Ryanair has performed a sudden U-turn on its policy of charging parents for the privilege of sitting next to their own children. The budget airline, which had previously demanded up to £25 for allocated seating to keep families together, now says it will scrap the fee after widespread backlash. But the British consumer group leading the charge is not buying it without a written guarantee.
The reversal comes after months of mounting pressure from Which? and other campaign groups, who accused Ryanair of exploiting parents. Under the old policy, families with young children were forced to pay extra for seats next to each other, or risk being separated across the cabin. Ryanair claimed it was a safety issue, but critics saw it as a revenue-grab.
“After listening to our customers, we have decided to remove the fee for families with children under 12,” a Ryanair spokesperson said in a statement. “Parents can now seat their children next to them at no extra cost.”
But Which? is having none of it. The consumer group has demanded the airline put its new policy in writing, warning that verbal promises are not worth the paper they are not written on.
“Ryanair has form when it comes to backtracking on customer-friendly policies,” said a Which? spokesman. “They need to provide a clear, written guarantee that families will not be charged for sitting together. Otherwise, this is just another PR stunt.”
The airline has a history of introducing and then quietly dropping policies. In 2018, it pledged to improve customer service after a series of PR disasters, but later cut back on refunds. In 2020, it promised to cap fares during the pandemic, but that was quietly forgotten.
Ryanair declined to comment on whether it would provide a written guarantee. Sources close to the company say the policy change is final, but refused to rule out future tweaks.
The cost of seating families apart has been a simmering issue across the industry. EasyJet and British Airways already allow families to sit together without charge, but Ryanair and Wizz Air have held out. Wizz Air still charges for seats, even for children.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has said it expects airlines to seat families together at no extra cost, but has no formal power to enforce it. Which? is now pushing for a regulatory change to make it mandatory.
“This is a welcome step, but it should not be a voluntary policy that can be reversed at a moment’s notice,” said a spokesperson for the consumer group. “Parents should not have to worry about being charged to sit with their own children. The government needs to step in and make this the law.”
The decision comes as Ryanair faces a broader reputational crisis. The airline has been criticised for its treatment of passengers with disabilities, its opaque booking system, and its aggressive cost-cutting measures. Earlier this year, it was fined £2 million for failing to pay compensation during the 2022 flight cancellations.
For now, parents can breathe a sigh of relief. But trust, like a cheap flight, is easily lost and hard to regain.
