UK competition watchdog opens investigation into Ryanair's mandatory family seat fee

Under Ryanair's general terms and conditions, at least one parent flying with children aged two to eleven is required to book a seat reservation so that the family can sit together. The low-cost carrier says parents pay only the fee for one family seat and may bring up to four children at no additional charge for seating. For all other passengers, seat reservation is voluntary, according to the CMA.

Background: the family seat policy

The airline is the only major carrier operating in the United Kingdom that imposes a dedicated family seat fee, the regulator noted. In Germany, an adult flying with Ryanair on either the Basic or Family-Plus fare must also purchase a seat reservation in order to reserve free seats for accompanying children under twelve; that adult seat reservation costs between six and ten euros. British consumers therefore face a charge specifically tied to travelling with children, which the CMA is now scrutinising.

Ryanair has hit back hard at the investigation, dismissing it as politically driven and sharply criticising the British government. The airline accused the Starmer administration of staging "diese vorgetäuschte Untersuchung" — this pretended investigation — as a way of appearing consumer-friendly while failing to scrap air passenger duty, a tax it blames for keeping ticket prices high. Ryanair added that it looked forward to rebutting the "falschen Behauptungen" — false claims — as part of the inquiry.

Ryanair rejects the probe as politically motivated

The carrier also confirmed that the family seat requirement "in vollem Umfang allen einschlägigen Gesetzen und Verordnungen" — fully complies with all applicable laws and regulations. The company has previously described the CMA's scrutiny as "falsch" — wrong — and has framed the dispute as part of a broader campaign over British aviation taxes and regulation.

The CMA said it would publish an update on the progress of its investigation within the next six months. Depending on the findings, the regulator could order Ryanair to change the policy, impose fines, or require compensation for affected customers. The investigation is one of several recent moves by British authorities to revisit how low-cost carriers treat passengers, and it places fresh pressure on Ryanair at a time when European budget airlines are facing closer scrutiny over ancillary fees.

What happens next

Consumer groups have long argued that the family seat charge effectively penalises parents for needing to sit next to their children during a flight. The CMA's framing of the fee as a potentially unfair contract term suggests the regulator is preparing to test whether mandatory paid seating for families breaches UK consumer protection law, rather than treating the practice as a standard commercial decision by an airline.

Industry analysts said the case could have implications beyond Ryanair if the CMA concludes that any airline charging a separate, mandatory fee for families to sit together is acting unfairly. Britain's competition authority has in recent years taken a more active line on consumer issues in aviation, including over surcharges and refund policies, and the Ryanair probe fits that pattern.