U.K. — The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced an investigation into whether Ryanair's mandatory family seat reservation fee violates consumer law as an unfair contract term. The CMA will assess whether charging for these seats means parents must fund the airline's child safety and disability obligations under aviation regulations.
Ryanair's terms and conditions require at least one parent or guardian to sit with children aged 2 to 11 during flights. The cost for a family seat reservation ranges from €4.50 to €13.50, typically amounting to £8 for each way. This fee applies to both the outbound and return segments of a flight.
The CMA stated that Ryanair is the only major commercial airline departing from the U.K. that requires this payment for family seating. Other commercial airlines generally seat children next to a parent or guardian automatically during booking without charging a reservation fee. Seat reservations are optional for passengers not traveling with children.
The CMA will also evaluate how the reservation cost is disclosed to consumers during the ticket purchase process. Regulations prohibiting drip pricing, which involves revealing mandatory fees at later stages of checkout, were enacted in 2024. The CMA has not yet reached a conclusion regarding potential legal violations by the airline.
Hayley Fletcher, the CMA's senior director of consumer protection, said, "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." Fletcher added, "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."
Under current consumer protection frameworks, unfair contract terms that disproportionately favor a business over consumers are unenforceable. Ryanair discontinued the family seat reservation fee for flights to and from Italy following a 2024 legal loss in an appeal before the Italian Civil Aviation Authority. The CMA has initiated 15 corporate investigations across multiple sectors since receiving expanded enforcement powers to issue fines and mandate refunds.