Travelling with children Flying with children

When and how to fly with kids

It's advisable to wait until your baby is over two weeks old before flying

Babies

Babies delivered at full term without complications can fly from between two and seven days with a letter from your doctor, though some airlines raise the threshold to two weeks. New mothers have to wait between two and 10 days before flying, depending on the airline and the method of delivery – those who’ve had a Caesarean must wait 10 days before they can fly. 

According to the NHS, it's best to wait until the baby is over two weeks old. Children under six months must be secured on an adult's lap with an extension seatbelt. 

Young children

Children between six months and three years old can sit in a car seat on an adjacent airline seat. It's important to check with the airline whether the car seat you're proposing to use will be accepted by the airline.

Those who don’t have their own seat may be charged 10% of the adult fare or a flat fee. Children aged two years and over must occupy their own seat and pay the same fares as adults, though some airlines, including British Airways, continue to give children up to the age of 12 discounted fares. There are sometimes limits on the number of infants an airline can carry, so it's advisable to book early.

Seating

Seat or lap?

Airlines will normally put passengers with young babies together in the bulkhead seats (seats behind toilets or galley areas which face a hard partition), where travel cots can be fixed onto the partition in front of your seat. 

These are usually only available on long-haul flights and can be subject to weight, height and age limits. 

Sitting on your lap

Babies up to six months old must sit on an accompanying adult's lap for take-off and landing, so only one baby per adult is allowed under Civil Aviation Authority Regulations. Some airlines extend this to a one-toddler-per-adult rule. 

Babies up to six months old must sit on the adult’s lap for take-off and landing

Airline policies vary with regards to travelling with young children. Some require youngsters under two years to sit on an accompanying adult’s lap for take-off and landing, even if they have their own seat for the rest of the journey.

Child car seats and safety belts

For toddlers up to three years, some airlines provide booster seats and infant seat belts, while others, such as easyJet, require you to bring a car seat or a restraint device if you want your child to sit independently.

Ryanair meanwhile, will not allow you to bring a car seat on board, which means you have no choice but to have a child (up to two years) on your lap for the duration of the journey. 

The suitability of your car seat will depend on the type of aircraft you're travelling in. Before you book, check that your car seat will fit between the armrests of the seat. All car seats must be forward-facing. If you're travelling with toddlers, try to get seats in the first row of the aircraft to ensure that they don’t kick the chair of the person in front.

Luggage

Children who don’t have their own seat may be given a baggage allowance on scheduled flights, but this is less likely on charter or no-frills flights. 

Strollers

The vast majority of airlines will transport a collapsible buggy/stroller in addition to your normal luggage allowance for free, and you can keep it until you get onto the plane, when it is stowed in the hold and returned after landing. 

Equipment hire

Tour operators such as Thomson and First Choice hire out equipment such as playpens and strollers on a daily basis or for the duration of your holiday. Full equipment packs are also available from some companies (usually consisting of a stroller, parasol, baby bath, highchair, steriliser, cot, changing mat and playpen) - but check before you travel and prices and availability will vary according to your destination and the time of year.

Changing facilities and nappies

In the EU, most UK nappy brands are generally available, but more investigation will be needed if you’re going further afield. Most aircraft have baby changing facilities on board, and many airlines say that air crew will heat baby bottles.