Overview
- Ryanair announced on Thursday that bookings from 25 June will receive free seat allocations for an adult travelling with children if the adult does not pay to reserve seats, with the assignment revealed after check-in.
- Families who accept the free allocation are likely to be seated toward the rear of the aircraft, and parents who want specific or front-row seats can still pay for reserved seating.
- The UK Competition and Markets Authority opened an investigation in June into whether the airline’s previous practice of charging a single adult fee (typically about £8 each way) to secure seats for children complied with consumer law, and the CMA says it will now test Ryanair’s claim that the new policy meets legal standards.
- Ryanair says the move is a 'minor policy tweak' to align with other European carriers, will be revenue-neutral, and its CEO Michael O’Leary criticised the regulator’s intervention.
- Consumer group Which? welcomed the change but will monitor whether families are actually seated together without charge, and the shift comes against recent European Parliament moves to strengthen passenger rights on family seating.