UK watchdog probes Ryanair’s mandatory family seating fees
The regulator is investigating if the carrier’s practice of charging for mandatory family seats constitutes an unfair pricing strategy, while the airline dismisses the inquiry as bogus.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into Ryanair’s policy of charging parents mandatory fees to sit with children aged two to 11. The regulator is examining whether these charges, which typically cost around £8 per flight, constitute an unfair practice under consumer law. Specifically, the CMA is assessing if the airline is failing to display the total ticket price upfront, instead “dripping” additional costs into the booking process.
Under Ryanair’s terms and conditions, at least one parent or guardian is required to sit with children in this age bracket when flying. While seat reservations are optional for other passengers, the airline imposes a fee to guarantee a seat beside the child. The CMA notes that while the carrier’s website offers free reserved seating for children under 12, parents and guardians are charged a booking fee to access these seats.
The investigation will consider whether the mandatory family seat fee violates requirements for transparent pricing. The CMA believes Ryanair is the only major airline flying out of the UK to impose such charges. The regulator is also looking into whether the airline is using these fees to meet child safety and disability-related obligations, which may be classified as unfair under consumer law.
Hayley Fletcher, the CMA’s senior director of consumer protection, highlighted the regulator’s stance on pricing transparency. “Lots of families save up to afford a summer holiday and we know that extra charges can quickly bump up the price,” Fletcher said. “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.”
Ryanair has rejected the regulator’s concerns, stating that its family seating policy fully complies with all relevant laws. In a statement to BBC News, the airline described the probe as bogus and said it looks forward to disproving what it termed false CMA claims. The carrier no longer imposes these fees on flights to and from Italy after losing an appeal in 2024 against a ban introduced by Italy’s Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC).
The CMA probe will examine how the cost of family seat reservations is presented to consumers to determine compliance with consumer law. The investigation is ongoing, and it has not yet been determined whether Ryanair’s practices violate regulations. The specific legal interpretation of whether the fees are unfair due to their relation to safety obligations remains under review.
