Can children sit on their own on Ryanair?

What is Ryanair's Family Seat Policy? For safety reasons, children under the age of 12 must sit beside an accompanying adult, and infants (aged 8 days to 23 months inclusive) must sit on an accompanying adult's lap. It is mandatory for an adult travelling with children under 12 (excl. infants) to reserve a seat.



On Ryanair, the seating of children is governed by a strict Family Seat Policy designed to ensure safety and group cohesion. Children under the age of 12 must sit beside an accompanying adult who is on the same booking. To facilitate this, it is mandatory for at least one adult in a family booking to purchase a reserved seat (typically starting at a few euros). Once the adult selects their seat, Ryanair allows up to four children (aged 2 to 11) to receive a reserved seat next to that adult for free. If you do not follow this process during booking, the system may separate your party, and you might be required to pay for seat changes at the airport. For teenagers aged 12 to 15, sitting alone is technically permitted as they are not subject to the mandatory "beside-an-adult" rule, but they still cannot travel as "unaccompanied minors"; they must be on a booking with an adult aged 18 or older.

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For safety reasons, children under the age of 12 must sit beside an accompanying adult, and infants (aged 8 days to 23 months inclusive) must sit on an accompanying adult's lap. It is mandatory for an adult travelling with children under 12 (excl. infants) to reserve a seat.

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Ryanair offers the option to purchase reserved seats or free seats, which are assigned randomly during check-in. Passengers who choose 'random seat allocation' can check in between 24 hours and 2 hours before the flight departure time.

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If you choose not to pay to reserve a seat, your seat will be assigned to you free of charge when you check in, between 24 hours and 2 hours prior to departure.

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Is Ryanair plus worth it? The difference in fare between a standard fare and plus isn't only the inclusion of a bag; you also get priority boarding, a reserved seat and you are able to check in online earlier with plus than a standard fare.

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Ryanair says if a person doesn't pay for their seat assignment, they are “randomly” assigned, which may result in them not sitting with their party. But the CAA found that when a passenger flies Ryanair, as compared to other airlines, the likelihood of being separated from their party doubled.

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Getting ready. Our unaccompanied minor service is required for kids 5-14, and optional for those 15-17, who are traveling alone. Here's how to book a ticket and prepare your child for their trip.

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A child (2-11 years) or teen (12-15 years) cannot be added to an accompanying adult's booking online. Instead, you'll need to purchase an additional full-fare adult ticket and once you have made the booking, contact us via the chat function on our website so we can link the two bookings and change their passenger type.

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A parent who purchases airline tickets for a family should receive a guarantee from the airline that it will seat the parent and child together without fees or a last-minute scramble at the gate or having to ask other passengers to give up their seat to allow the parent and child to sit together.

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Children 2 or older are required to have their own seat, a ticketed adult fare. Children under 5 can't travel alone under any circumstances.

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In fact, most regular airlines now charge for seat selection anyways. It's often around $10-$30 per seat per flight segment, so if you cave in and pay for that, it can add up quickly. You shouldn't do it. No matter which airline you're flying on, don't ever pay to select a seat.

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Ryanair hold luggage allowance There's no hold luggage automatically included with a Ryanair flight ticket. Instead you have to buy luggage allowance when you book your ticket or at a later stage. ³ More on that - and the costs - later.

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Ryanair now offers Premium seats in rows 1-5, 16, 17, 32, and 33. Which gives travelers priority boarding, extra legroom and faster disembarking for a fee of €17/£15. Standard seats in rows 6-15 and 18-31- travelers can preselect any seat in these rows for a fee of €5/£5.

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The maximum weight for cabin luggage on Ryanair is 22 lbs (10kg). Carry-on items must be stowed in the overhead bin or under the seat before you. Oversized or heavy baggage may be placed in the hold and checked for an extra fee.

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One specific Ryanair seat that is well-known for being the worst on the flight is 11A - which is a seat with no window or a tiny one that you can barely look out of.

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Ryanair's low fares are a result of clever cost-cutting tactics, such as eliminating in-flight amenities, using cheaper secondary airports, and charging for extras like drinks and snacks.

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