Ryanair has confirmed a change to its booking policy, allowing parents to sit alongside their children for free, a move money expert Martin Lewis describes as 'finally' happening. The budget airline's new policy ends the previous mandatory fee for a family seat, which typically cost around £8 per flight.
Policy Change Details
Under the old policy, parents had to pay between £4.50 and £13.50 per flight to reserve a so-called 'mandatory family seat'. The adult could then reserve seats next to them for up to four children without charge. The change, announced last Thursday, follows an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Ryanair, described as the biggest airline in Europe by passenger numbers, had previously called the investigation 'bogus', according to The Express. However, the airline now says adults will be offered the option to sit with children under 12 for free after check-in, with seats likely at the rear of the plane.
Martin Lewis Comments
Commenting on the decision, Mr Lewis said in a tweet that Ryanair is 'finally' to allow 'an option for parents to sit with children for free'. An update on his MoneySavingExpert website explains: 'If you're travelling with a child under 12 on a Ryanair flight, you can now sit next to them for free instead of having to pay to reserve a seat. It follows the launch of an official investigation into Ryanair's seat charges for parents.'
The update adds: 'Under Ryanair's old policy, it was compulsory for at least one adult in the group to pay for a seat reservation, which the airline called a "mandatory family seat". This could cost between £4.50 and £13.50 per flight, and you could then reserve seats for free for up to four children. But this has now changed.' The change applies to bookings from last Thursday.
Ryanair's Response
Michael O'Leary, chief executive officer of Ryanair, said the airline will 'reluctantly adjust to this industry standard' but insisted its long-standing policy fully complied with laws and gave families 'certainty' over seating at booking. Ryanair says the 'free parent seats' will now be available at the back of the aircraft, as front rows tend to be reserved.
Mr O'Leary had earlier claimed the CMA had 'targeted' the airline's family seating policy, which he said was seen by consumers as the most progressive and transparent in Europe. He added: 'Under our revised family seating policy, families may have to wait until after they have checked in to find out their seat allocation and are more likely to be seated at the rear of the cabin but at least the CMA will be able to claim they have done something for consumers, but sadly most consumers won’t notice.'
