What happened
- Families who do not select or pay for reserved seats will be advised of their free seat allocation after check-in. These families will likely be seated toward the rear of the cabin.
- Families who prefer to choose their seats at the time of booking must now pay the full price for every passenger on the reservation, rather than just the adult. The airline states this change aligns with the industry standard for most other European airlines and claims it will be revenue neutral. CEO Michael O’Leary criticized regulators for targeting the policy while ignoring other consumer issues
Ryanair has updated its family seating policy effective June 25, 2026, following an investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into whether its previous model constituted an unfair contract term. Under the revised policy: