Britain probes Ryanair over £8 family seat fees on children’s flights

Britain’s competition watchdog has opened an investigation into Ryanair over fees parents pay to sit with young children on flights from Britain. The Competition and Markets Authority is examining whether the airline’s “mandatory family seat” charge, typically about £8 per flight, is unfair under consumer law because aviation rules require at least one parent to sit with children ages 2 to 11. The CMA said Ryanair is the only major airline flying out of Britain that imposes the charge, and noted the fee is not used on routes to and from Italy after action by Italy’s civil aviation authority. Ryanair said its policy complies with the law and lets one paying adult choose adjacent seats for up to four children on the same booking at no extra cost.