Having used Ryanair over Easter for the first time in a while I decided (only partly because I'm tight) to test out their automatic seating algorithm - you know the one that "doesn't deliberately split families and groups up without good reason" - and the results were most interesting (both flights were comfortably busy but not full):
Outbound it decided to put, Mrs McCrevis in 4D, me in 5D and Son of McCrevis (duly armed with £10 to buy Kit-Kat) in 15D, no real issues however we soon discover we are sat next another married couple who are split across 4E and 5E (with both 4F and 5F left empty). So a quick bit of "self re-allocation" followed and we a were all re-united.
The return was very similar, this time Son of McCrevis in 2D, me in 3D and Mrs McCrevis in 16D Once again I soon discovered that the lady next to me in 3E was separated from her two children who had been put in 16E and 16F next my wife (despite 2F and 3F both once again being empty). So once again a slightly more convoluted bit of "self re-allocation" (this is going to cause carnage when everyone starts doing it) and it's happy families again.
Ok I am sure someone could argue that "the allocation is driven by the order in which everyone checked in and it will be continually distributing passengers to keep the aircraft in trim" - really? a mother and her kids 13 rows apart? come on. I am more deemed to conclude, based on this limited sample, that their algorithm is either complete pants or deliberately designed to split families and groups.