UK regulator probes Ryanair's child seat fee

Ryanair faces scrutiny from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over its policy of charging parents to sit next to their children. The CMA is investigating whether the Irish airline's terms of carriage, which mandate that at least one parent sits beside a child (including those with disabilities), constitute an unfair contract term under consumer law.

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The airline charges a fee of approximately £8 per flight, about 40 PLN, for fulfilling this requirement.

Parents are charged an average of around £8 per flight, approximately 40 Polish zloty, for this "mandatory family seat." The CMA's investigation aims to determine if Ryanair is unfairly burdening parents with costs related to the airline's own safety obligations for children and individuals with disabilities.

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Ryanair described the investigation as 'baseless' and announced its intention to 'refute the CMA's false claims.'

Ryanair has dismissed the investigation as "baseless," asserting that it does not charge for children seated next to a parent or guardian. However, the airline clarifies that parents and guardians must pay for their own seats. The cost for a "mandatory family seat" ranges from 4.50 to 13.50 euros (about £4-£12) per leg of the journey.

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The fee for booking such a seat ranges from 4.50 to 13.50 euros (about 4-12 pounds), most often around 8 pounds for each leg of the journey.

The CMA highlighted that Ryanair is the only major airline operating from the UK that imposes such a fee. Other airlines either allow children to sit with parents without extra charges for adult seats or automatically assign adjacent seats during booking. The authority will assess if Ryanair's terms place customers in an "unjustifiably disadvantageous position."

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The authority is investigating whether Ryanair's practices mean that parents are burdened with the costs of fulfilling the carrier's obligations related to the safety of children and people with disabilities, resulting from aviation regulations.