There are plenty of headaches that come with traveling with children, and if you fly Ryanair, you have to pay to reserve a seat next to yours. But now the low-cost airline is facing scrutiny over that policy.
On Thursday, a competition regulator in Britain said that it was investigating Ryanair, Europe’s biggest airline, over fees that it says the airline charges parents to sit with their children on flights.
The Competition and Markets Authority, a consumer protection department, said Thursday that it was looking into whether Ryanair’s child seating practices were unfair and, therefore, against the law.
Ryanair defended its seating policy in a statement Thursday morning and called the investigation “bogus,” saying it was a failed effort by the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer “to pretend it cares about consumers.”
The regulator said that Ryanair’s terms and conditions required children under 12 to sit next to at least one parent. The parent, however, must pay to reserve a seat, typically around 8 British pounds, or $11, per flight, the department said. Children under 2 can sit on a parent’s lap.
The regulator said that it was investigating whether Ryanair’s seat reservation system meant that parents were being charged so the carrier could meet airline rules around disabilities and child safety. It said Ryanair was the only major airline operating in Britain that imposed this type of fee.
The investigation will examine whether Ryanair’s contract terms are “unfair.” That involves applying a legal fairness test to the contract to determine whether it is tilted too much in favor of the business, the department said. Unfair terms are not legally binding for customers.
Ryanair, in its response, said that all adults who wanted to reserve a seat, including those traveling with children, needed to pay a fee. The airline added that once parents pay their seat fee, they can reserve up to four seats for their children for free. It said children’s tickets did not include an extra fee to sit next to their parents.
“Ryanair’s family seating policy fully complies with all relevant laws and regulations,” the company said.
Last year, the airline lost an appeal in Italy against a ban on airline fees for adults to sit next to children under 12 or people with disabilities.
As part of its investigation, the British regulator said it was also looking into whether Ryanair’s mandatory family seat fee was “dripped” during the booking process. “Dripping” is the practice of adding fees separately, or later in the booking process, rather than up front. Under British consumer law, businesses must show a total price that includes all unavoidable charges.
Last year, new consumer protection provisions went into effect in Britain, strengthening the consumer regulator. The department is now able to decide whether consumer protection laws have been broken, rather than relying on courts. It can directly address incidents with fines and other measures.
The regulator said it expected to deliver an update on its investigation in six months.
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