Families angry over Ryanair charge
RYANAIR CUSTOMERS have expressed anger after the airline announced that passengers travelling with a young child will have to pay extra for a reserved seat.
Under the low-cost carrier’s existing rules, all passengers can choose to save money by having their seats randomly allocated.
But the Dublin-based airline said this has led to “boarding issues” as crews try to re-seat adults and children who have been split.
From September, one adult in every booking with children under 12 will have to purchase a reserved seat, which will cost half the standard £8 fee per flight.
Children under 12 will receive a reserved seat free of charge. Other adults on the same booking will not be affected by the change.
A Twitter message posted by the airline which claimed it was making it “simpler and cheaper to fly with children” angred some passengers.
Matt Ashby, from Blackpool, replied to the Ryanair post: “No, you’re not as we now have to pay to reserve a seat, so will cost more.”
A user named Pamela, from Ireland, wrote: “This is a joke right? It isn’t cheaper. Just seat families together! No matter what age.” But others backed the idea. Paul Connor described it as a “good move”, adding: “Watching families give out when they can’t sit together really bugs me– book the seats!”
Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said: “We are reducing the cost of a child’s reserved seat to zero, and making it mandatory for one adult in each family booking to buy a reserved seat at the time of booking, which will cost just four euro (£3.37).
“This will make flying with Ryanair even cheaper and more simple for all customers with young children, and guarantee that they will always be seated together.”