What the UK’s big airlines do best and worst for families ...Middle East

With the May half term fast approaching and summer holidays on the horizon, many families will be thinking about heading abroad for a break.

However, getting overseas can be one of the least appealing parts of a holiday. An airline’s customer service and ancillary costs can make or break a journey, especially when travelling with children. What starts out as a palatable fare can quickly spiral when you start adding on seat reservations or extra luggage.

With the help of Bernard Lavelle, principal aviation consultant at BL Aviation Consulting, we have looked at what major UK airlines do best and worst for families travelling with children.

Here’s everything you need to know.

What it does well

For many, the appeal of a family flight on Ryanair will be low fares, particularly with more than one child. For example, during May half term it has flights between Stansted and Santiago in northern Spain starting from £100 return and south-western France from £120pp.

Flying to many smaller, satellite airports such as Beziers and Carcassonne can also mean a quieter and less busy experience for families.

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) most recent on-time performance report shows that almost two thirds – 65.5 per cent – of Ryanair flights leave on time – (within 15 minutes of the scheduled time) and only 0.3 per cent were cancelled in 2024.

When it comes to travelling with infants, passengers can bring a cabin bag, as well as two items of carry-on baby equipment for free, and all children aged 23 months and under must sit on an adult’s lap.

Ryanair – like all airlines – has good points and others which could be improved (Photo: ewg3D/Getty)

What it could improve on

The airline has made it mandatory for an adult travelling with children under 12 (excluding infants) to reserve a seat to ensure they will be sitting next to their child. A maximum of four children for every one adult on the same booking then receive a reserved seat free of charge.

In its latest airline survey, consumer association Which? named Ryanair as the worst short-haul carrier. The research gave a star ranking out of five for different aspects of the passenger experience. For both customer service and the booking process, Ryanair scored two stars out of five. Ryanair received a customer score of 49 per cent in the research. This score was based on a combination of passengers’ overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the airline.

There is a standard £25 charge for a lap belt for infants and, if a child reaches the age of two before their return flight, the parents must pay the full adult fare for their child for that leg.

The typical baggage allowance for a ‘free’ carry-on bag is just 40x20x25cm – one of the least generous across all airlines.

EasyJet

While EasyJet had 66.1 per cent of flights on-time in 2024, 1.1 per cent were cancelled, according to the CAA.

What it does well

Its baggage policy is relatively generous, with a ‘free’, underseat cabin bag of a maximum of 45x36x20cm allowed.

In Which? research, it scored three stars apiece for the booking process and customer service and received a customer score of 61 per cent.

square AIRLINES

What the five biggest low-cost airlines in the UK do best and worst

EasyJet allows people travelling with children under five to board early and to bring two additional items for under-twos in the hold for free, including a travel cot, pushchair, car seat, pram, booster seat and or baby-back carrier.

What it could improve on

Passengers wishing to sit together are recommended to choose their seats in advance. Seat reservations start from £0.99pp but prices are dynamic and can cost much more if there’s high demand for the flight. Luggage fees are also dynamic for both cabin and hold bags.

There’s a flat £25 charge for infants under two sitting on an adult’s lap, while Ryanair charges everyone older than that the standard adult fare to sit in their own seat.

Although Which?’s survey gave Wizz Air a customer score of 51 per cent and its booking process and customer service both received just two stars, there are upsides to travelling with the airline.

Like Ryanair, the airline offers low fares to a wide range of smaller destinations such as Billund – home of Lego – in Denmark and multiple cities in central and Eastern Europe.

What it does well

CAA data shows that, in 2024, 68.4 per cent of flights left on time, while 0.8 were cancelled.

The airline’s infant and child luggage policy allows passengers to put baby equipment or a car seat for a child over two into the hold, free of charge.

Wizz Air has pros and cons when it comes to family travel (Photo: Jaroslaw Kilian /Getty)

What it could improve on

Infants up to two can travel on their parent’s laps for a fee of €32 (£27).

Children aged two or over must have their own seat, charged at the same price as an adult seat.

Wizz says it endeavours to seat a child next to an adult, but “the entire family might not be seated together”, and recommends purchasing seats ahead of time to ensure this happens.

