Ryanair has blinked. The budget carrier, known for its aggressive cost-cutting and no-frills approach, has quietly dropped its controversial charge for families to sit together. It is a victory for the passenger rights lobby, a scrappy coalition of consumer groups and MPs that has been nipping at the airline's heels for months.
The charge, which could run up to £25 per seat, was widely condemned as a stealth tax on parents. Campaigners argued it forced families to pay extra just to avoid the stress of being separated from young children mid-flight. The airline's u-turn comes after a sustained pressure campaign, including a parliamentary petition that garnered over 10,000 signatures and a series of damning headlines in the tabloids.
A senior Whitehall source told me the Department for Transport had been 'quietly encouraging' the Civil Aviation Authority to take a harder line. 'The minister was getting uncomfortable questions from his own backbenchers,' the source said. 'They knew this was a loser politically.
' Ryanair, for its part, is framing the move as a 'customer service improvement'. A spokesperson said the airline was 'listening to feedback' and would now allow families to sit together 'without charge' provided they book the standard 'Plus' fare. But the small print is crucial.
The policy only applies to the 'Plus' tier, not the basic 'Value' fare. So budget-conscious families may still face a sting if they opt for the cheapest ticket. The question now is whether other low-cost carriers will follow suit.
easyJet and Wizz Air still charge for seat selection, though they offer free seating for families who book early. The passenger rights group FairFly has already fired a warning shot, saying it will 'be watching closely.' For now, the campaigners can claim a scalp.
It is a rare win for the little guy in a sector where the airline usually calls the shots.
