Ryanair will no longer charge parents to sit next to their young children, a policy it described as a “reluctant” adjustment to industry standards after the competition watchdog opened an investigation into the practice.
The airline had typically levied a fee of £8 each way for adults travelling with children who wanted to guarantee seats together. Under the previous system, paying one reserved seat fee secured adjacent spots for up to four children. But the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said earlier this month it was examining whether the policy forced parents to pay for the airline to meet its child safety obligations under aviation rules.
“Ryanair ends £8 fee for parents to sit with children after CMA investigation into unfair consumer practice.”
Now, passengers with children who do not wish to pay for a reserved seat will be told of their free seat allocation after check-in. Ryanair said the “free parent seats” will be available at the back of the aircraft, as front rows tend to be reserved. The change took effect on Thursday; the airline does not expect it to affect revenue.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said the airline would “reluctantly adjust to this industry standard”, but insisted its long-standing policy fully complied with the law and had given families “certainty”. He criticised the CMA for targeting a policy he said had been “universally embraced by consumers as the most progressive and transparent in Europe”.
“Instead of promoting competitiveness and lower fares for consumers, the CMA is on a mission to force Ryanair to adopt the less transparent and less consumer-friendly family seating policy applied by most other airlines – just because it’s the industry standard,” O’Leary said.
The CMA said it would test whether the new policy complies with the law, adding that its investigation continues. A CMA spokesperson said: “Ryanair claims its seating policy now complies with the law, and we’ll test that thoroughly. If true, it’s a win for families – who will no longer have to pay to sit with their children – and it shows the impact our new powers are having. But it doesn’t change the fact families have been paying for ‘mandatory family…”
Other European airlines typically seat children next to a parent or guardian without a fee, or allocate seats together automatically during booking for free, the CMA noted. Ryanair maintained that its previous approach gave families certainty at the time of booking, which they had valued.