Ryanair reluctantly agrees to end extra charges for parents sitting with children

Budget airline Ryanair has announced it will "grudgingly" comply with a sector-wide norm and cease charging parents extra fees to sit with their children on flights. This decision follows scrutiny from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) regarding the practice.

Previously, Ryanair required at least one parent to book a paid "family seat" to sit with children aged two to 11. These fees typically amounted to around £8 (approximately 9.28 euros) per journey. The CMA had initiated an investigation into whether this constituted an abusive contract clause, noting that Ryanair was the only major UK-based airline imposing such charges.

Ryanair's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, expressed his dissatisfaction with the regulators' decision, stating, "We will grudgingly comply with this industry standard, as we do not want to waste time explaining to ill-informed regulators how much they misunderstand" consumer interests in the UK and Europe.

For bookings made from Thursday, adults traveling with children who opt not to pay for a reserved seat will be assigned a free seat after check-in. However, Ryanair warns that these families will generally be placed towards the back of the aircraft, as front rows tend to be reserved and fill up first. Families wishing to select their seats at the time of booking and sit at the front can still do so, but will incur the standard seat reservation fee.

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We will grudgingly comply with this industry standard, as we do not want to waste time explaining to ill-informed regulators how much they misunderstand on consumer interests in the UK and Europe.