Ryanair reluctantly drops family seating charge after regulatory pressure

Ryanair has changed its family seating policy to allow passengers travelling with young children to sit together for free, following pressure from both UK and European regulators. 

The airline announced today, June 25, that parents who do not want to pay to sit next to their children will be offered a free seat allocation after checking in for their flight. However, Ryanair specified that the free seating applies to the rear of the aircraft, as the front is usually reserved.

This means that families who would prefer to sit towards the front would still have to pay.

The announcement comes two weeks after the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into Ryanair’s “mandatory family seat” policy, under which one parent was required to pay for a reserved seat in order to sit next to their children.

The CMA’s investigation focused on whether an extra €8 charge per flight was “unfair” under consumer law and whether it was sufficiently transparent during the booking process, noting that families often save for a long time to go on holiday and that such extra costs can quickly add up.

It also pointed out that other airlines generally allow parents to sit with their children at no additional cost.

The rule change by the airline also followed pressure from the EU, with members of the European Parliament reaching a provisional agreement earlier this month on reforms to passenger rights that would require children under 14 to be seated next to an accompanying adult at no additional cost.

The proposed EU rules, which still require formal approval, would also strengthen fare transparency requirements and prevent airlines from charging passengers for correcting minor spelling mistakes on tickets.

Ryanair however insisted its previous policy complied with all legal requirements and argued that families benefited from knowing their seating arrangements at the time of booking.

In a statement, chief executive Michael O’Leary criticised regulators for targeting what he described as “the most progressive and transparent” family seating policy in Europe.

“We will reluctantly adjust to this industry standard,” he said, adding that families choosing free seat allocation may now have to wait until check-in to discover where they will be seated and are more likely to be allocated seats towards the rear of the aircraft.

He also said the change would not have an impact on Ryanair’s revenue.

Despite the change, the CMA investigation remains open.