Investigation prompts Ryanair to scrap fee for families to sit together

Ryanair has announced that it will no longer charge parents to sit with their children. But families will have to sit at the rear of the plane if they want to sit together for free.

Ryanair changes family seating policy

Ryanair has scrapped a “mandatory fee” charging parents to sit with their children. Going forward, once parents have checked into their flight, they will be offered a seat next to their child free of charge. 

Previously, parents travelling with children aged two to 11 had to pay around nine euros for what Ryanair called a “mandatory family seat”. Once parents had booked the seat, up to four children could sit beside them at no extra cost. 

Passengers travelling without children are not required to pay for a seat reservation, but may book their preferred seat for a fee or be randomly allocated one for free.

The Irish budget airline’s “minor policy tweak” comes following an investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA concluded that the airline’s policy was not in line with consumer law, a decision Ryanair called “bogus”.

In a press release, Ryanair said its outgoing family seating policy was “the most progressive and transparent in Europe”, but that it would “reluctantly adjust to this industry standard”.

Does the new family policy apply in Germany?

While the investigation was carried out by the UK’s CMA, Ryanair’s new family booking policy will also apply in Germany and other European countries. 

Until now, parents travelling with Ryanair to and from German airports were obliged to purchase a seat reservation for children under 12, which cost between 6 and 10 euros.