As reported by Tagesspiegel, the Irish low-cost airline Ryanair is under scrutiny by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The authority is reviewing the practice of charging parents a fee for a so-called family seat so they can sit next to their children. Ryanair also charges such a fee in Germany.
The Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv) sees an urgent need for action, even though no complaints from German consumers have been received so far. A vzbv spokesperson told Tagesspiegel: ‘This is an absolute outrage. It is a shame that we have to deal with such basic necessities as sitting together free of charge.’ The European consumer umbrella organization BEUC calculated that the additional costs for families can run into the hundreds of euros.
The fee is not an isolated case: An analysis of 29 airlines by the European Consumer Organisation BEUC in April 2026 found that families of four pay an average surcharge of 80 to 200 euros for seat fees. In one case, as much as 300 euros was charged. The vzbv announced that it would have problematic developments legally reviewed.
EuroPulse reported on June 11, 2026, about the UK competition authority’s investigation into Ryanair over the fee for parent-child seating (see article).
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
