Ryanair is under investigation for charging parents to sit with their children

European budget airline Ryanair is under investigation in the UK over charging parents mandatory fees to sit with their children. the Competition and Markets Authority The CMA said it was looking into whether seat fees, which the airline may charge parents to meet its child safety and disability obligations, are “unfair” under consumer law.

Under Ryanair’s terms and conditions, at least one parent or guardian must sit with children aged between 2 and 11 while traveling, which the airline calls a “mandatory family seat”. This approach to seating imposes a fee — typically £8 (about $10) per flight, according to the Civil Aviation Authority — on parents to guarantee a seat next to their children. Seat reservations are optional for other passengers.

UK consumer law requires companies to show customers the total ticket price upfront, rather than “dripping in” additional fees separately during the flight booking process. The CMA’s investigation will examine whether the mandatory family seat fee breaches these requirements, and it says it believes Ryanair is “the only major airline flying outside the UK” to impose such a fee.

while Ryanair website It offers free reserved seating for children under 12, and the CMA says parents and guardians are charged a reservation fee to access these seats. The UK competition watchdog also notes that Ryanair will no longer impose these fees on flights to and from Italy, after the airline… It lost its appeal in 2024 Against the ban imposed by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC).

“Many families are saving enough to afford a summer holiday, and we know surcharges can quickly push up prices. Our investigation will consider Ryanair’s approach to booking family seats and how the cost is presented to consumers to determine whether they are complying with consumer law,” Hayley Fletcher, director of consumer protection at the CMA, said in a statement. “Last year, we asked businesses to ensure their customers are shown the total price up front – those who don’t face the very real possibility of action from the CMA.”

In a statement to BBC NewsRyanair said its family seating policy “fully complies with all relevant laws” and that it “looks forward to refuting these false claims from the CMA during this sham investigation”.