Ryanair will “reluctantly” allow parents to sit with their children for free from Thursday, changing its family seating policy after a probe by Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Under the previous policy, adults travelling with children aged between 2 and 11 were required to pay a “family seat” surcharge—typically about £8 each way—to reserve seats that ensured the children could sit next to an accompanying adult. The CMA said it was investigating whether the approach might be unfair under consumer law, including whether it effectively forced parents to pay for the airline to meet its child safety and disability obligations.
The updated policy means families with children on a booking will have seats arranged with parents and children sitting together at no extra charge, with seat allocation carried out after check-in. Ryanair said families can still pay to reserve seats of their choice, but if they do not, they will be placed together for free—likely towards the rear of the plane, according to the company.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said the airline would adjust to what he described as an industry standard, while also arguing the prior policy complied with regulations. The CMA said it would test whether the new approach complies with the law, adding that its investigation into whether families were previously paying for “mandatory family seats” remains ongoing.
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