Ryanair is to make it mandatory for adults travelling with children under 12 to purchase a reserved seat from September 1.
At least one adult in every booking with children under 12 must purchase a reserved seat at the time of booking, costing €4, but then all accompanying children will receive reserved seats free of charge.
Ryanair has decided to introduce this new stipulation after a busy summer, with high load factors, when many families did not pre-book seats.
The airline said this caused boarding issues as crews tried to re-seat customers with young children, sometimes having to displace passengers who had pre-booked.
"Ryanair’s crews cannot move customers who have already paid for their preferred seats simply to accommodate other customers who are travelling with young children, who declined to reserve their seats and chose to have their seats randomly allocated," it explained.
Ryanair chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said the move will prevent customers who have chosen to purchase a seat of their own from being displaced once onboard.
