Michael O'Leary speaks at a press conference on Ryanair family seating policy change
Ryanair has announced it will “reluctantly” end its practice of charging parents mandatory fees to sit with their children. This decision comes after an investigation was launched into the policy by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the United Kingdom.
Previously, Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers imposed a fee, around $10.70 each way per adult, to ensure up to four children aged 2 to 11 could be seated next to an accompanying adult. Moving forward, families who opt not to pay for reserved seating will be assigned random seats together for free after check-in, likely towards the rear of the aircraft.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary expressed his dissatisfaction with the regulatory intervention, stating, “We will reluctantly adjust to this industry standard as we don’t want to waste time explaining to misguided regulators how badly they misunderstand what is in the best interest of UK and Europe’s consumers.”
The Ireland-based budget carrier’s shift in policy was prompted by the CMA’s inquiry into whether the original fee structure violated consumer protection laws. A CMA spokesperson confirmed that the agency will continue to assess whether the new policy adheres to the law, noting that while the change is a “win for families,” the investigation remains active.
“It doesn’t change the fact that families have been paying for ‘mandatory family seats,'” the spokesperson added.
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