Allegiant Infant Policy: Lap Children and Proof of Age

Lap or a seat of their own

The FAA is clear that the safest way for a baby to fly is in an approved child restraint in their own seat, because 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 this airline there is a further consideration: the base fare is low and everything else is priced separately, so the gap between a lap infant and a purchased seat is sometimes smaller than on a full-service carrier. Price both before deciding.

Car seats and strollers

• An approved car seat can be used on board where you have bought a seat, carrying the label showing aircraft approval.
• 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.
• Measure the car seat against the aircraft seat width before travelling.
• Use a padded bag for gate-checked items, which are handled like baggage.

Baggage for a baby

• A lap infant has no checked allowance of their own, and on a bare-fare airline your own allowance is bought separately.
• Count the bags honestly. A baby's kit for a week is not a small amount, and buying allowance at the airport is the expensive way to do it.
• A diaper bag is usually permitted in addition — confirm whether it counts against your carry-on.
• Formula, breast milk and baby food are exempt from the usual liquid limits in reasonable quantities. Declare them at security.
• Pack more in the cabin bag than seems necessary.

Thin schedules matter more with a baby

Many of this airline's routes run a few times a week rather than daily, and that changes what a disruption costs you.

• Check the frequency on your dates, not just whether the route exists.
• A cancellation can mean days, with no interline arrangement to move you to another airline.
• Waiting out a disruption with a baby is a materially harder day than doing it alone.
• Avoid the last departure of the day, and prefer a morning flight where the baby is likely to be at their best.

Getting through the airport

• Allow far more time than you would alone.
• Carriers at smaller airports have fewer agents rather than shorter queues.
• 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.
• Do not rely on buying supplies airside, particularly at smaller airports.

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 which lavatory has a changing table — on some narrowbody aircraft there may not be one.
• Board at the time that suits the baby if the bulky items are gate-checked.
• Accept help when it is offered.

What families most often get wrong

• Not carrying proof of age on paper.
• Not checking the age against the return date.
• Underestimating baggage on a fare where every bag is priced separately.
• Booking a thin route without checking what happens if it cancels.
• Booking an exit row, which a lap infant cannot occupy.
• Bringing a car seat without the aircraft-approval label.
• Taking the last flight of the day with a baby.

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 check the schedule frequency, because a thin route with a baby is a different risk from a daily one.
• We price the lap option against a purchased seat, which on a bare-fare airline is a closer call than people assume.
• We count the baggage properly before you book, rather than at the airport.
• We check the baby's age against every flight date.
• We tell you exactly what to carry as proof of age.
• 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.