Ryanair 'reluctantly' change policy charging parents to sit next to children

Ryanair has “reluctantly” changed its family seating policy after an investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into whether charging parents to reserve seats complied with consumer law. The airline said the “minor policy tweak” will introduce “free parent seats” toward the rear of the aircraft for future bookings, while all children on a booking will be allocated seats alongside them at no fee. Children will be placed for free, but the adult passenger must still pay if they want a reserved seat of their choosing. The previous system required parents of children aged two to 11 to pay for what Ryanair called a mandatory family seat, typically around £8 each way, after which children were allocated seats next to or near them free of charge. Ryanair said the change is “revenue neutral,” and CEO Michael O’Leary criticized the CMA for targeting Ryanair rather than other competition issues. CMA said it would test whether Ryanair’s updated policy complies with the law, framing it as a potential win for families.