British Airways jumps on the budget bandwagon

British Airways has announced it is to start charging passengers up to £60 just to reserve a seat, in a move which could add up to £160 to the cost of the average family holiday.

The airline is following the lead of low-cost rival Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) which already charges passengers extra if they want to select their own seat.

British Airways is looking at additional charges to try to claw back some of the £401 million it lost last year, but this latest move is likely to make parents consider other airlines for their annual family holiday.

Parents with young children or those with babies who would previously have been given bulkhead seats with space for travel cots are likely to baulk at paying extra for the privilege.

Seat reservation fees start at £10 for a short-haul economy seat and rise to £60 for a business class Club World seat. Reserving seats next to the emergency exit, which are among the roomiest on the plane, costs £50 a pop.

A family of four flying taking return flights for a family holiday in the States will have to pay an extra £160 to choose seats next to each other; a couple treating themselves to a holiday in the Caribbean, travelling business class, would have to pay an extra £240 for the return flights.

Passengers who opt not to pay the extra fee will still be able to select their own seats but only 24 hours before departure, by which time there will be less choice.

British Airways has already taken a leaf out of Ryanair's book, ditching free food and drink on short-haul flights.

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