Traveling with a baby. It's a phrase that immediately gives off vibes of dread and stress for many people. But it absolutely does not need to be that way! We have always loved traveling, but we had no idea how much MORE fun it would be after Brady was born. Getting to see him grow and develop and figure out the world around him while we travel has been some of the best moments of our lives!
Having a plan and being prepared is key (see Lap Infant Travel Tips), and using points and miles to fly business class has certainly helped. But if there was one thing we were NOT prepared for, it was the difficultly and expense that can come with ticketing a lap infant on an international award ticket!
So after a over a year of experience with the process, we've compiled this guide to make it simpler for every parent out there that wants their little one to experience the greatest form of education - travel!
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The tips below mainly relate to using points and miles to book flights. The "Best", "Hit or miss", and "Worst" programs listed are for the airline that is used to book the flight, which isn't necessarily the airline that is operating the flight. If you're fairly new to how this works or need a little more guidance, checkout our Points and Miles 101 guide!
The Basics
A "lap infant" is typically defined as a child that is under 2 years of age for the entire journey. If the child is over 2 years old or will turn 2 years old during the trip, a separate seat is required to be purchased.
For domestic flights within the US (and many other countries), there is no fee for lap infants. However, the lap infant must be added to the reservation and the baby will either receive a separate boarding pass or a note such as "with lap infant" will be added to the adult's boarding pass. Airlines like American and Delta make it easy to add a lap infant after booking - it can be found on the "Manage Booking" page. Other airlines - like Southwest - require you to call to add the lap infant. Most of the time, you can also add a lap infant at the check-in desk, but we don't recommend waiting until that point. Certain airlines have restrictions on the total number of lap infants per flight. If you use points from a foreign airline to book a domestic flight (i.e. using British Airways Avios to book American from Louisville to Miami), there is no need to add the lap infant at the time of booking or pay a fee, even if the airline might indicate it is required during the booking process.
When it comes to international flights, it gets more complicated. The general rule: a lap infant costs 10% of the adult revenue fare (at the time of the lap infant being added) plus some mandatory taxes. If you're booking a flight with "cash" and adding the lap infant at the time of booking, it's pretty easy - the lap infant's fare will be included in the price.
However, booking international flights with points is when it can get really convoluted. If you're using points and miles to book an airline through their own program (i.e. using Delta SkyMiles to book a Delta-operated flight), it's not too difficult and it can generally be done online. But when you're using points to book a partner airline (i.e. using American AAdvantage to book Qatar Airways), it can be very expensive and downright frustrating.
For the most part, the airline operating the flight is responsible for ticketing the lap infant, but we've found that many customer service agents are unaware of the policies or are unable to process the ticketing as needed. The HUCA proccess ("Hang up, call again") is often necessary. Several times, we've had a customer service agent say they had successfully ticketed a lap infant, but in reality, they only added a request for a bassinet! If the infant has not received a separate ticket number, the infant is not ticketed for the flight and will not be allowed to board the international flight.
We experienced this frustration firsthand when we attempted to add a lap infant to an itinerary booked through ANA Mileage Club (with points transferred from AMEX) for flights operated by United and TAP Portugal. It became such an arduous process (the lap infant ticket was quoted as $1200+!) that we ultimately cancelled that reservation and booked a new itinerary fully operated by United.
Even that wasn't a cakewalk - it required getting some "inside info" from a friend to call the United fare desk directly for the lap infant ticket to be issued (and it was still over $600). In fact, we had received so much wrong info from previous customer service agents that an internal memo was issued by United clarifying the lap infant ticketing process!
So after 32 flights in Brady's first year of life, we've definitely learned a lot about the programs to avoid when booking a lap infant and the best ones to use. Read on for more.
Best Airline Award Programs for Lap Infants
These airline programs below are transfer partners of almost all major card programs, and the policies apply to redemptions for flights on not only their own "metal" but partner airlines, too.
Air Canada Aeroplan (how-to guide)
Lap infant fee: 25 CAD or 2,500 points + certain taxes
How to book: lap infant can be added at the time of booking (only if using points for the fee) or any time before departure by calling Air Canada Aeroplan customer support
British Airways Executive Club (how-to guide)
Lap infant fee: 10% of the adult points + certain taxes
How to book: lap infant can be added at the time of booking or any time before departure by calling Executive Club customer service
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (how-to guide)
Lap infant fee: 5,000 points per segment
How to book: lap infant can be added at the time of booking or any time before departure by calling Flying Club customer service
Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Lap infant fee: 10% of the adult points + certain taxes
How to book: lap infant must be added at the time of booking
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Lap infant fee: no additional lap infant fee - only the required taxes are charged
How to book: lap infant can be added at the time of booking or any time before departure by calling Qantas customer service
Hit-or-miss Airline Award Programs for Lap Infants
These programs can sometimes have good rates and policies for lap infants on a reservation booked with points, but it depends on the airline you're flying or the class of service.
