JetBlue Infant Policy: Lap Children, Car Seats and Mint

What it costs

• No additional fare on domestic flights.
• Fees and taxes apply on flights entering the United States from another country.
• Some international destinations are restricted for infants on certain routes — check the specific destination rather than assuming.
• A seat of their own is a separate purchase.

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 longer transcontinental and Caribbean routes this airline flies, the practical difference is also real: a baby in a familiar car seat generally sleeps, and a baby on a lap generally does not.

Bassinets

There are no bassinets on this fleet. It is a narrowbody operation, so on a six-hour transcontinental flight the realistic options are a baby on a lap or an approved car seat in a purchased seat. That makes the seat decision more consequential here than on a widebody carrier with a bassinet to fall back on.

Strollers

• 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, since gate-checked items are handled like baggage.
• A compact stroller is easier through a busy terminal than a full travel system.

Documents for the baby

• Proof of age for a domestic lap infant — a birth certificate, on paper.
• A passport for any international flight, including a newborn. Processing takes weeks.
• Any entry requirement the Caribbean or Latin American destination applies to infants.
• A consent letter where only one parent travels — several destinations in this network expect one.
• Check by the baby's nationality, not by where the family lives.

Booking a trip around a baby's day

• Fly when your baby normally sleeps where the schedule allows.
• Nonstop beats a connection almost every time.
• On a transcontinental flight think about the time difference, which with a baby takes longer to settle.
• Check the Caribbean frequency — several destinations have limited service, so a disruption matters more.
• 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 departure 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 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

• Booking a premium seat for the car seat without checking the aircraft type.
• Assuming the lap infant has a baggage allowance. It has none.
• Not checking whether the destination accepts infants on certain international routes.
• Not carrying proof of age on paper.
• Not checking the age against the return date.
• Assuming there will be a bassinet on a six-hour flight. There are none.
• Leaving the baby's passport until the flights are booked.

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 check the aircraft type before you pay for a premium seat, since that decides whether the car seat can travel in it.
• We count the baggage properly, knowing the lap infant has no allowance of its own.
• We check whether your destination accepts infants on the route you want.
• We check the baby's age against every flight date.
• We flag the passport and consent position for Caribbean and Latin American destinations.
• 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.