Ryanair 'reluctantly' agrees to let parents sit with children for free

Ryanair has changed its family seating policy to allow parents to sit with their young children without paying a seat reservation fee, after an investigation was opened. Adults travelling with children who do not wish to pay for a reserved seat will now be told of their free seat allocation after check-in, which Ryanair said was in line with most other European airlines. Chief executive Michael O'Leary said it would "reluctantly adjust to this industry standard", but insisted its long-standing policy fully complied with laws and had given families "certainty". It comes after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was looking into whether the policy was unfair under consumer law. Under the old policy, Ryanair said adults travelling with children paid one reserved seat fee, and could select seats beside them for up to four children for free. This typically led to a fee of £8 each way, the CMA said when it launched its investigation earlier this month. It said at the time it was looking at whether the airline's "approach to seat reservations may mean parents are being charged for the airline to meet its child safety and disability‑related obligations as set out under aviation rules – and will investigate to determine whether or not this practice is in line with consumer law". Other airlines offered to seat children next to a parent or guardian without a fee, or allocate seats together automatically during booking for free, it added. …