Booking a cheap flight is one thing, sitting next to your family on it is another. Low-cost airlines sell seat choice as an extra, so a family of four can pay more for seats than for some of the tickets. Here is what the airlines publish, how the free alternative works, what a family can end up paying and which EU rule will change the picture for children from October 2027.
What the free option looks like
All three airlines below assign a seat for free if you do not choose one. Ryanair calls it a randomly allocated seat. easyJet states on its fees page that it assigns seats randomly when you check in and does all it can to seat everyone on a booking together, but says this is not guaranteed, especially when checking in closer to departure.
Wizz Air says on its seating policy page that each passenger on a booking gets a random seat at check-in, which opens 24 hours before departure, and that it cannot guarantee the seats are next to each other. If you buy a seat, online check-in opens 30 days before the flight instead.
What Ryanair charges (checked 10 October 2026)
Ryanair publishes a range per flight on its fees page. The exact amount depends on route and date, and the amount differs depending on whether you buy at booking or later.
| Seat type | At the time of booking | After booking or at the airport |
|---|---|---|
| Standard seat | EUR/GBP 3 to 27.50 | EUR/GBP 3.50 to 29.50 |
| Front seat | EUR/GBP 18 to 41 | EUR/GBP 18.50 to 42.50 |
| Extra legroom seat | EUR/GBP 12.50 to 27.50 | EUR/GBP 8.50 to 38 |
All amounts are per seat and per flight. Fees are subject to VAT on some domestic routes in Italy, France, Germany, Spain and other countries listed on the page.
easyJet and Wizz Air: no fixed table
easyJet sells three seat types, described on its help page: standard seats where you choose window, middle or aisle, Up Front seats in rows 2 to 6 with a small under-seat bag, and Extra Legroom seats. Standard and Up Front are free for easyJet Plus cardholders and for customers on an Inclusive Plus fare. According to the fees page, the price varies with demand, route, flight date and time of booking, and you see the exact price when you buy. We therefore give no figure.
At Wizz Air a bundle can include the seat. With WIZZ Go you pick seats at no extra cost except front row and extra legroom. WIZZ Plus and the Privilege Pass include those seats too. The airline also sells a Sitting together product: it is only for bookings with 2 adults and a Basic fare, the seats are not chosen by you but are guaranteed to be next to each other, extra legroom and front rows are excluded, and the fee is charged per flight. We did not find the fee on the page, so check it in the booking.
Worked example: a family of four, one return trip
The figures below use Ryanair's published range for standard seats booked together with the flights. The in-between value of EUR 10 per seat is freely chosen to show the maths.
- Four passengers, two flights, so 8 seats.
- Low end: 8 times EUR 3 equals EUR 24.
- Freely chosen middle: 8 times EUR 10 equals EUR 80.
- High end: 8 times EUR 27.50 equals EUR 220.
- Free random seats: EUR 0, but no promise that the four of you sit together.
For the high end that is EUR 55 per person for seats alone. Whether it is worth it depends on the children's ages and on how you feel about the risk of sitting apart.
What the EU is changing
Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 applies from 23 October 2027. In its Article 11 text, it says that anyone accompanying a child, under the same air transport contract, shall be offered by the air carrier, free of charge, the possibility of being seated in a seat adjacent to that child. Where adjacent seats are unavailable, the carrier shall endeavour to help the accompanying person to find them. The regulation defines a child as a person below the age of 14 on the day of departure. Until the new rule applies, the airline's own terms decide, so for flights before that date the table above still counts. The rule is EU law and does not automatically cover UK carriers.
Where tripprice fits
On tripprice you can compare flight offers from providers such as Kiwi, eSky and Aviasales with vouchers and cashback. Check before booking whether a seat can be added through the provider or only on the airline's own site, because that varies by provider and by booking.
Step by step
- Look up the seat range for your airline and route before you compare prices.
- Count the seats: passengers times flights.
- Decide whether sitting together matters. For adults it often does not, for small children it does.
- If it does, compare buying seats with a bundle or fare that includes them.
- Buy at the time of booking where the airline charges more later, as Ryanair does for standard and front seats.
- Take the total, including seats, back to the price comparison.