Ryanair ends mandatory seat charge for parents flying with children

Previously parents travelling with children had to pay to reserve one seat

Parents travelling with children on Ryanair flights will now have the option of free seating after Ryanair adjusted its seating family seating policy with immediate effect. 

Parents travelling with children on Ryanair flights will now have the option of free seating after Ryanair adjusted its seating family seating policy with immediate effect. 

Ryanair previously required parents travelling with children aged between two and 11 to pay to reserve what it referred to as one mandatory family seat. Their children were then allocated seats next to or near them free of charge.  On Thursday Ryanair adjusted its family seating policy, confirming free parent seats will be available in the rear of its aircraft for future bookings under a "minor policy tweak". 

Families opting for random allocation of seats beside each other are likely to be seated towards the rear of the aircraft cabin, as front rows tend to be reserved and sell out first, Ryanair said. Families who choose their seats at the time of booking will be allowed to do so by paying a seat reservation fee.

Earlier this month, a UK investigation was launched into Ryanair's policy of charging parents to sit with their children on flights. British government watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation earlier this month to determine whether Ryanair’s policy at the time was in line with consumer law. The CMA said the fee for a mandatory family seat was typically about £8 (€9.20) each way.

Ryanair said the change will be “revenue neutral”. Chief executive Michael O'Leary said: "We will reluctantly adjust to this industry standard as we don’t want to waste time explaining to misguided regulators how badly they misunderstand what is in the best interest of UK and Europe’s consumers. Under our revised family seating policy, families may have to wait until after they have checked in to find out their seat allocation and are more likely to be seated at the rear of the cabin but at least the CMA will be able to claim they have done something for consumers, but sadly most consumers won’t notice.”