Ryanair investigated by UK watchdog over charging parents to sit with their children on flights

THE UK CONSUMER watchdog has said that they are investigating Ryanair over its practice of charging parents to sit with their children – including those with disabilities – and whether this could be unfair under UK consumer protection law.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK has launched an investigation into Ryanair over charges that parents must pay to sit with their children on flights.

Ryanair’s terms and conditions require at least one parent to sit with their children between the ages of two and 11 when they fly.

This is done through what Ryanair calls a “mandatory family seat”, which the parent must pay for to secure a seat next to them for their child. For all other passengers, reserving a seat is optional.

This fee applies to both outbound and return flights and typically costs around £8, or around €9.25 each way. The CMA believe this evidence suggests this approach to seating is used across the majority of Ryanair’s UK routes.

The CMA is investigating whether Ryanair’s approach to seat reservations may mean parents are being charged for the airline to meet its child safety and disability‑related obligations as set out under aviation rules – and will investigate to determine whether this practice is in line with consumer law.

Specifically, its investigation relates to whether Ryanair’s contract term is “unfair” under UK consumer law.

The watchdog says that contract terms are unjust if they put customers at “an unfair disadvantage.”

They say that “the law applies a fairness test that asks whether the wording tilts the balance of rights and responsibilities in the contract too much in favour of the business. Unfair terms are not legally binding on customers, and the CMA can take enforcement action to stop businesses using them.”

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The CMA says that it is their understanding that Ryanair is the only major airline flying out of the UK to impose this charge. Other airlines offer to seat children with a parent or guardian without the need for a paid-for adult seat reservation, or allocate seats together automatically during booking for free.

Ryanair’s website refers to “Free reserved seats for kids under 12”, but the parents and guardians must pay a booking fee to access these seats.

As part of the investigation, the CMA will also examine whether the mandatory family seat fee is “dripped” during the booking process and whether consumers are presented with the total price that they will pay.

Under UK consumer law, businesses must show a total price that includes all unavoidable charges, rather than adding – or “dripping” – extra charges separately or later in the process. This ensures consumers can effectively compare prices and understand the true cost of what they are buying.

The CMA is at the beginning of its investigation, and it has reached no conclusions about whether Ryanair has broken the law.

Hayley Fletcher, Senior Director of Consumer Protection, said, “Lots of families save up to afford a summer holiday, and we know that extra charges can quickly bump up the price.

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 said in a statement: “Ryanair’s 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 said it “does not charge any fee for children to sit beside their parent”, and “parents travelling with children pay for only one (adult) reserved seat”.

It added: “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.

“Ryanair looks forward to disproving these false CMA claims.”

Additional reporting by PA Media

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