United Infant Policy: Add the Baby at Booking, Not After

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.

• A purchased seat lets you bring an approved car seat on board, which most babies sleep in better than on a lap.
• On a long-haul flight the difference in how the journey goes is frequently larger than parents expect.
• On a lightly booked flight, ask at the gate whether an empty adjacent seat can take the car seat. A courtesy, not an entitlement.
• If you buy a seat, book it as a child fare rather than adding a lap infant, and say so clearly when booking.

Car seats and strollers

• An approved car seat can be used on board where you have bought a seat. It needs 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, particularly on regional aircraft.
• Use a padded bag for gate-checked items.

Bassinets

• Long-haul widebody aircraft only, attaching to bulkhead positions.
• Very few per cabin, and the bulkhead seats are in demand for other reasons too.
• Request as early as possible, at the time of booking.
• Weight and length limits apply, and a baby who has outgrown them cannot use one.
• Nothing is confirmed until you board, since an aircraft change can remove the position.

Baggage for a baby

• A lap infant generally has no checked allowance of their own.
• 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 and expect separate screening.
• Pack more in the cabin bag than seems necessary, including an extra change of clothes for the baby and for you.

What to have ready

• Proof of the baby's age — a birth certificate or passport.
• A passport for any international flight, including for a newborn. Processing takes weeks.
• Any visa or travel authorisation the destination requires for the infant.
• A consent letter where only one parent travels, which some destinations expect.

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, since they are screened separately.
• Change the baby immediately before boarding, not an hour earlier.
• Find the changing facilities at departure, connection 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. Cabins run cold and jet bridges run hot.
• 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 the flights and adding the baby afterwards. On this airline that is the expensive mistake.
• Estimating the international infant fare from another airline's 10 per cent rule.
• Not checking the age against the return date.
• Bringing a car seat without the aircraft-approval label.
• Leaving the baby's passport until the flights are booked.
• Requesting a bassinet late.
• Booking an exit row, which a lap infant cannot occupy.

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 add the infant at the point of booking, which on this airline is the step that cannot be undone later.
• We get an actual international infant quote rather than estimating from a percentage that does not apply here.
• We check the baby's age against every flight date.
• We request the bassinet early and pick bulkhead seating where it exists.
• We flag the infant's passport and visa position as soon as an international trip is mentioned.
• 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.