ANA Mileage Club
Lap infant fee: 10% of the adult points - but ONLY for ANA-operated flights and select few partner flights
How to book: contact ANA customer service
Emirates Skywards
Lap infant fee: 10% of adult miles in economy, 10% of the adult revenue fare in first/business, 10% of adult miles if upgrading
How to book: contact Emirates Skywards customer service
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Lap infant fee: 10% of adult points + taxes
How to book: must be added online at the time of booking, otherwise you will need to visit a Turkish Airlines ticket office in-person
United MileagePlus
Lap infant fee: 10% of the adult revenue fare (capped at $250) + taxes
How to book: contact United MileagePlus customer service
Worst Airline Award Programs for Lap Infants
There are a couple of programs to avoid completely - either due to very high fees or fees that are charged higher than what they should be.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Lap infant fee: 30% of the adult revenue fare
How to book: contact Asia Miles customer service
American Airlines AAdvantage
Lap infant fee: it should be the standard 10% of the adult revenue fare, but many data points show it can be significantly higher
How to book: contact AAdvantage customer service (many others have reported that agents are unaware of how to ticket a lap infant properly, so HUCA will likely be required)
All Other Programs
For almost every other program, the airline booking the flight will direct you to the airline operating the flight. This process can be time consuming and confusing. Expect to pay 10% of the current adult revenue fare, but sometimes, the airline will want to charge 10% of the adult fully flexible unrestricted fare (which can be over $10k for international business class!). For these reasons, we recommend only using the Best Programs listed above if you're booking an award ticket and traveling with a lap infant. Those programs cover almost every single airline and partnership in the world. The points rate may be higher (i.e. booking Turkish to Europe in business class might be 90k through Air Canada Aeroplan but 63k through Avianca LifeMiles), but it's absolutely worth using more points to not have to deal with the frustration and expense that may arise by booking through other programs!
Have you experienced a different booking process or fee when booking through one of the programs listed above? Send us a DM on Instagram and let us know your experience! It seems that airline policies regarding lap infants are constantly changing, so we want to have the most up-to-date policies available for all travelers!
What About Booking a Flight Before the Baby is Born?
You need a birth date to add a passenger to a flight reservation - so how does that work if you're planning ahead?
And what if you haven't decided on a name yet or it's a surprise if the baby is a boy or girl?
We did this! Since Air Canada Aeroplan has such a simple lap infant policy, we were able to add Brady to our reservations after his was born by contacting Aeroplan. It was a pretty simple process since there is a flat fee. This is also possible with the other "Best Programs" listed above EXCEPT Qatar Airways Privilege Club (according to recent data points).
For all other airlines, adding a lap infant later on can be difficult and expensive (since the rate is typically based on the current fare).
We have seen data points online that you can put the baby's name as "Baby [Last Name]" and use the due date as the birthdate to then call later to change it. However, that seems very risky in our opinion.
Travel Tips
Once the whole process of getting the baby a ticket is complete, you might find yourself thinking, "How the heck are we going to travel with a baby?!"
Here are a some tips that we've learned over the past year or so:
Less is more when it comes to packing. You might feel like you need a ton of stuff to keep the baby entertained or a lot of "just in case" items, but being organized and only having the essentials will lead to a lot less stress in the end!
Save some special toys for the plane. If something is new and exicting, the baby will more likely to stay entertained by it! If the toys on the plane are the same one's he gets to play with at home, he'll quickly lose interest. Brady loves these spinner toys that can attach to almost any hard surface. Also, those plastic cups given out by the cabin crew always seem to be very interesting!
Help the ears. During takeoff and descent, feeding the baby (whether that's breastfeeding or bottle feeding) is the best way to prevent ear pain. It also helps the baby learn how to manage the pressure changes as they get older!
A compact stroller is key. Following the theme of "less is more", you don't want to be trying to navigate the airport with a bulky stroller. We highly recommend the Babyzen YoYo - which folds up super-compact into the YoYo backpack and can be placed in the overhead bin or under the seat. Yes, strollers can be gate-checked for free, but it's a major hassle to have to deal with when toting around a little kiddo (or two or three...)
Carrier and wraps are life savers. Keep your hands free and let that little one sleep whenever and wherever. When Brady was very young, the Solly Baby wrap was our go-to. Now that he's older, we use the Tula Lite compact carrier - it's super lightweight and rolls up into a fanny pack when not in use!
Track the sleep. Jet lag affects everyone, but babies especially need to get their required sleep! There are various sleep tracking apps out there (we use Huckleberry) that will help make sure the baby is getting enough sleep and will let you know when sleep might be coming up!
Go with a "go bag". You don't want to be dealing with a bulky diaper bag filled with other things while you're trying to change a diaper. A small hand bag (we love the TernX diaper bag and sling bag combo) that has only the essentials like diapers, wipes, changing pads, and a spare onesie makes it SO much easier. And related: almost every airplane lavatory has a changing table. It's typically a fold-down surface behind the toilet. On international flights, there's usually at least one handicap accessible lavatory that is much larger than the others. The flight attendants will be able to direct you to which one it is (we often have FA's let us know without even asking) or you can look up your aircraft on Aerolopa for a detailed layout.
Study the seat map. As mentioned in the previous point, Aerolopa has the most detailed seat layouts for airlines around the world. Refer to the reservation and the airline's seat map to cross-reference and determine the aircraft type for your flight. Many airlines don't provide bassinets in first and business class. Others do, but they're limited to one or two seats. In economy, bassinets are typically located at the bulkheads. These seats are sometimes "blocked" for those traveling with a baby, so contact the airline to reserve seats in this case. Before traveling with Brady, we avoided the seats near the front or back of the business class cabin due to the noise and light that could come from the galley areas. However, we nowe prefer those seats because it makes it easy to get up and move around if he's getting restless on a long flight!
Puppy training pads and doggie poop bags. Simple and inexpensive, these items are always in the diaper bag while traveling. The puppy pads are the perfect disposable changing pad when in public restrooms or the plane lavatory, and the doggie poop bags are ideal for storing soiled items during the inevitable blowout that occurs at just the perfect time.
Have a ground transportation plan. As much as we love the Nuna Pipa RX car seat and travel bag, if we can avoid taking it on a trip, we will. Research the destination ahead of time to determine if public transportation is a viable option. This eliminates the hassle of checking a car seat with the airline. Be sure to look up local laws about child safety seat requirements in taxis - it can vary by country, state, and even city. And some countries (like Australia) don't allow foreign car seats at all. