Sun Country Infant Policy: Ages, Seats and Seasonal Routes

No bassinets

There are no bassinet positions on this fleet. On the longer leisure routes this airline flies — to Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean — that means a baby has nowhere to lie flat for several hours, and the realistic alternative is an approved car seat in a purchased 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.

With no bassinet on a four or five-hour leisure route, a seat is worth pricing rather than assuming a lap will do.

Car seats and strollers

• An approved car seat can be used on board where you have bought a seat, carrying the aircraft-approval label.
• 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.
• Use a padded bag for gate-checked items.

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 Mexican or Caribbean 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 rather than by where the family lives.

Booking a trip around a baby's day

• Fly when your baby normally sleeps where the schedule allows.
• Morning flights are usually better for younger babies and least likely to be delayed.
• Nonstop beats a connection almost every time.
• Check the seasonal schedule for both directions before anything else.
• 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 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. Cabins run cold even on a route to somewhere warm.
• Ask whether there is a 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

• Not checking the route still runs on the return date. The seasonal network is the trap here.
• Expecting a bassinet on a four or five-hour leisure route. There are none.
• Not checking the age against the return date.
• Not carrying proof of age on paper.
• Travelling to Mexico or the Caribbean without checking infant entry requirements.
• No consent letter where only one parent is going.
• Taking the last flight of the day.

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 seasonal schedule in both directions, which is the mistake that strands families on this airline.
• We price the lap option against a purchased seat, since there is no bassinet on the longer routes.
• We check the infant entry requirements for Mexican and Caribbean destinations.
• We check the baby's age against every flight date.
• We flag the passport and consent position early on an international trip.
• 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.