Michael O’Leary did not hide his displeasure. The Ryanair chief executive said his airline would “reluctantly adjust to this industry standard” after Britain’s competition watchdog forced Europe’s largest carrier to end charges for parents sitting with their young children.
The change, which came into effect on Thursday, means adults travelling with children will be offered “free of charge” seats next to them after check-in – but at the rear of the aircraft. All children on the booking will be allocated seats alongside them for no fee. Ryanair described it as a “minor policy tweak”, two weeks after it branded the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation “bogus”.
“Ryanair ends fees for parents to sit with children after CMA investigation, but seats are at the rear.”
Until now, parents of children aged between two and 11 had to pay a seat reservation fee – typically £8 each way, the CMA said – to guarantee sitting together. Up to four children could sit alongside without charge. The CMA opened an investigation earlier this month to determine whether the policy was “in line with consumer law”, noting that Ryanair appeared to be the only large airline flying out of the UK to impose such a charge.
“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 fumed. He insisted the old policy was “universally embraced by consumers as the most progressive and transparent in Europe” and had given families “certainty” of where they would sit at time of booking.
Families opting for the free seats are “likely to be seated towards the rear of the aircraft cabin, as front rows tend to be reserved and sell out first,” the airline said. Those who want front-row seats can still pay a reservation fee to select seats at booking.
A CMA spokesperson welcomed the shift, saying: “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 the spokesperson added that “it doesn’t change the fact families have been pa…” – the sentence trailed off in the Guardian report.
Ryanair does not expect the change to affect its revenue. O’Leary accused the watchdog of “turning a blind eye” to the “high fares” charged by airlines on routes with no competition from the Dublin-based carrier. The CMA said its investigation continues and it will test whether the new policy complies with consumer law.