A few weeks prior, officials in the United Kingdom initiated an investigation into Ryanair’s family seating policy, indicating potential non-compliance with regulations. While the airline maintains that it has adhered to the rules all along, it has recently revised its policies.
In classic Ryanair style, the airline has taken a sarcastic stance, stating that families will likely be seated at the back of the plane for no charge, asserting that the policy change was made to avoid “wasting time elucidating to misinformed regulators how poorly they comprehend” the best interests of consumers.
Ryanair reluctantly revises family seating policy
A few weeks ago, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) began an inquiry into Ryanair’s family seating arrangements.
Previously, the airline’s policy mandated that parents sit beside their children aged two to eleven. While Ryanair charges for seat assignments, it did implement one concession — parents had to pay for their assigned seats, but the airline would provide adjacent seat assignments for up to four children on the same reservation free of charge.
Regulators contended that this practice might constitute an “unjust contract term” under consumer protection laws, as families were solely responsible for assigned seat fees, unlike other passengers (who could take their chances with the seats).
This leads to the most recent update. Ryanair asserts that its prior family seating policy was in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The airline bases this claim on the fact that it did not impose any fees for children to sit next to their parents (which is technically correct — the charge was only for the adult). Ryanair further argues that the former policy provided families with assurance regarding seat allocations at the time of booking, which families have appreciated alongside Ryanair’s competitive fares.
However, effective June 25, 2026, adults traveling with children who do not wish to select or pay for a reserved seat will be informed about their complimentary seat allocation only after checking in for their flight, similar to practices among most European airlines. Families opting for randomized seating will likely find themselves toward the back of the aircraft.
Conversely, families who prefer to select their seats during booking will need to pay the full fare for everyone to secure their seats, as the airline claims this aligns with the practices of most other European carriers.
The airline states that this modification “responds to the regulators’ intent in Europe to hinder innovation and advancement.” It also claims this will not impact its revenue.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary naturally has strong opinions
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary is known for being one of the most candid figures in the airline sector, and he did not shy away from expressing his views:
“European regulators like the UK CMA have consistently let consumers down by overlooking clear anti-consumer practices such as inflated airfares sold by unauthorized OTAs, overcharging by airport monopolies, and service shortcomings from Europe’s air traffic controllers. While ignoring the high fares imposed by airlines on routes lacking Ryanair competition, the CMA has now focused on our family seating approach, which has been widely accepted by consumers as the most innovative and clear in Europe. Instead of encouraging competition and lower fares for consumers, the CMA seems determined to compel Ryanair to adopt the less transparent and less consumer-friendly family seating protocol employed by most other airlines – merely because it aligns with the industry norm.”
“We will reluctantly conform to this industry standard as we do not want to squander time clarifying to misinformed regulators how poorly they grasp what is in the best interests of consumers in the UK and across Europe. Under the revised family seating policy, families may need to wait until after check-in to learn their seat allocation and are more likely to be placed at the rear of the cabin, but at least the CMA will be able to claim they have accomplished something for consumers, although tragically, most consumers won’t notice.”
Summary
Ryanair has long employed a unique strategy regarding its family seating policy. Regulators mandate that airlines allow children to sit next to their accompanying adults without extra charges, which Ryanair somewhat technically adhered to — the previous policy involved charging the parent for a seat while allowing children to sit next to them at no additional cost.
With the regulators scrutinizing the airline, the policy has now been revised. Ryanair will assign seats for families without charge at check-in and asserts that families will generally end up in the rear of the aircraft. At the same time, the airline is removing its discount for families assigning seats together in advance to align with other airlines’ practices.
It appears that Ryanair was pushing the boundaries of how it interpreted the regulations. Nevertheless, with the airline ceasing the advance discount for families reserving seats together, it remains uncertain whether everyone will perceive this change as beneficial.