The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has commenced an investigation into Ryanair's practice of charging parents to sit with children.

競爭及市場管理局 (CMA) 已開始調查 Ryanair 要求家長支付費用才能與兒童同座的做法。

The inquiry centers on the 'mandatory family seat' policy, which requires at least one adult to be seated with children aged two to eleven. The CMA notes that while seat selection is optional for other passengers, this specific requirement necessitates a fee—typically £8 per flight—for the accompanying adult. A primary point of contention is whether this fee constitutes an unfair contract term, specifically if it compels consumers to pay for the airline's adherence to statutory child safety and disability obligations. Furthermore, the regulator is examining whether the disclosure of these costs constitutes 'drip pricing,' a practice prohibited since 2024, wherein unavoidable fees are withheld until the final stages of a transaction.

此次調查的核心在於「強制家庭座位」政策，該政策要求至少一名成人必須與兩至十一歲的兒童同座。CMA 指出，雖然其他乘客的選位是可選的，但這項特定要求使得陪同成人必須支付費用——通常每趟航班為 8 英鎊。爭議的主要焦點在於該費用是否構成不公平的契約條款，特別是它是否強迫消費者為航空公司履行法定兒童安全與身心障礙義務而買單。此外，監管機構正在審查這些成本的揭露是否構成「滴灌定價」(drip pricing)，這是一種自 2024 年起被禁止的做法，即將不可避免的費用隱藏至交易的最後階段才告知。

Institutional positioning reveals a significant divergence in interpretation. The CMA asserts that Ryanair is the sole major UK-based carrier employing this fee structure, noting that competitors typically provide such seating without charge. Conversely, Ryanair maintains that its policy is legally compliant, arguing that the fee applies only to the adult's reserved seat while up to four children may be seated adjacent to that adult free of charge. The airline has characterized the probe as 'bogus' and suggested it is a political gesture by the current administration, citing the failure to abolish Air Passenger Duty (APD) as a more pertinent concern for consumer costs. Notably, the airline ceased this practice on Italian routes following a 2024 legal defeat against the Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC).

機構立場顯示出明顯的解讀分歧。CMA 主張 Ryanair 是唯一一家在英國營運且採用此收費結構的主要航空公司，並指出競爭對手通常免費提供此類座位。相反地，Ryanair 主張其政策符合法律，認為費用僅適用於成人的預留座位，而最多四名兒童可免費坐在該成人 adjacent 處。該航空公司將此次調查形容為「虛假」的，並暗示這是現任政府的政治姿態，認為未能取消航空乘客稅 (APD) 才是對消費者成本更相關的問題。值得注意的是，在 2024 年輸給民航局 (ENAC) 的法律訴訟後，該航空公司已停止在義大利航線採取此做法。

The CMA is currently evaluating the evidence and has not yet reached a final determination regarding legal breaches.

CMA 目前正在評估證據，尚未就法律違規行為達成最終判定。