The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened a formal look at Ryanair’s policy that requires a parent to sit with a child aged between two and 11, a policy the airline brands as a “mandatory family seat.” The CMA said the typical charge for the arrangement is about £8 each way and that the inquiry will assess whether the practice may be unfair under consumer law, including whether the approach to seat reservations could mean parents are effectively paying for the airline to meet child-safety and disability-related obligations under aviation rules. The CMA noted it had “reached no conclusions about whether Ryanair has broken the law” as the investigation begins.
Ryanair contends that the policy is compliant with applicable laws, describing the CMA’s inquiry as “bogus.” The carrier emphasized that adults travelling with children pay a single reserved-seat fee but may choose seats beside them for up to four children on the same booking at no additional cost. The airline stated that parents pay for one adult seat and nothing for the children’s four seats on the same booking.
CMA officials said Ryanair appears to be the only major UK-to-UK carrier charging such a fee, while other airlines seat children next to a parent or guardian free of charge or automatically allocate seats together during booking. The CMA added that its review will examine how the mandatory family seat fee is presented during the booking process and whether consumers see the total price upfront. Hayley Fletcher, the CMA’s director of consumer protection, warned that extra charges can significantly raise costs for families planning affordable holidays and said the agency will assess whether Ryanair’s approach complies with consumer protection rules.
The CMA also referenced guidance from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, which says airlines should include all compulsory charges in the displayed ticket price and clearly display the cost of optional extras. The guidance recommends that carriers aim to seat children under 12 in the same row or within one row of their accompanying adult and to make reasonable efforts to seat a disabled person near their companion.
Consumer group Which? welcomed the CMA’s action, with travel editor Rory Boland noting Ryanair’s tendency to separate families and charge parents to sit with young children. Boland urged Ryanair to stop charging such fees regardless of the investigation’s outcome.
Under the CMA’s powers, a company can face penalties of up to 10% of global turnover if consumer-law breaches are found, highlighting the potential stakes for Ryanair and the wider aviation sector.
