IN what could be described as a piece of sensible logistical action, Ryanair, which has in the past been criticised in the past for putting profits before passengers, has announced that with effect from September 1 at least one passenger travelling with a child under 12 years of age will have to purchase an allocated seat on each leg of the journey at a cost of £4 (€4.8) per leg.
Whilst some parties believe this to be another attempt to raise additional funds, the airline quite reasonably explains that this has been done to eliminate problems when checking in to board where children are being allocated seats away from their parents.
Once the adult has paid to choose his or her seat, an adjoining seat for the child will be allocated free of charge and apart from this resolving frustration and upset for parents and child at the check in, it will also make life easier for those who pre-paid for a specific seat and are then cajoled to move to make way for a vagrant child.
This charge that is being made by Ryanair compares to the €8 per person charge that BA makes for European flights which can increase to up to €60 for intercontinental flights, depending on the fare structure of the passenger’s ticket.
Like most big companies, Ryanair are finding more and more ways of extracting more money off its customers.
I’d gladly pay it for them if it means the child sits nowhere near ME
How about a charge increase to guarantee not being placed next to the journey spoiling little devils- I will pay all day!
I have some sympathy with these comments, having been on the receiving end of parents who seem to be able to make themselves oblivious to their children’s behaviour.