Ryanair has lost its appeal against Italy’s decision to ban seat selection charges for passengers who want to sit next to children under 12 and people with special needs, Reuters reports citing sources from Italy’s civil aviation agency (ENAC).
ENAC has introduced a ban on all carriers whose flights are operated in Italy, defending the policy in which a passenger must pay fees to sit next to a minor or a person with special needs, with whom he is accompanied. Ryanair appealed the same decision, only to have the appeal rejected in 2022. After that, the Irish low-cost carrier took the appeal to the level of Italy’s highest state court, which finally rejected the appeal earlier this month. Ryanair’s comment on the rejection is that it does not change the current seat selection and payment policy, which can vary in the range of €22 – €30. During the first appeal, ENAC warned Ryanair that it would take disciplinary actions against the carrier if it did not cancel the policy per the decision.
ENAC explains its decision that the seat charging policy cannot apply to minors who can’t travel alone (under 12 years old), as well as to people with special needs, because the person accompanying them is considered responsible for the safety of such passengers. The court agrees, stating: “…the need for the proximity of the seat between the minor and the accompanying person is clearly related to the safety obligation.”
In response to the decision, a Ryanair spokesperson further clarified that the carrier will: “ensure adult passengers accompanying minors or special needs passengers have several options to avail (themselves) of free allocated seating”.
Ryanair has increased its presence in Italy, and in 2023 as many as 34% of all available seats in Italy were on Ryanair flights. A higher percentage presence was recorded on domestic Italian flights, where almost every other seat (46%) belonged to Ryanair. The Irish low-cost carrier serves 30 airports in Italy with more than 800 routes (over 680 international and 120 domestic), while the most traffic is from Milan (Bergamo Airport – BGY).
