Ryanair has axed its family seating policy – but kids’ fees still add up
Ryanair has removed its family seating charge for children under 12, but parents could still face significant extra costs when travelling with infants and adding baggage or other e
By The Guardian
Families flying with Ryanair will no longer have to pay extra to sit next to young children after the airline scrapped its long-standing family seating charge. However, parents could still face additional costs when travelling, particularly with infants.
The budget airline confirmed that adults travelling with children under the age of 12 will now be allocated seats together at no extra cost. The change follows scrutiny from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which examined family seating policies across several airlines after concerns that parents were effectively being forced to pay extra to sit with their children.
Previously, Ryanair required at least one adult in a family group to purchase a reserved seat to guarantee sitting alongside a child. Seat reservation fees typically ranged from around £4.50 to £13.50 per flight, depending on the route and travel dates.
Under the new policy, children under 12 will automatically be seated next to an accompanying adult without the need to pay for seat selection. Families who want to choose specific seats elsewhere on the aircraft can still pay to reserve them if they wish.
Although the change removes one extra cost for parents, travelling with children can still be more expensive than many expect.
One example is Ryanair’s infant fee for babies travelling on a parent’s lap. On some heavily discounted fares, this fixed charge can exceed the cost of the accompanying adult’s ticket, even though the infant does not occupy a separate seat. While this can appear surprising, it generally occurs only when adult promotional fares are exceptionally low.
Additional charges for baggage, priority boarding and optional seat upgrades can also increase the overall cost of a family trip, meaning the advertised fare is often only part of the final price.
MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis welcomed the change, describing it as a positive step for families. The consumer champion has long argued that parents should not have to pay extra simply to sit with young children during a flight.
The Competition and Markets Authority has also been encouraging greater transparency across the airline industry, with a focus on ensuring passengers understand the full cost of travel before booking.
For families planning a holiday, the removal of Ryanair’s family seating charge is likely to reduce costs for many bookings. However, parents are still encouraged to check the total price carefully before confirming their flights, particularly when travelling with infants or adding optional extras.
This latest change brings Ryanair’s policy more closely into line with growing expectations that young children should be able to sit with their parents without families having to pay an additional fee.