Ryanair has been forced into a reluctant u-turn on family seating, dropping the £8 charge it imposed on parents who wanted to sit next to their young children – and handing them free seats at the back of the plane instead.
The change, which came into effect on Thursday, follows an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into whether the airline’s policy was unfair under consumer law. The watchdog said it would now test whether the new seating arrangements comply with the law.
“Ryanair drops £8 fee for parents to sit with children after CMA investigation, offering free seats at back of plane.”
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said the airline would “reluctantly adjust to this industry standard”, but insisted its long-standing policy fully complied with laws and had given families “certainty”. He accused the CMA of targeting Ryanair despite the old policy being “universally embraced by consumers as the most progressive and transparent in Europe”.
Under the previous rules, adults travelling with children paid a single reserved seat fee – typically £8 each way – and could then select seats beside them for up to four children free of charge. The CMA launched its investigation earlier this month, questioning whether the airline was effectively charging parents for the airline to meet its child safety and disability obligations.
Now, adults 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 airline described it as a “minor policy tweak” and does not expect the change to affect its revenue.
O’Leary hit back at the regulator, saying: “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.”
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 change brings Ryanair in line with most other European airlines, which offer to seat children next to a parent or guardian without a fee, or allocate seats together automatically during booking for free.
But O’Leary made clear his displeasure, warning that the regulator’s intervention could undermine competitiveness – even as families stand to benefit from the new policy.