When is a child a child? Huge variations if holiday prices

[Wynona]

AIBU to expect that a holiday company (say Thomas Cook) should not classify a person age 10 as an adult? I was happily booking next years holiday when I noticed the price had shot up. Not a few pounds, but the cost increased by 20%. I put my specs on, and there it was in the tiny small print, that an adult is considered to be 10 years or more. This strikes me as being really unfair and misleading. Surely at age 10, a child cannot reasonably be considered an adult? A further flick through the brochure and I found some hotels classify an adult as age 7 or over. AIBU?

YANBU but I don't think there is much we can do about it other than vote with our feet. My children are 15 and 11 so I've had to shop around for a few years now.

Let's look at it the other way around.

If they are using a bed that could be sold to another human being, then why should travel companies should charge less for children AT ALL?

The fact that they do, is a bonus designed to attract families.

It's an arbitrary choice.

I just booked next Summer and my teenagers are adult price. I suppose that's fair as a lot of the cost is a plane ticket and they do need a bigger bed than I do at the other end. They eat more too.

Fair point Trills, what I am about is the misleading information when you try to compare holidays. On most sites you enter the age of your child and expect the cost to reflect that. At the point of actually buying the holiday, the cost shoots up. It makes it impossible to compare holidays as the same tour operator is misleading me into thinking the hotel is cheaper than it actually is.

Agree with trills there is no law to say children have to be charged less
It's purely a marketing tool

I'd prefer to pay adult prices for the dcs as you tend to get more space. A family room for 4 tends to be tiny. I'd rather pay more and get 2 rooms or a suite as you get more privacy. I don't like sharing rooms with dcs unless they are very little.

Ok I know it can be more expensive but there are good deals if you're happy to go self catering........which I much prefer anyway.