Ryanair investigated over charging parents to sit with their children
Summary
Ryanair is under investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for charging parents a mandatory fee to sit next to their children on flights. The CMA is checking if this charge is unfair under consumer law and if Ryanair fully informs customers about the cost during booking.Key Facts
- Ryanair requires at least one parent to sit with children aged 2-11 on flights.
- The airline charges about £8 per flight for a parent to reserve this seat next to their child.
- This fee applies on both outbound and return flights and affects many UK routes.
- Other airlines usually let children sit with a parent at no extra cost or assign seats automatically.
- The CMA is investigating if this fee breaches consumer fairness rules and if parents are charged for Ryanair’s legal obligations.
- Ryanair says adults traveling with children pay one reserved seat fee and can reserve seats next to up to four children free of charge.
- The CMA is also looking into whether Ryanair hides this fee during booking, which is banned under 2024 rules against “drip pricing.”
- The CMA has not yet decided if Ryanair has broken any laws but is conducting the investigation to protect consumers.
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