Ryanair announces new £8 rule for all flights -starting today | UK | News
Under the previous policy, adults traveling with children paid for one reserved seat and could choose seats next to them for free for up to four children. This resulted in a charge of £8 each way, a charge investigated by the CMA earlier this month. However, the airline has now adjusted its family seating policy. Adults traveling with children and who do not wish to pay for a reserved seat will now be told of their free seat assignment upon check-in, with Ryanair saying this is in line with many other European airlines.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said he would “reluctantly comply with this industry standard” but insisted its long-standing policy was fully compliant with the law and gave families “certainty”.
Airlines said their policies give families certainty about where they will sit when booking, and they value that. It was stated that “empty parent seats” will now be available at the back of the aircraft, as front rows tend to be reserved.
Mr O’Leary slammed the CMA for targeting the family seating policy, which he said was “universally embraced by consumers as Europe’s most progressive and transparent policy”.
He added: “Rather than promoting competitiveness and lower fares for consumers, the CMA is on a mission to force Ryanair to adopt the less transparent and less consumer-friendly family seating policy that many other airlines have in place, simply because it is the industry standard.”
A CMA spokesman said: “Ryanair claims its seating policy is now lawful and we will test this extensively. If true, this is a win for families who will no longer have to pay to sit with their children and shows the impact our new powers are having.
“But this does not change the fact that families are paying for ‘mandatory family seats’. Our investigation is ongoing.”
