Air India 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 fifteen-hour sector the practical case is strong as well. A baby who has outgrown the bassinet and has no seat is on a lap for the whole flight.

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.
• Approval marks differ between regions — check a US-bought seat before travelling.
• 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.

Baggage for a baby

• Ask about the infant's allowance rather than assuming there is none.
• 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 the whole journey, which on these routes is frequently twenty-four hours door to door including a domestic connection at the far end.

Booking a trip around a baby's day

• Fly when your baby normally sleeps where the schedule allows.
• Nonstop where it exists, since it removes a transfer and a second take-off and landing.
• Leave real margin on any connection, particularly where the onward leg is domestic.
• Allow for the time difference, which on these routes is severe and takes a baby longer to settle than an adult.
• Build a quiet first day into the plan at the other end.

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 in advance at both ends.
• 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

• Booking flights before the baby's visa or card is arranged. This is the commonest and most expensive mistake on these routes.
• Assuming a baby born abroad is automatically covered by the parents' status.
• Planning around a bassinet without measuring against the 71 cm length.
• Assuming the 10 per cent fare buys a seat.
• Booking a tight connection onto a domestic leg with a pram.
• Underestimating the time difference at the other end.
• Packing for a flight rather than for a full day of travel.

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 raise the baby's visa or card position before anything is booked, which on these routes is what actually decides whether the trip happens.
• We check your baby against the published bassinet dimensions and request one at the right point.
• We build in a workable connection, including onto a domestic leg at the far end.
• We get the actual infant fare rather than estimating.
• We plan the journey as a whole day, not as a flight.
• We answer at any hour, which across these time zones matters more than usual.

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