On BBC Watchdog, a programme aired on Wednesday night, the BBC talked to Dr Jennifer Rodgers from the University of Oxford who helped conduct an experiment where four researchers booked onto four Ryanair flights and were split up each time onto single, separate middle seats throughout the plane. Watchdog said that each time the group was able “to determine from the seating availability charts online that there was plenty of room on the plane for them to be allocated seats together”. But they were not.
The BBC consulted Dr Rodgers who found that the odds of that happening randomly were “astronomical”: “you have a greater chance of winning the lottery”.
In a statement* Ryanair denies they changed the random seat allocation policy, Ryanair claims that more and more passengers are reserving aisle and window seats hence passengers who choose random seats are more likely to be allocated middle seats.
Yet the passenger complaints on Twitter and other social media are piling up.
In that case why was I allocated a middle seat, my husband allocated a middle seat both aisle seats empty? As we’re many other aisle seats
— chris wild (@chriswild32) June 29, 2017
@Ryanair your new seating allocation system is a disgrace. I will never fly with you again. #conartists
— Ben Stride (@BenStride365) June 29, 2017
Seriously @Ryanair – couldn’t possibly find two seats together? Forcing customers to pay to sit together, disgusting customer service.. pic.twitter.com/ZB67OTfn04
— Rachel Bartlett (@rachelcbartlett) June 25, 2017
* Ryanair statement
Random Allocated Seating
We haven’t changed the random seat allocation policy. The reason for more middle seats being allocated is that more and more passengers are taking our reserved seats (from just €2) and these passengers overwhelmingly prefer aisle and window seats which is why people who choose random (free of charge) seats are more likely to be allocated middle seats.
Some random seat passengers are confused by the appearance of empty seats beside them when they check-in up to four days prior to departure. The reason they can’t have these window or aisle seats is that these are more likely to be selected by reserved seat passengers many of whom only check-in 24 hours prior to departure. Since our current load factor is 95%, we have to keep these window and aisle seats free to facilitate those customers who are willing to pay (from €2) for them.
This is entirely a matter of customer choice. We are not trying to force people to pay for reserved seats. We are very happy to facilitate any customer who wants a free of charge random seat but we are also going to do our best to facilitate customers who are willing to pay for a reserved seat (usually window or aisle) which start from €2.
The exception proves the rule 😉
Ryanair’s policy of seating families apart to force them to pay to sit together clearly pleases some. This comment from the Indy… pic.twitter.com/ERd61o1qGr
— Guy Anker (@MSE_GuyAnker) June 28, 2017
Featured image: By Ruthann from Western Ireland (EI-DPN, Ryanair 737-8AS cabin layout.) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
I don’t understand why pax who pay for their seat allocation woul take window and aisle seats only … if my partner and I want to sit together, we take a window and a middle seat.
Flew with Ryanair last week without paying for the seats and indeed we were allocated middle seats in rows 5 and 31. Just switched seats with another couple who were also separated from eachother. Guess what, they ware also on rows 5 and 31 ???
That is the evidence that something is fishy…