Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, said on Thursday it had removed a fee that parents had to pay to sit next to their children, after a British regulator said it was investigating whether the charges were unfair and illegal.
The low-cost airline previously charged parents or other accompanying adults typically around £8, or $11, to secure adjacent seats for their children. But Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority, a consumer protection body, said earlier this month it was investigating the policy.
“We will reluctantly adapt to this industry standard because we do not want to waste time explaining to misguided regulators how poorly they understand what is best for UK and European consumers,” Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, said in a statement.
Regulators in other countries, including the United States and India, also want airlines to ensure families can sit together for free.
Under the new policy, families who choose not to pay for reserved seats will receive seat assignments together for free after checking in for their flight, Ryanair said. They would likely be in the back of the plane because the front rows tend to be reserved and sell out first, depending on the airline.
Under the new policy, if a parent pays for a reserved seat, that customer can save adjacent seats for up to four children at no additional cost. Ryanair said the change would not affect its revenue.
The Competition and Markets Authority said earlier this month that Ryanair’s terms and conditions required children under 12 to be seated next to at least one of their parents. However, parents must pay to reserve a seat, the watchdog said, adding that the policy applies to children with disabilities. Children under 2 years old can sit on their parents’ laps.
He said Ryanair was the only major airline operating in Britain to impose this type of fee.
The airline defended its seating policy at the time, calling the investigation “false” and arguing it was an attempt by the government “to pretend it cares about consumers.”
He repeated that criticism on Thursday, accusing the regulator of being “on a mission to force Ryanair to adopt the less transparent and less consumer-friendly family seating policy applied by most other airlines, just because it is the industry standard.”
The Competition and Markets Authority said in a statement on Friday that it would test whether Ryanair’s new seating policy complies with the law. If so, the regulator stated, it would be “a victory for families.”
“But that doesn’t change the fact that families have been paying for ‘mandatory family seating’. Our investigation is ongoing,” he said.
