Do you have to pay to sit with your children on a flight?
The answer is yes, and no, and it depends which airline you fly with.
There's no legal right to sit next to your family on a flight - not even your children - so not paying does carry a risk. The big airlines all have their own policies, but they all largely follow the Civil Aviation Authority guidelines that they should aim to seat children close to their parents or guardians.
Its guidance - which aren't the same as a law - say young children and infants accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row, or an adjacent row if this isn't possible, so you could be in front of or behind, or across an aisle from your kids.
Hi there! We'll always do our best to ensure families are seated together, wherever possible. We'll try and seat families with children under 12 years old together, free of charge, when check in opens before departure. ^ Fran — virginatlantic (@VirginAtlantic) June 19, 2025
A 2023 study by Which? Travel found that most major airlines were likely to sit you with the people you booked with automatically even if you don't pay for seat selection
It also depends on the airline, with budget firms Ryanair and Wizz Air the most likely to split you up, the research found.
British Airways and Tui both guarantee that children under 12 will be sat with at least one adult from their booking, even if they don't pay or check in early.
Jet 2 says it will "always endeavour to seat children and infants under the age of 12 next to their accompanying adults".
EasyJet says its system will always try and seat families together, but if this isn't possible, it will make sure children under 12 are seated "close" to an adult on the booking - not necessarily a parent or guardian though.
Wizz Air says an adult and child aged up to 14 will automatically be assigned seats next to each other during the check in process.
Ryanair, however, has different rules.
If you're travelling with a child on a Ryanair flight, it's compulsory for at least one adult to pay for a seat reservation.
@Ryanair trying to book a flight with a child and you keep trying to charge me 100 quid to pre select my seats because the family zone only has a few random ones left...what happens if I put my 2 year old sitting on his own?? I'm tempted... — EricaP (@EricaPerris) May 19, 2025
Seats can then be reserved for up to four children per adult. Other adults in the booking can take a free seat - but they'll likely be split from the rest of their family.
Recommended reading:
Some airlines offer free seat selection, but it tends to be for the pricier options, rather than budget airlines. These include:
Qatar Airways (except for Economy Classic customers)
Virgin Atlantic lets passengers select a seat for free as soon as check-in opens
British Airways offers a free seat selection when checking in a hold bag
Singapore Airlines says economy passengers can select a seat in advance for free "depending on the fare type you choose"
It's also worth noting that the likelihood of being seated with other members of your party increases on most airlines if you get checked in early.
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