“To guarantee this”, Lavelle says, “the costs range from €8 (£6.75) – €170.88 (£144.75) per passenger.”

Jet2

Jet2 was named as the best low-cost airline by Which?, with a customer score of 80 per cent. It secured a rare five stars for customer service, and four for the booking process.

What it does well

Two cabin bags – measuring 56cmx45cmx25cm (maximum 10kg) and 40cmx30cmx15cm – are included in the ticket price. The airlines says that if passengers travelling with an infant add hold luggage to a booking, it will automatically increase their allowance by an extra 10kg per infant, free of charge.

CAA data shows 67.4 per cent of Jet2’s flights left on time in 2024, while just 0.2 were cancelled.

Jet2 calls itself a “family-friendly airline” and says it always tries to seat under-12s next to their accompanying adults.

While the airline recommends reserving seats to guarantee a party sits together, Which? research says that “90 per cent of Jet2 passengers who didn’t pay to select seating were seated with their travel companions anyway’.”

What it could improve on

Infants under two can travel on an adult’s lap for a charge of £20. There are standard seat, adult fares for children aged two and above.

On Tui flights, children over two and adults can bring a bag measuring 55x40x20cm onboard, as well as one small personal item of up to 40x30x20cm.

While 0.3 per cent of flights were cancelled in 2024, only 55.4 left on time, according to CAA data.

What it does well

Tui says it will seat a child next to at least one adult, although it does advise booking seats together, which range from £15 to £25 per person, per flight depending on the route.

Lavelle quotes Which? as saying “eighty eight per cent of people who didn’t pay for seat selection were seated together anyway”.

Pushchairs and car seats can be checked into the hold for free, or it’s possible to bring pushchairs weighing up to 10kg onboard, although that counts as the larger piece of hand luggage, which comes with a charge.

What it could improve on

The fare for infants who sit on a parent’s lap varies but tends to be around £35. Otherwise, ticket prices are the same as a standard adult fare.

For infants on laps, there’s no additional carry-on baggage allowance.

British Airways

The British flag carrier received a 57 per cent customer score in the Which? research. CAA data shows that 66.8 per cent of its flights were on time and it had a disappointing 2.4 per cent of last-minute cancellations.

What it does well

BA says it does its “best to seat your family together based on flight seat availability”.

For infants under two on laps, BA’s policy states that “you can choose a seat for yourself and everyone in your booking, free of charge, for up to a party of nine”.

The airline also offers free seat selection for adults and fare-paying children when check in opens, 24 hours before departure.

BA also has one of the most generous “free” carry-on luggage policies, with a bag of up to 56cmx45cmx25cm allowed, and a personal item up to 40cmx30cmx15cm.

What it could improve on

There’s an infant fare for under-twos travelling on a passenger’s lap. This is around 12–13 per cent of the adult ticket price on a long-haul flight, and about 20 per cent on short-haul.

If parents pay for an infant under two to have their own seat, the ticket will be 75 per cent of the adult fare.

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin gained a 73 per cent customer score in the Which? survey. The CAA data shows that 70.5 per cent of its flights left on time, while 1.7 were cancelled in total.

What it does well

Virgin endeavours to seat families together at no extra cost, while infants and children in their own seats can bring the same amount of luggage as adults: one personal item and a bag measuring 23x36x56cm.

Babies on laps are charged 10 per cent of the adult fare, plus any taxes, fees or charges.

A spot check showed that a flight from Heathrow to New York (JFK), out 1 June, back 8 June, for one adult and infant on a lap was £781. The infant element was £21.

What it could improve on

Infants and children up to eleven in their own seats are charged a full child fare, which costs between 50 and 80 per cent of the adult fare, depending on the route.

The fare also applies to children who turn two during, or before, the inbound flight.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( What the UK’s big airlines do best and worst for families )

Also on site :

• Donald Trump helped ancient Russians defeat space lizards. Western elites don’t want you to know
• Shocking Photos of Cher's Son, 48, Spark Concern
• First address: Pope Leo XIV calls for global peace