DUBLIN- Ryanair (FR) will allow families traveling with young children to sit together free of charge after the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) challenged the airline’s long-standing policy of charging parents to reserve adjacent seats.
The decision marks a significant policy reversal for Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, even as the airline insists its previous rules complied with consumer protection laws.
The change affects passengers flying on Ryanair (FR) services to and from the United Kingdom, where the CMA launched an investigation earlier this month.
Under the revised policy, families who do not pay for seat selection will still be seated together, although those seats will generally be assigned toward the rear of the aircraft after check-in.
Family Seating Rules Aboard Ryanair
The CMA opened its investigation on June 11 after raising concerns that Ryanair’s mandatory family seating fee could amount to an unfair contract term under UK consumer law.
The regulator argued that while parents or guardians are required to sit next to children aged between two and 11, they were also required to pay an average of £8 for that privilege.
Unlike other passengers, who can choose whether to purchase seat assignments, parents had no practical alternative because airline rules require young children to be seated with a responsible adult.
The CMA also noted that Ryanair appeared to be the only major airline serving the UK market that charged an additional fee for mandatory family seating.
Ryanair has now confirmed that families declining paid seat reservations will automatically receive adjacent seats at no extra cost.
However, these complimentary seats will generally be located in the rear section of the aircraft, while passengers wanting preferred or forward seats must still pay the standard reservation fee.
Ryanair Defends Policy
Despite changing its policy, Ryanair strongly criticized the regulator’s intervention. Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said the airline was making the change reluctantly and maintained that its original system was transparent and consumer-friendly.
According to the airline, the previous policy allowed one adult to pay for a reserved seat while up to four children could be seated alongside without additional seat reservation charges.
Under the revised approach, families seeking specific seats during booking will now have to purchase seat reservations for every member of the traveling party, regardless of age.
O’Leary argued that regulators were forcing Ryanair to adopt what he described as a less transparent industry standard instead of encouraging competition and lower fares.
He also said the airline preferred changing the policy rather than spending months defending it during the CMA investigation, PYOK flagged.
Regulatory Pressure on Ryanair
The move represents another instance of Ryanair softening a customer policy after regulatory scrutiny. Although the CMA’s investigation remains open, the airline introduced the changes before any formal ruling was issued.
A similar situation unfolded last year when Ryanair scaled back plans to eliminate paper boarding passes after concerns were raised by Portugal’s civil aviation authority over potential discrimination issues.
The carrier eventually confirmed that passengers checking in online would still be able to obtain printed boarding passes at airports free of charge.
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