Air Canada Infant Policy: Ages, Bags and Bassinets

Bassinets

• Available on select long-haul flights, attaching to bulkhead positions.
• Reported weight limit around 25 lb.
• You generally need a bulkhead seat, and those are limited and in demand.
• Request at booking, not later.
• Nothing is confirmed until you board, since an aircraft change can remove the position.

Lap or a seat of their own

The FAA and Transport Canada both take the view that the safest way for a baby to fly is in an approved child restraint in their own seat. In turbulence an adult's arms are not a restraint. A lap infant is legal and extremely common, but it is the affordable option rather than the safe one.

On a transatlantic or transpacific flight the practical difference is also real: a baby in a familiar car seat generally sleeps, and a baby on a lap generally does not.

Car seats and strollers

• An approved car seat can be used on board where you have bought a seat, carrying the certification label the airline recognises.
• Canadian and US approval marks differ. If you are bringing a seat bought in the other country, check the label before you travel rather than at the gate.
• Strollers and car seats are generally carried at no additional charge, checked or gate-checked.
• Gate-check the stroller so it stays with you through the terminal.
• Use a padded bag for gate-checked items.

Crossing the border with a baby

• A passport is required for air travel between Canada and the United States, including for a newborn. There is no exemption for infants.
• Processing takes weeks. Start it as soon as the trip is a possibility.
• Check entry requirements by the baby's nationality, which may differ from yours where parents hold different passports.
• A consent letter is commonly expected where only one parent travels, and border officers do ask.
• Carry the birth certificate too, which helps establish the relationship if the surnames differ.

Getting through the airport

• Allow far more time than you would alone.
• Use the family lane at security where one exists.
• You will carry the baby through the detector while the carrier is scanned.
• Keep milk, formula and food accessible, since they are screened separately.
• Change the baby immediately before boarding.
• Find the changing facilities at departure, connection and arrival in advance.
• Do not rely on buying supplies airside.

The flight itself

• Feed on the way up and the way down. Sucking equalises ear pressure.
• Do not wake a sleeping baby for descent.
• Dress in layers.
• Ask about a baby meal on a long-haul flight if the child is on solids — request it in advance.
• Ask which lavatory has the changing table.
• Accept help when it is offered.

What families most often get wrong

• Not using the extra carry-on allowance they are entitled to.
• Leaving the baby's passport until the flights are booked, when it is required even for a cross-border hop.
• Not checking the age against the return date.
• Requesting a bassinet late, when the bulkhead seats have gone.
• Bringing a car seat with a mark the airline does not recognise.
• Travelling without a consent letter where only one parent is going.
• Assuming the international infant ticket buys a seat.

Booking a trip around a baby's day

The timetable matters more than parents expect, and it is one of the few things entirely within your control.

• Fly when your baby normally sleeps if you can. A flight that overlaps a long nap is a different experience from one that lands in the middle of the witching hour.
• Morning flights are usually better for younger babies, and they are also the least likely to be delayed.
• Overnight flights work well for some babies and badly for others. If yours sleeps in the car, an overnight has a decent chance; if they only sleep in a cot, it may not.
• Nonstop beats a connection almost every time with an infant. A connection means waking them, repacking, and another take-off and landing with the ear pressure that goes with it.
• If you must connect, leave real margin. A tight transfer that works alone is miserable with a pram, a nappy change and a feed to fit in.
• Avoid the last departure of the day. A cancellation with a baby and no onward flight is the scenario to design out.

Travelling as two adults, or as one

How many pairs of hands you have changes almost every decision on this page.

• Two adults: consider booking a window and an aisle on a three-seat row. If the middle stays empty the baby has space; if it fills, the passenger will usually swap for a window or aisle.
• One adult: an aisle seat is generally worth more than a window, because you will be getting up.
• One adult with two children: remember only one lap infant per adult, so a second infant needs a seat and an approved restraint.
• Whoever is not holding the baby carries everything else. Pack with that division in mind rather than splitting things evenly.
• Agree in advance who does what at security and at boarding. It is a small thing that removes a lot of friction on the day.

How Fond Travels can help

• We make sure you use the lap infant's extra carry-on allowance, which many families never discover.
• We flag the passport requirement immediately, since it applies even to a short cross-border flight and takes weeks.
• We request the bassinet at booking and secure bulkhead seating where it exists.
• We check the car seat's approval mark is one the airline recognises.
• We check the baby's age against every flight date.
• We answer at any hour, which with a baby in the house is more useful than it sounds.

To plan a trip with a baby, call +1 (323) 800 6001. A travel expert answers any hour.