The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation
Seating fees are being looked at(Image: surachetsh via Getty Images)
Budget airline Ryanair is facing an investigation.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced it is looking at fees that parents are required to pay to sit alongside their children on flights. The CMA revealed that the airline insists at least one parent sits with their children aged between two and 11.
This is enforced through what Ryanair refers to as a mandatory family seat, while seat reservations remain optional for all other passengers. The charge typically comes in at around £8 each way, according to the CMA.
The regulator confirmed it was looking into “whether Ryanair’s approach to seat reservations may mean parents are being charged for the airline to meet its child safety and disability‐related obligations as set out under aviation rules”.
It further stated that it would “determine whether or not this practice is in line with consumer law”. Ryanair is “the only major airline flying out of the UK to impose this charge”, according to the watchdog.
Other carriers offer to seat children flying with a parent without the need for a paid reservation, or automatically allocate seats together during booking, the CMA said. The investigation will also examine whether Ryanair’s mandatory family seat fee is dripped during the booking process, which is when a business does not initially present customers with all unavoidable charges.
The CMA added that it was at the beginning of its investigation and has “reached no conclusions about whether Ryanair has broken the law”.
Hayley Fletcher, senior director of consumer protection at the CMA, said: “Lots of families save up to afford a summer holiday and we know that extra charges can quickly bump up the price. Our investigation will consider Ryanair’s approach to family seat reservations and how the cost is presented to consumers, to determine whether they comply with consumer law. For the past year, we’ve told businesses to ensure their customers are shown the total price upfront – those who don’t face the very real possibility of action from the CMA.”
Ryanair statement on CMA investigation
The airline responded with a statement: “Ryanair’s family seating policy fully complies with all relevant laws and regulations, and saves families money when travelling on the UK’s lowest fare airline. 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 four children on the same booking free of charge.
“This means that parents travelling with children pay for only one (adult) reserved seat but pay nothing for the four other reserved seats for their children travelling with them.
“This bogus CMA investigation is a failed effort by the Starmer Government to pretend it cares about consumers when it has failed to abolish APD (air passenger duty) which would immediately deliver lower fares for all consumers and growth for the UK aviation, tourism and wider economy. Ryanair looks forward to disproving these false CMA claims during this bogus investigation.”
The CMA is an independent non-ministerial Government department, funded by the Treasury.