The Competition and Markets Authority has opened an investigation into Ryanair over charges it imposes on parents who want to sit next to their children on flights — a policy the watchdog says typically adds £8 each way to a family’s booking.
At the heart of the probe is Ryanair’s “mandatory family seat” rule. The airline’s terms and conditions state that any child aged between two and 11 must be seated next to a parent — but that seat comes with a fee. The CMA said it was examining whether the practice is “unfair” under consumer law and whether the cost is “dripped” into the booking process so that customers do not see the full price upfront.
“UK competition watchdog investigates Ryanair over £8 fee for parents to sit next to their children on flights.”
Hayley Fletcher, the CMA’s director of consumer protection, said extra charges can quickly bump up the price for families saving for an affordable summer holiday. “Our investigation will consider Ryanair’s approach to family seat reservations and how the cost is presented to consumers to determine whether they comply with consumer law,” she said.
The watchdog stressed it had “reached no conclusions about whether Ryanair has broken the law” and said the investigation was at an early stage. However, it noted that Ryanair appears to be the only major airline flying from the UK to impose such a charge. Other airlines either offer to seat children next to a parent or guardian without a fee, or automatically allocate seats together for free during booking.
Ryanair hit back, calling the investigation “bogus” and insisting its family seating policy “fully complies with all relevant laws”. The airline said adults travelling with children pay one reserved seat fee “but can select reserved seats beside them for up to four children on the same booking FREE OF CHARGE”. It added: “This means that parents travelling with children pay for only one (adult) reserved seat but pay nothing for the four other reserved seats for their children travelling with them.”
In a strongly worded statement, Ryanair accused the Labour government of using the probe as a distraction. “This bogus CMA investigation is a failed effort by the Starmer Govt to pretend it cares about consumers when it has failed to abolish APD [Air Passenger Duty] which would immediately deliver lower fares for all consumers and growth for the UK aviation, tourism and wider economy,” the airline said. “Ryanair looks forward to disproving these false CMA claims during this bogus investigation.”
The CMA said it would also examine whether the mandatory family seat fee is “dripped” during the booking process and whether consumers are presented with the total price they will pay. The investigation continues.