Hawaiian Airlines Infant Policy: Car Seats and the Long Sector

What it costs

• No additional fare on flights within Hawaii and from Hawaii to North America.
• International routes carry an infant fare — ask for the actual figure.
• A seat of their own is a separate purchase and the reliable way to use a car seat.

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 the mainland sector the practical case is also strong. There are no bassinets, the flight is five to six hours, and a baby in a familiar car seat generally sleeps where one on a lap does not. On a twenty-five-minute inter-island hop none of that applies.

Strollers and equipment

• Strollers and car seats are checked at no charge, including at the gate.
• Gate-check the stroller so it stays with you through the terminal.
• Use a padded bag for anything gate-checked, since it is handled like baggage.
• A compact stroller is easier, particularly on inter-island turnarounds where everything happens quickly.

Packing for the islands

This is worth its own section because it saves real money.

• Nappies and formula cost considerably more on the islands than on the mainland, and the brand you use may not be stocked.
• Bring what you need for the whole stay where the bag allowance permits — it is usually cheaper than buying there.
• Check what the accommodation provides. Many condos and resorts have cots available on request, which saves carrying one.
• Consider shipping ahead for a long stay, which some families do for bulky items.
• Allow for the return, which needs enough supplies for a five to six-hour flight plus delays.

Booking a trip around a baby's day

• Mainland flights are long and frequently overnight on the return. If your baby only sleeps in a cot, a daytime return may be considerably easier even at a worse hour.
• Allow for the time difference, which with a baby takes several days to settle.
• Book inter-island legs with margin, since a missed connection after a long sector with a tired baby is a bad end to the day.
• Arrive a day before anything that matters rather than on the morning of it.
• 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 — which on this airline may also solve the car seat question.
• 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, particularly at the smaller island airports.
• 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. Cabins run cold even on a tropical route.
• Ask which lavatory has the changing table.
• 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

• Bringing a car seat without the certification labels, which means it cannot be used on board at all.
• Hoping for an empty seat on a full mainland flight rather than buying one.
• Expecting a bassinet on the long sector. There are none.
• Packing light and buying nappies and formula at island prices.
• Booking an overnight return for a baby who only sleeps in a cot.
• Tight inter-island connections after a long sector.
• Not checking the age against the return date.

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 treat the mainland sector and the inter-island hops as different problems, because they are.
• We tell you whether the car seat can realistically be used, and price a seat if that is the reliable route.
• We build margin into inter-island connections after a long sector.
• We check what the accommodation provides so you are not carrying a cot across the Pacific.
• We pick the return time around the baby, not just the fare.
• 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.