Ryanair has changed its family seating policy to allow parents to sit next to their young children without paying a seat reservation fee, after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation into whether the practice was unfair under consumer law.
Adults travelling with children who do not wish to pay for a reserved seat will now be told of their free seat allocation after check-in, a move the airline said brought it in line with most other European airlines. The “minor policy tweak” came into effect on Thursday, and Ryanair said it does not expect the change to have an effect on its revenue.
“Ryanair drops fees for parents to sit with children after CMA investigation into unfair practice.”
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said the airline would “reluctantly adjust to this industry standard”, but insisted its long-standing policy had fully complied with laws and given families “certainty” about where they would be sitting at the time of booking.
Under the old policy, adults travelling with children paid one reserved seat fee and could select seats beside them for up to four children for free – typically costing £8 each way, according to the CMA. The regulator said it launched its investigation earlier this month to determine whether Ryanair’s “approach to seat reservations may mean parents are being charged for the airline to meet its child safety and disability‑related obligations as set out under aviation rules”. Other airlines, the CMA noted, offered to seat children next to a parent or guardian without a fee, or allocated seats together automatically during booking for free.
O’Leary hit out at the CMA, claiming its family seating policy had been “universally embraced by consumers as the most progressive and transparent in Europe”. He said: “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.”
The CMA said it would test whether the new seating policy complies with the law, and 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…’
The new free parent seats will be available at the back of the aircraft, as front rows tend to be reserved. Ryanair said the change means families can now sit together without an extra charge, a step that brings it in line with industry norms but leaves the CMA’s investigation unresolved.