Ryanair Drops £8 Family Seating Fee After UK Regulator Challenge

Ryanair has eliminated its mandatory family seating charge, offering free reserved seats for children aged 2–11 to sit beside accompanying adults. The UK Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into the roughly £8-per-flight fee in June 2026; within two weeks, Ryanair revised its policy. The airline previously treated the seat reservation as essential for safety compliance yet charged for it. A similar regulatory challenge succeeded in Italy in 2024, narrowing the runway for this revenue model across Europe.