Ryanair has unveiled a significant change to its seating policy, confirming that it will no longer charge parents for selecting seats next to their children aged 12 and under. The budget airline's announcement aims to alleviate a common source of frustration and additional cost for families travelling with young children.
Under the new system, when an adult books a flight directly through Ryanair's website and includes a child aged 12 or younger, the airline will automatically allocate adjacent seats at no extra charge. This marks a departure from previous practices where families often had to pay an additional fee to guarantee they could sit together, or risk being separated on flights.
The airline has clarified that while it will strive to place children directly next to a parent, if this is not possible due to limited availability, it will ensure they are seated in the same row or in close proximity. This flexibility is intended to manage expectations while still fulfilling the core promise of keeping families together.
This policy adjustment follows sustained pressure from consumer groups and a broader industry trend towards more family-friendly travel options. For years, the practice of charging for seat selection, particularly when it involved ensuring children were seated with guardians, has been a contentious issue among passengers.
Ryanair has also specified that this new policy applies exclusively to bookings made directly via its official website or app. Bookings made through third-party online travel agents (OTAs) will not be covered by this automatic free seating arrangement, a point the airline frequently stresses in its communications regarding booking channels.