Ryanair rule means parents will have to pay extra when travelling with children

Mums and dads planning to jet off with Ryanair need to prepare for extra fees when booking their family holiday.

The no-frills carrier, famous for its bare-bones approach, slaps on additional charges for perks like choosing your seat and bringing bags. However, travellers content to let Ryanair allocate their seat and pack just a small cabin bag can stick to the basic price.

But there's a catch if you're flying with youngsters under 12 - Ryanair's rules mean at least one adult must buy a seat, costing as much as 10 euros each way. The good news is that up to four children can then sit beside the adult at no extra cost, and they'll all be positioned in the same row.

Meanwhile, easyJet states that families with kids don't need to fork out for seats, though it suggests checking in as soon as possible if they're not purchasing them, reports the Liverpool Echo.

The carrier's website states: "Whilst our seating system will always try to seat families together, seats are allocated on a first come first served basis so the earlier you check in the more likely you are to be seated together.

"If you leave it to the last minute it's possible that there may not be enough seats left for us to seat your family next to each other. We'll still make sure each child under 12 is seated close to an adult on your booking.

"However we may only be able to arrange this at the airport or on board, which can cause delays for you and other passengers, and not everyone may be seated together."

Jet2holidays' policy is clearly stated on its website: "As a family friendly airline we will always endeavour to seat children and infants under the age of 12 next to their accompanying adults.

"If this is not possible for any reason, we will ensure children are seated as close as possible, and no more than one row away. We would encourage you to pre-book your seats advance to ensure you reserve the seats you want for your travelling party."

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