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UK Watchdog Launches Investigation Into Ryanair's Family Seating Charges
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened an investigation into Ryanair over its mandatory seat reservation fees for parents traveling with children aged 2 to 11 years. The probe, announced on June 11, 2026, examines whether the airline's policy of charging approximately £8 (€9) per flight segment for parents to sit next to their children constitutes an unfair contract term under UK consumer law.
The CMA's investigation comes after the regulator gained enhanced enforcement powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), which allows it to impose fines of up to 10% of a company's global turnover for consumer law breaches. Ryanair reported a record 200 million passengers in its fiscal year 2025, with total revenue of €13.95 billion.
What Is the Ryanair Family Seating Policy?
Since 2016, Ryanair has required that adults traveling with children between the ages of 2 and 11 must reserve a seat for themselves — a paid service that typically costs between £4 and £12 each way. The airline states that this policy is necessary for safety reasons, as children under 12 must sit beside an accompanying adult. However, the CMA notes that Ryanair is the only major airline operating from the UK that imposes such a mandatory charge.
Under Ryanair's terms, the adult pays for one reserved seat, while up to four children on the same booking can be allocated adjacent seats free of charge. The policy does not apply to infants (8 days to 23 months), who must sit on an adult's lap. Passengers affected by the policy can check in 60 days before departure.
How Other Airlines Handle Family Seating
The CMA has highlighted that competing airlines do not impose similar mandatory fees. A comparison of policies reveals significant differences:
- British Airways: Advises families to reserve seats but does not require it. The airline states it will make every effort to seat families together if parents do not reserve.
- EasyJet: Encourages families without seat reservations to check in early at the airport. The budget carrier guarantees that every child under 12 will be seated close to a parent.
- Wizz Air: Offers free seat selection for children when an adult in the same booking selects a paid seat, similar to Ryanair but without the mandatory requirement.
The CMA's investigation will also examine whether Ryanair's fee is presented transparently during the booking process, or whether it constitutes drip pricing — a practice banned in the UK in 2024, where mandatory fees are revealed late in the checkout process, hiding the true total cost from consumers.
Ryanair's Response: 'Bogus Investigation'
Ryanair has strongly rejected the CMA's allegations, calling the investigation 'bogus' and insisting its family seating policy fully complies with all relevant laws and regulations. A Ryanair spokesperson stated: 'Ryanair's family seating policy fully complies with all relevant laws and regulations and saves families money. Parents pay only for one adult reserved seat while up to four children's seats are free of charge on the same booking.'
The airline also pointed out that it does not apply the mandatory family seat fee on flights to and from Italy, following regulatory action by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), which banned such charges in 2021. Ryanair lost a court appeal against that ban in 2024.
The CMA investigation into Ryanair is part of a broader crackdown on consumer protection issues. Since gaining new powers under the DMCCA, the CMA has opened investigations into 15 businesses across sectors including gyms, ticketing, and homeware, focusing on practices such as drip pricing, misleading countdown timers, and automatic opt-ins for additional charges.
Potential Impact and Next Steps
The CMA has not reached any conclusions on whether Ryanair has breached consumer law. The watchdog expects to provide an update within six months. If found in violation, Ryanair could face fines of up to 10% of its global turnover — potentially hundreds of millions of euros — and could be required to refund affected customers.
Consumer advocacy groups have welcomed the investigation. The UK's consumer rights organization Which? has long campaigned against hidden fees in the airline industry, arguing that families should not be charged extra for the basic requirement of sitting together. 'Forcing parents to pay extra simply to sit next to their young children is not only unfair but also creates unnecessary stress and safety risks,' a Which? spokesperson said.
The investigation also raises questions about the future of budget airline pricing and whether the CMA's enhanced powers will lead to industry-wide changes in how ancillary fees are disclosed and charged. The UK consumer protection reforms under the DMCCA have given the regulator significant teeth, and this case will be a key test of its new authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the CMA investigating Ryanair?
The CMA is investigating whether Ryanair's mandatory fee for parents to sit with their children aged 2-11 is an unfair contract term under UK consumer law and whether the fee is transparently disclosed during the booking process.
How much does Ryanair charge for family seating?
Ryanair typically charges between £4 and £12 (approximately €4.50 to €13.50) each way per flight for a mandatory family seat reservation. The fee varies by route and demand.
Is Ryanair the only airline that charges parents to sit with children?
According to the CMA, Ryanair is the only major airline operating from the UK that imposes a mandatory fee for parents to sit with their children. Other airlines either offer free seat allocation for families or make reasonable efforts to seat them together without additional charges.
What could happen if Ryanair is found to have broken the law?
If the CMA finds Ryanair in breach of consumer law, the airline could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual turnover and may be required to refund affected customers. The CMA could also order changes to Ryanair's booking processes and pricing practices.
Does Ryanair charge this fee on all routes?
No. Ryanair does not apply the mandatory family seat fee on flights to and from Italy, following a 2021 ban by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), which was upheld in court in 2024.
Sources
Information for this article was sourced from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Ryanair's official statements, the BBC, Reuters, CNN, The Guardian, and the UK government website. For the full CMA announcement, visit gov.uk.
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