.

Your baby may not need the seat, but you’re still likely to pay for him/her to travel. Some airlines offer discounts for children over two, while others overwhelm families with the cost of a full-grown adult.

In one example found by Guardian Money, there were nine separate charges for taking a baby on board; Fees added on top of adult fares also applied to those too young to need their own seat.

“Trying to calculate the final cost has become incredibly complex and frustrating,” says Rory Boland, editor of Where. Trip. “Amounts don’t become clear until you’re a little further into the booking journey.”

under two years old

In some cases, headline prices for tickets are less than what it would cost to take a baby with you. For example, Wizz Air sells one-way tickets to adults for as little as £14.99, but children under two traveling on their parents’ lap are subject to a higher flat fee.

The airline charges €32 (£28) on each flight for a baby to sit on an adult’s lap, regardless of the price of an adult ticket.

Some airlines may reserve separate seats for infants, but this requires infants to be strapped into car seats that do not exceed the width of the passenger seat.

“The idea of ​​lap babies being charged more than a full adult because of a flat rate they charge is simply unfair,” says Boland. “There is absolutely no logical argument as to why a very young child or baby would be charged more than an adult. It simply does not make sense. Some airlines are likely to make a handy profit on what they charge for lap-born babies.”

Wizz Air says: “We disagree with this claim… The small fee we charge for babies sitting on their parents’ laps is similar to what many other airlines charge and reflects standard practice in the industry.”

Basic fares for a lap baby apply differently on each airline. For example, Wizz, easyJet and Ryanair charge a flat fee regardless of destination, while British Airways and Virgin Atlantic charge around 10% of the adult ticket price.

Besides seat charges, there are many other fees that are often imposed on child passengers, regardless of their age.

older children

People over the age of two must have their own seat, and the cost of their fare varies greatly depending on the airline.

On Wizz, Ryanair and easyJet, tickets for two-year-olds cost the same as adults; On British Airways, fares are discounted until the child is 12 years old. Again, there are other fees besides the basic wage.

Lisa Francesca Nand, who hosts the Big Travel Podcast, paid £136.50 to sit next to her sons, aged 11 and 13, on their return trip to Malaga on Wizz Air this summer; That’s more than a third of actual tickets.

For adults, Wizz Air guarantees at least one seat free of charge next to a child under 14 years old on the same reservation. But regarding the second child seat, he says “it’s never clear how that’s going to work.” When paying online, “They almost make it a point that you can’t sit together… I personally don’t want to take the risk.”

Wizz Air says: “When passengers are traveling with children up to the age of 14, our booking system automatically assigns seats for the child and one adult passenger together. We cannot guarantee that the whole family will be seated together if they do not book seats together – this is clearly stated on the Wizz Air website.”

Ryanair has reluctantly changed its policy of charging parents who want to make sure they can sit next to their children after the Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation.

Before the change, parents traveling with children ages 2 to 11 had to pay to reserve what it called a “mandatory family seat.”

Fees, fees, fees

When you take a look at what’s included in the headline cost of a flight, you’ll see a range of fees on top of the basic airfare.

British Airways’ return flight from London to New York on July 17, There is an extra charge of 11 for an adult ticket, an extra charge of nine for a baby ticket and 10 for a child (aged 2-11).

These charges make up more than £500 of the £858.59 adult price, while a £30 baby fee would be £162.19.

British Airways says: “All fares are clearly stated at booking; prices for children and young adults are lower than the full adult fare.”

Some fees are charged by the countries you enter and exit from. Some countries charge air passenger tax (a government-imposed tax) on all passengers, depending on distance flown and class of travel. This does not apply to children’s economy fights from the UK but may affect your return journey.

The fee list may also include passenger service charges, which UK airports charge airlines per landing and the number of passengers passing through. Airlines pay these fees and then choose how best to get them back.

Other fees may include what may be called a “carrier-imposed fee,” which is the airline’s surcharge. There are also different immigration and entry fees depending on the destination and stops, which can increase costs. These may also be called things like a “security tax.”

The wide range of fees means accommodation will make a difference in how much you pay. Total cost of flying a baby on an Air New Zealand flight from London to Auckland via Los Angeles income 15% of adult ticket; The return rate via Vancouver with the same airline is 9.6%.