Ryanair adopts 'free of charge' family seating policy after watchdog investigation

Ryanair says families will now be offered free adjacent seats after check-in, after a UK Competition and Markets Authority probe into the airline's family seating charges.

The change means parents and young children should be seated together without paying for reserved seating in advance, while customers who want to choose their seats ahead of time can still pay for that option.

What changed

The airline said the new approach is a minor policy tweak and does not expect it to affect revenues. The free family seats are likely to be placed toward the rear of the aircraft.

Ryanair has also argued that its previous policy already complied with relevant laws and regulations. Before the change, the airline said up to four children on the same booking could sit free beside a paying adult who had reserved a seat.

Why the CMA looked at it

The UK Competition and Markets Authority opened its investigation earlier in June after questioning the way Ryanair charged families to sit together. The regulator said the old policy involved a mandatory family seat charge of about £8 each way.

The CMA said the investigation is still ongoing after Ryanair announced the new policy.

What happens next

The main unanswered question is whether the revised policy is enough to resolve the regulator's consumer-law concerns for future bookings. It is also unclear whether the CMA will examine any fees families already paid under the old system.

For now, the practical effect is straightforward: families travelling with young children should no longer have to pay a compulsory fee just to sit together, even if reserved seating remains a paid extra.