On the low-cost airline, children have to sit next to their parents, which costs extra. Despite the displeasure of many parents, the family association is defending the airline.
Dublin – Long gone are the days when you could sit next to your companion even without a seat reservation. Nowadays, without appropriate additional booking, passengers are often randomly distributed on the plane. Anyone who values the person sitting next to them is forced to spend money.
At least with Ryanair, parents of small children don't have a choice – it's unclear whether they would like it. If you fly with the Irish low-cost airline and have children under twelve with you, you must make a reservation. Unfair paternalism? Not from the airline's perspective.
For safety reasons: Ryanair requires parents to reserve seats for their children
Solo travelers aged 12 and over can be assigned a seat on the plane free of charge and thus save the additional four to 30 euros in fees (depending on the route and category) for a specific seat. If a passenger is younger, they must sit next to an accompanying adult. Therefore, adults are obliged to make a paid reservation in order to have the child with them. Small children up to two years of age must be placed on their laps. A seat booking is not required here. Not the first time that the low-cost airline smells of money-making: a passenger was charged a hefty cake fee.
According to the company, the regulation was introduced in 2016 “for safety reasons,” as stated on the Ryanair homepage is called. And according to the airline's understanding, this is a family-friendly requirement. “Adults who reserve a seat for a fee can then book up to four seats for their children at no additional cost,” it said in a statement to the Mallorca newspaper. An uncontrolled mother demonstrated the safety risk that parents can become on a flight to Italy.
Conversely, this also means that reservations do not have to be made for each individual family member, as is sometimes the case with other airlines. A number of examples show how important sitting together can be for all other passengers. For example, if you are not willing to give up your window seat or first class seat for a parent-child team. An airline therefore promises child-free zones on the plane.
Family association defends airline – but is bothered by something completely different
The German Family Association reacts to the airline's approach. “A mandatory seat reservation for a parent is of course not appreciated by families,” admits Federal Managing Director Sebastian Heimann. He can understand that families react angrily and feel disadvantaged. But he also understands the airline.
“The topic should not be viewed emotionally, but rather in a differentiated manner,” says Heimann. He emphasizes the safety idea behind the regulation. He doesn't think it's asking too much that Ryanair requires a reservation for an adult and offers space for up to four children.
Instead, he is pushing for another measure that will take effect this year and will probably make flying significantly more expensive. “The price driver for flight tickets for families will not be the additional reservation amounting to 6 to 10 euros, but rather the ticket tax introduced by the federal government,” says Heimann. In specific individual cases, the new tax makes the flight between 15 and 70 euros more expensive per person; depending on the flight route. For a family of five, this is a “tax on their holiday trip that should not be underestimated”. (rku)
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