Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, said on Thursday that it had scrapped a fee that parents had to pay to sit next to their children, after a British regulator said it was looking into whether the charges were unfair and unlawful.
The low-cost carrier previously charged parents or other accompanying adults typically around 8 British pounds, or $11, to secure adjacent seats for their children. But Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority, a consumer protection watchdog, said earlier this month that it was investigating the policy.
“We will reluctantly adjust to this industry standard as we don’t want to waste time explaining to misguided regulators how badly they misunderstand what is in the best interest of U.K. and Europe’s 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 free of charge.
Under the new policy, families who choose not to pay for reserved seats will receive seat allocations together for free after they check in for their flight, Ryanair said. They would probably be in the back of the aircraft because rows in the front tend to be reserved and sell out first, according to 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 that 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 sit next to at least one parent. The parent, however, must pay to reserve a seat, the watchdog said, adding that the policy applied to children with disabilities. Children under 2 can sit on a parent’s lap.
It said Ryanair was the only major airline operating in Britain that imposed this type of fee.
The airline defended its seating policy at the time, calling the investigation “bogus” and arguing that it was an attempt by the government “to pretend it cares about consumers.”
It 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’s 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 said, it would be “a win for families.”
“But it doesn’t change the fact families have been paying for ‘mandatory family seats.’ Our investigation remains ongoing,” it said.
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