Budget airline Ryanair is facing an investigation by Britain's competition authority over charges that parents must pay to sit with their children on flights. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is examining whether Ryanair is imposing an unfair contract term under consumer law by insisting that parents pay £8 for a reserved seat to guarantee that their children sit with them.
CMA's concerns
The CMA stated: “Ryanair’s terms and conditions require at least one parent to sit with their children aged 2-11 when they fly. This is done through what Ryanair calls a ‘mandatory family seat’, which the parent must pay for in order to secure a seat next to them for their child. For all other passengers, reserving a seat is optional. This fee applies to both outbound and return flights and typically costs around £8 each way.”
The regulator added that evidence suggests this approach to seating is used across the majority of Ryanair’s UK routes. The investigation will examine whether parents are being unfairly charged for Ryanair to meet its child safety and disability-related obligations as set out under aviation rules.
Comparison with other airlines
The CMA suggests that Ryanair is the only major airline flying out of the UK to impose this charge. Other airlines seat children with a parent or guardian without the need for a paid-for adult seat reservation, or allocate seats together automatically for free during the booking process.
Drip pricing concerns
The regulator will also look into whether this is an example of ‘drip’ pricing, where extra charges pop up during a booking process. This investigation is part of a broader crackdown on additional online fees, with eight firms under investigation.
The agenda for the day includes the Turkey interest rate decision at noon BST, the European Central Bank interest rate decision at 1.15pm BST, US weekly jobless claims at 1.30pm BST, and the European Central Bank press conference at 1.45pm BST.
