Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, is facing a fresh headache after competition regulators opened an investigation into the charges families pay to sit together.
The probe will examine whether the airline’s controversial seating fees unfairly penalise parents and children.
The UK-based Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says Ryanair’s terms and conditions require at least one parent to sit next to their child – including those with disabilities – and charges them, on average, about £8 (€9.25) a flight to do it.
The watchdog is looking into whether the policy is unfair under consumer law, and says the Irish carrier is the only sizeable airline which flies out of the UK to impose such a charge.
In response, Ryanair called the investigation “bogus” and said it would be “disproving these false CMA claims”.
The carrier said it doesn’t charge a fee for children to sit beside their parent or accompanying adult, but parents and guardians must pay a booking fee to be seated next to them.
Under Ryanair’s rules, at least one parent or guardian must sit with children aged between two and 11, meaning families are required to purchase a “mandatory family seat” on both outbound and return journeys.
The reserved seats cost between €4.50 and €13.50 (£4-£12), although the fee is typically around £8 each way. The CMA says the policy applies across most of Ryanair’s UK routes. Unlike families travelling with young children, other passengers are free to skip seat reservations altogether.
An “unfair” charge?
The CMA is investigating whether the practice is in line with consumer law and is looking specifically whether its contract terms are “unfair” – or if they put customers at an unfair disadvantage.
There will be a fairness test employed, which will determine whether the rights and responsibilities in the contract are too much in favour of the business, as opposed to the consumer.
If found to be unfair, these terms aren’t legally binding on customers, and the CMA is entitled to take enforcement action to stop businesses using them.
As part of its investigation, the body will also examine whether the mandatory family seat fee is part of “drip pricing” – when customers are shown one initial price before being hit with inescapable hidden fees later on.
The practice was banned in 2024.
“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,” Hayley Fletcher, the CMA senior director of consumer protection, 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.”
In response, Ryanair claimed its family seating policy “fully complies with all relevant laws and regulations and saves families money when travelling on the UK’s lowest fare airline”.
It added that “like all adults who select a reserved seat, adults travelling with children pay one reserved seat fee, but can select reserved seats beside them for up to four children on the same booking FREE OF CHARGE”.
The airline then hit out at the UK government, saying, “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.”
The CMA says it is early into its investigation and has not reached any conclusions as to whether Ryanair has broken any law. It explained that the inquiry is seeking to protect vulnerable consumers and ease pressures surrounding the cost-of-living.