Ryanair is being investigated by the UK's competition watchdog over charges it imposes on parents to sit next to their child on flights. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was looking into whether the airline's policy, which typically leads to a fee of £8 each way, was 'unfair' under consumer law.
The investigation centres on Ryanair's terms and conditions, which state a parent must sit with their child if aged between two and 11. This is done through what the airline calls a 'mandatory family seat' that the parent must pay a fee for. The CMA said it understood that Ryanair was the only major airline flying from the UK to impose such a charge. Other airlines, the watchdog noted, offer to seat children next to a parent or guardian without a fee, or allocate seats together automatically during booking for free.
“CMA investigates Ryanair over £8 fee for parents to sit beside children.”
The CMA's director of consumer protection, Hayley Fletcher, said extra charges can quickly bump up the price for families saving up 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 regulator will 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.
Ryanair, however, called the investigation 'bogus' and insisted 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 statement, Ryanair said: '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. Ryanair looks forward to disproving these false CMA claims during this bogus investigation.'
The CMA added that its investigation had just started, and it had 'reached no conclusions about whether Ryanair has broken the law'. The watchdog said it would also investigate whether the airline's approach to seat reservations mean parents are being charged for the airline to meet its child safety and disability-related obligations as set out under aviation rules.