CMA opens investigation into budget airline

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is looking  into airline Ryanair over additional charges for parents to sit with their children, despite their T&Cs specifying that at least one parent must sit with children aged 2-11. 

Ryanair required parents to purchase a “mandatory family seat” to allow them to sit next to their child, whereas reserving a seat was optional for all other passengers, The fee was mandatory for inbound and outbound flights, costing around £8 each way. 

The CMA investigation focuses on whether the charge is unfair under consumer law and means that parents are being charged for the airline to meet its child safety and disability‑related obligations as set out under aviation rules. The CMA will also examine whether the mandatory family seat fee is “dripped” during the booking process and whether consumers are presented with the total price that they will pay.