The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a formal investigation into budget airline Ryanair over controversial fees that force parents to pay extra just to sit next to their children, including those with disabilities. Under the airline’s current terms and conditions, adults travelling with children aged 2 to 11 must purchase a “mandatory family seat,” which typically costs around £8 each way. While Ryanair markets this policy as offering “free reserved seats for kids,” families cannot actually access those seats unless at least one accompanying adult pays a booking fee. The consumer watchdog is now examining whether this practice constitutes an unfair contract term under consumer law.
Central to the CMA’s probe is whether Ryanair is unfairly shifting the financial burden of aviation safety onto consumers. Airlines are legally obligated to meet strict child safety and disability-related requirements, which include ensuring children are seated near a guardian. The regulator will determine if Ryanair’s mandatory charge tilts the balance of rights too far in favour of the business, creating an unlawful disadvantage for families. Compounding the issue is evidence that Ryanair stands alone in this practice; other major airlines operating out of the UK either automatically allocate family seats together for free or provide options to seat children with guardians without enforcing a paid adult reservation.
The investigation will also scrutinize Ryanair’s pricing transparency, specifically looking into whether the airline is “dripping” these mandatory fees during the booking process. Under UK consumer law, businesses are required to display the total, unavoidable price upfront rather than adding hidden costs later in the transaction, a practice that prevents travelers from accurately comparing holiday prices. Hayley Fletcher, Senior Director of Consumer Protection at the CMA, emphasized that extra fees can quickly inflate the cost of hard-earned summer holidays. She noted that the regulator has spent the past year warning businesses to be transparent about upfront pricing, making it clear that those failing to comply face direct enforcement action.
This probe comes at a time when household budgets remain under severe strain, with data from ABTA showing that nearly a third of consumers have had to scale back holiday spending to cope with the rising cost of living. Ryanair has already faced successful regulatory pushback on this issue elsewhere in Europe; following intervention by Italy’s Civil Aviation Authority, the airline was forced to scrap the fee on Italian routes. The CMA, newly empowered with the authority to fine non-compliant companies up to 10% of their global turnover, expects to provide an official update on the UK investigation within the next six months.
