Ryanair Drops £8 Family Seat Fee as CMA Probe Tests Child Seating Policy

Q: After regulators grounded Ryanair's family seating fee, which common airline charge will be the next to face scrutiny?

The next airline charge most likely to face scrutiny is carry-on baggage fees, along with other add-on charges that regulators see as “drip pricing.” Ryanair’s family seating change was driven by concerns that parents were effectively being charged to meet a safety-related obligation. The broader regulatory issue is the same one now hanging over other airline extras: whether fees are presented clearly upfront and whether some charges are unfair in practice. The UK Competition and Markets Authority has made clear that travel is a high-risk sector for hidden or staged pricing, and its new enforcement powers are aimed squarely at mandatory or hard-to-avoid add-ons. Carry-on bag fees stand out because they are already under pressure beyond the Ryanair case. EU policymakers and consumer groups have pushed to require a basic cabin bag allowance in standard fares or, at minimum, much clearer disclosure from the start of booking. That makes hand-luggage charges a natural next target, especially for low-cost carriers that rely heavily on ancillary revenue. Seat-selection fees will also remain under watch, particularly where they affect families or are revealed late in the booking process. But if there is one common charge most likely to be next in regulators’ sights, it is the fee for bringing a standard carry-on bag onboard, because it combines high consumer impact, major revenue significance, and the clearest overlap with the crackdown on drip pricing.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 25

Ryanair on Thursday began assigning free seats to parents traveling with young children after check-in, ending the need to pay a reservation fee to sit together.
The change follows a CMA investigation opened this month into whether the old policy unfairly charged families for seating tied to child-safety and disability obligations under aviation rules.
Under the previous system, adults typically paid about £8 each way for one reserved seat while up to four children could be seated beside them for free; Ryanair says the new free parent seats will be at the back of the aircraft.
Michael O'Leary called the move a reluctant "minor policy tweak" and said it should not hit revenue, but the CMA said it will still test whether the revised policy complies with consumer law and keep investigating past charges.
Which? said the shift shows Ryanair was "dragged into doing the right thing" and plans to monitor whether parents are consistently seated next to their children without extra cost.