Ryanair has dropped its policy of charging parents to sit beside their young children on flights, following a consumer protection investigation by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA had been examining whether the airline's seat reservation fees effectively made parents pay for the airline to fulfil its legal child safety obligations, noting that rivals typically seat children next to guardians at no extra cost. Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary said the change was made reluctantly, describing it as a "minor policy tweak" and criticising the CMA for targeting a practice he claimed was widely appreciated by families.