Overview
- The Competition and Markets Authority launched a formal investigation on Thursday into Ryanair’s rule that at least one adult must pay for a “mandatory family seat” to sit with children aged two to 11.
- The CMA said evidence shows the fee is most commonly about £8 each way and is used on the majority of the airline’s UK routes, and that Ryanair appears to be the only major carrier to impose this charge.
- The inquiry will examine whether the charge is presented as drip pricing by not being included in advertised total fares and whether parents are being billed for services the airline must supply under child‑safety or disability rules.
- Ryanair strongly rejected the probe, calling it “bogus” and saying its policy complies with the law and that one adult pays for a reserved seat while up to four children on the same booking are allocated adjacent seats free.
- If the CMA finds breaches it can require remedies and impose fines up to 10% of global turnover; the regulator has made no findings yet and expects to update the case within six months.