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Ryanair is under investigation by the British competition watchdog over its policy that parents must pay to sit with their children.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a probe into Ryanair’s terms and conditions (T&Cs), which require at least one parent to sit with their children aged 2-11 when they fly and make it a paid service. 

The Irish budget airline calls it 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 CMA is looking at whether Ryanair’s approach to seat reservations may mean parents are being charged to meet the airline’s own child safety and disability‑related obligations, as set out in aviation rules.

The watchdog said it understands that the airline is the only major provider operating from the UK to impose this charge.

The CMA will investigate whether that practice is in line with consumer law, which mandates that businesses show a total price that includes all unavoidable charges, rather than adding – or ‘dripping’ – extra charges separately or later in the process.

Hayley Fletcher, CMA’s senior director of consumer protection, explained: “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,” she added.

This is a new investigation, and no conclusions or findings have been reached against Ryanair yet.

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 hits back at the CMA’s probe into its family seating policy, stating it “DOES NOT charge any fee for children to sit beside their parent”. 

“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,” a spokesperson stated. 

The Irish airline called the investigation “bogus” and “a failed effort by the Starmer government to pretend it cares about consumers when it has failed to abolish air passenger duty”.

“Ryanair looks forward to disproving these false CMA claims during this bogus investigation,” they added.