Ryanair Scraps £8 Family Seat Fee After CMA Probe
Ryanair has eliminated the £8 charge for parents to sit with their children on all flights, effective from Thursday, June 25. The change, described by the airline as a "minor tweak," comes after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation last month into the airline's practice of charging parents for mandatory family seats.
Previously, Ryanair required parents travelling with children aged two to 11 to pay approximately £8 each way to reserve a mandatory family seat. Children were then allocated seats next to or near their parents free of charge. The CMA investigated whether this policy complied with consumer law.
New Policy Details
Under the updated policy, announced on June 25, "free parent seats" will be available in the rear of Ryanair aircraft for future bookings. All children on the booking will be allocated seats alongside their parents at no additional cost. Parents who prefer to choose specific seats, such as front rows, can still pay a reservation fee to secure them.
Ryanair stated: "For bookings from today (25 June), adults travelling with children, who do not wish to select or pay for a reserved seat, will be advised of their (free of charge) seat allocation after they have checked in for their flight, as is the case with most other airlines in Europe." The airline noted that families opting for random seat allocation are likely to be seated towards the rear of the cabin, as front rows tend to sell out first.
CMA Response
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 seats'. Our investigation remains ongoing."
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary criticised the CMA, accusing it of "turning a blind eye" to high fares on routes with no competition. 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."
Revenue-Neutral Adjustment
Ryanair described the policy change as "revenue-neutral" and claimed families will continue saving "€billions every year" by choosing the airline. The carrier said it is "reluctantly" adjusting to the industry standard to avoid wasting time explaining to regulators how they misunderstand consumer interests.
