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Thu, 11 Jun 2026

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 Ryanair investigated over charging parents to sit with children

The UK's competition regulator is investigating the airline over charges it imposes on parents to sit next to their child.
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Ryanair over allegations that it unfairly charges parents to sit next to their children on flights. The airline's policy requires parents to pay £8 each way for a "mandatory family seat" to accompany children aged 2-11, which the CMA claims is unfair under consumer law. Ryanair has denied the allegations, calling the investigation "bogus", and insisting that its family seating policy complies with all relevant laws. The airline claims that adults traveling with children can select reserved seats beside them for free, but must pay only one reserved seat fee for an adult. The CMA is examining whether Ryanair's approach to seat reservations may be charging parents for services that are already required by aviation rules, such as child safety and disability-related obligations. The watchdog has stated that it will investigate whether the airline's practice complies with consumer law and whether the mandatory family seat fee is transparently presented during the booking process. The investigation comes after Which?, a consumer rights body, accused Ryanair of imposing "unreasonable fees" on parents to sit next to their children as young as three. The CMA has stated that it will consider fining companies up to 10% of their global turnover if they breach consumer law. Ryanair's competitors, such as EasyJet and British Airways, do not charge a fee for family seating arrangements, according to the CMA. The investigation is part of the CMA's wider effort to ease cost-of-living pressures by protecting consumers from unfair business practices.