Ryanair 'reluctantly' agrees to stop charging parents to sit next to their children

Ryanair has reversed a contentious family seating policy, saying it will no longer charge parents to sit next to their children. Under the prior approach, parents traveling with children had to pay about £8 to reserve a seat for themselves, after which they could select up to four adjacent seats for children without extra cost. The change came after the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced an investigation in early June into whether the contract term was unfair under consumer law and whether the extra fee was “dripped” during booking. On June 25, Ryanair said adults traveling with children will be allocated a seat free of charge after check-in. Families that opt for random selection may be seated toward the back, while paid seat reservations remain available during booking. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said the airline would “reluctantly” align with industry standards, while noting possible rear-cabin placement.