Ryanair investigated over charging parents to sit with their children

Thursday, 11 June 2026 09:38

Europe's largest airline is being investigated by the UK's competition watchdog over its policy of charging parents to sit with their children.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an inquiry into Ryanair's £8-per-flight charge, examining whether it is an unfair contract term under consumer law.

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Under the airline's terms and conditions, children aged between two and 11 must sit with at least one of their parents.

The regulator said it understands Ryanair is the only major airline flying out of the UK to impose such a levy.

Another element of the probe is whether the seating fee constitutes a practice known as drip pricing, whereby the full price is not presented until the end and extra charges are added later in the booking process.

The practice is illegal in the UK, with businesses required to show a total price including all unavoidable charges so consumers can effectively compare prices and understand the real cost.

The CMA said it also understood that Ryanair does not apply the fee on every flight and in a limited number of cases, parents can be seated with their children for free.

A 'bogus' investigation

But Ryanair has described the investigation as "bogus".

"Ryanair's family seating policy fully complies with all relevant laws and regulations and saves families", a spokesperson said.

"Ryanair does not charge any fee for children to sit beside their parent or accompanying adult. Like all adults who select a reserved seat, adults travelling with children pay one reserved seat fee, but can select reserved seats beside them for up to 4 children on the same booking free of charge."

What next?

How the investigation unfolds will depend on the evidence, the CMA said. It could result in a finding of unlawful conduct, the imposition of remedies, or case closure.

The watchdog says it is at the beginning of its investigation and has reached no conclusions about whether the airline has broken the law.

Sky News