Ryanair, Europe’s biggest airline, investigated for charging parents to sit with their children

Key Points:

• The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Ryanair over charges imposed on families to sit together, specifically a mandatory family seat fee of around £8 per flight for parents traveling with children aged 2 to 11.
• Ryanair denies wrongdoing, stating that adults traveling with children pay for only one reserved seat while children’s seats are reserved free of charge, and claims its seating policy complies with all relevant laws.
• The CMA suspects the fee may be unfair under consumer law and notes Ryanair is the only UK airline imposing such a charge, with the investigation aiming to determine if the practice violates consumer protection regulations.
• The investigation is part of the CMA’s broader efforts to reduce the financial burden on consumers amid cost of living pressures, with findings expected within six months and potential fines up to 10% of Ryanair’s global turnover if violations are confirmed.
• CMA emphasizes the importance of transparent pricing and warns businesses that failing to show total costs upfront could lead to enforcement actions.