Air France Infant Policy: Bassinets, Fares and Documents

Lap or a seat of their own

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 flight, frequently overnight, the practical difference is large. A baby in a familiar car seat generally sleeps; a baby on a lap generally does not, and neither does the adult holding them.

Car seats and strollers

• An approved car seat can be used on board where you have bought a seat, carrying a certification label the airline recognises.
• European and US approval marks differ. A seat bought in the United States may carry a mark that needs checking — ask before travelling 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.

Documents for the baby

• A passport, including for a newborn. No exemption for infants, and processing takes weeks.
• Any travel authorisation the destination requires — European requirements apply to children as well as adults.
• A consent letter where only one parent travels. France and several neighbouring countries expect one, and officers do ask.
• A birth certificate, useful where surnames differ.
• Check by the baby's nationality, which can differ from the parents' within one family.

Baggage for a baby

• Ask about the infant allowance rather than assuming there is none — European carriers frequently give a lap infant a small checked allowance.
• A stroller and car seat are generally carried in addition.
• Formula, breast milk and baby food are exempt from the usual liquid limits in reasonable quantities.
• Pack for an overnight flight, which needs more than a daytime one.

Booking a trip around a baby's day

• Transatlantic flights are frequently overnight, which suits some babies and not others.
• Nonstop beats a connection, though a hub transfer is common on this network.
• Leave real margin on the transfer — the hub is large and the walk with a pram is long.
• Consider onward rail rather than a second flight, which within France is frequently easier with a baby than another take-off and landing.
• Avoid the last departure of the day.

Travelling as two adults, or as one

• Two adults: a window and an aisle on a three-seat row often leaves the middle empty.
• One adult: an aisle seat is worth more than a window.
• Only one lap infant per adult.
• Whoever is not holding the baby carries everything else.
• Agree in advance who does what at security and boarding.

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.
• Change the baby immediately before boarding.
• Find the changing facilities at the hub 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.
• Request a baby meal in advance if the child is on solids.
• Ask which lavatory has the changing table.
• Accept help when it is offered.

What families most often get wrong

• Not asking who operates each leg, where partner infant rules differ.
• Planning around a bassinet without measuring the baby.
• Requesting the bassinet late.
• Bringing a car seat with a mark the airline does not recognise.
• Travelling without a consent letter where only one parent is going.
• Leaving the baby's passport until the flights are booked.
• Booking a second flight where a train would have been easier with a baby.

The first flight, and what actually goes wrong

Parents booking a first flight with a baby almost always worry about the wrong thing. The crying is what everyone fears; it is rarely what causes the problem.

What actually goes wrong is timing. Families arrive with the margin they would allow themselves alone, then find that a nappy change, a feed, a security queue with a pram and a child who will not go in the carrier have eaten an hour. The fix is simple and unglamorous: leave earlier than feels reasonable, and accept that you will sometimes be sitting at the gate with nothing to do. That is the good outcome.

The second thing is supplies. People pack for the flight rather than for the day. A two-hour flight that becomes a six-hour day after a delay needs more feeds, more nappies and more changes of clothes than the schedule suggests — and airside there is frequently nothing to buy, or nothing in the brand your baby will accept.

The third is the other passengers, and here the worry is mostly misplaced. Cabin crew deal with babies constantly and are generally very good with them. Most passengers are more sympathetic than parents expect, particularly if you look like you are coping rather than apologising. Walking the aisle with an unsettled baby is normal and nobody minds.

A short packing list for the cabin bag

• More feeds than the flight needs — assume a delay.
• More nappies than the flight needs, with wipes and a changing mat.
• Two changes of clothes for the baby, and one top for you. Both get used more often than people expect.
• Nappy bags, since not every aircraft lavatory has a bin that takes them.
• A muslin or blanket, which doubles as shade, a feeding cover and something familiar.
• Any medication, including infant paracetamol if your doctor approves it — a baby who becomes unwell in the air is not a situation to improvise.
• A dummy or comforter, and a spare, because the first one will go on the floor.
• The documents in one folder rather than spread between a bag and a phone.

How Fond Travels can help

• We confirm who operates each leg, since the partner's rules are the ones that apply.
• We request the bassinet at booking and check your baby against the limits for the operating carrier.
• We check the car seat's approval mark is one the airline recognises.
• We flag the passport, authorisation and consent position for the baby early.
• We consider rail for the onward leg, which within France is frequently easier with a baby.
• 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.