05:33 AM EDT, 06/11/2026 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with company's response from the fifth paragraph onwards.)

Ryanair ( RYAOF ) is facing an investigation by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority over charges parents must pay to sit with their children on flights, the regulator said Thursday.

The CMA said Ryanair ( RYAOF ) requires at least one parent to sit with children aged 2 to 11 through a mandatory family seat reservation, which typically costs about 8 British pounds ($10.7) per flight.

The regulator is investigating whether the practice could amount to an unfair contract term under UK consumer law.

The CMA said it is also examining whether Ryanair's ( RYAOF ) booking process adequately presents the mandatory family seating charge as part of the total price paid by consumers.

A Ryainair spokesperson told MT Newswires in an e-mail statement that its family seating policy "fully complies" with applicable laws and regulations.

"Ryanair DOES NOT charge any fee for children to sit beside their parent or accompanying adult. Like all adults who select a reserved seat, adults travelling with children pay one reserved seat fee, but can select reserved seats beside them for up to 4 children on the same booking FREE OF CHARGE," the spokesperson said.

"This means that parents travelling with children pay for only one (adult) reserved seat but pay nothing for the 4 other reserved seats for their children travelling with them," the spokesperson added.

Ryanair ( RYAOF ) also said it expects to refute the regulator's claims during the investigation.