Holiday firm and airline TUI has outlined a crucial rule surrounding seat bookings, as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation into competitor Ryanair over allegations it charges parents to sit alongside their children on flights.
Parent's Query Sparks TUI Response
One TUI customer turned to X to question how it was possible that his wife was being charged £25 to reserve a particular seat, and that their son might end up seated separately from her. The person said: "@TUIUK tried to charge my wife 25 pound and said it may be the case that my five year old is sat on his own."
TUI replied: "If your wife needs any assistance with her booking, please ask her to send us a direct message with the booking details so we can take a look for her." The individual then stated: "Don't need assistance as it is booked, just frustrating she felt pressured to pay that when it isn't the case that a five year old will be sat on his own."
TUI's Seating Policy Clarified
The TUI operative clarified that they cannot guarantee the child will be seated directly beside the parent, explaining: "Please be reassured that children under 12 will always be seated with at least one adult from your booking, this may be directly next to them, across the aisle, or directly in front / behind, depending on the aircraft configuration and availability at check-in. Katy."
The father responded: "So you would leave a 3 year old sat behind their parent?" Following the previous query, TUI clarified: "Hi there, its lovely to hear from you. As katy explained a child can be seated row directly in front, behind, or across the aisle if under 12 years old and hasn't purchased select your seats but the team on the flight will be on flight to assist fully. Laura."
TUI's Terms and Conditions
According to TUI's terms and conditions: "If you're flying with TUI Airways and there's a child under the age of 12 on your booking, we'll make sure they're seated with at least one adult in your party. If you'd like to make sure everyone sits together, we recommend reserving seats when you book, or adding them later in Manage My Booking."
"If you don't use our Select Your Seat service, your seats will be automatically allocated when you check in online." Booking a TUI seat costs anywhere from £12 to over £90 per passenger, each way, depending on the destination, flight duration, and seat category. Standard seats are priced between £12 and £45, while upgrades such as Extra Legroom or Premium Seating carry higher charges.
CMA Investigation into Ryanair
Ryanair is facing scrutiny over its practice of charging parents to sit alongside their children on flights. The competition watchdog, the CMA, confirmed it will assess whether the approach is "in line with consumer law." Ryanair mandates that parents flying with children aged between two and 11 must pay to reserve what it calls a mandatory family seat. Their children are subsequently assigned seats next to or close to them at no additional cost. The charge for a mandatory family seat typically stands at around £8 each way, according to the CMA.
The CMA confirmed it is examining whether Ryanair's policy means "parents are being charged for the airline to meet its child safety and disability-related obligations as set out under aviation rules." Ryanair is "the only major airline flying out of the UK to impose this charge," the watchdog stated. Other airlines allow children to be seated next to a parent without requiring a paid adult reservation, or automatically assign seats together during the booking process, the CMA noted.
The probe will also look at whether Ryanair's compulsory family seat charge is dripped during the booking process — when a company fails to show customers all unavoidable costs upfront. The CMA stressed it is at the early stages of its investigation and has "reached no conclusions about whether Ryanair has broken the law."
Statements from CMA and Which?
Hayley Fletcher, senior director of consumer protection at the CMA, said: "Lots of families save up to afford a summer holiday and we know that extra charges can quickly bump up the price. 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. For the past year, we've told businesses to ensure their customers are shown the total price upfront – those who don't face the very real possibility of action from the CMA."
Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said: "Ryanair doesn't have to wait for the outcome of the CMA's investigation. It could stop charging these unreasonable fees today and we would encourage them to do that."
Ryanair's Response
Ryanair issued a statement saying: "Ryanair's family seating policy fully complies with all relevant laws and regulations, and saves families money when travelling on the UK's lowest fare airline." The airline insisted it "does not charge any fee for children to sit beside their parent," and "parents travelling with children pay for only one (adult) reserved seat."
It went on to say: "This bogus CMA investigation is a failed effort by the Starmer Government 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."
The CMA is an independent non-ministerial Government department, funded by the Treasury.
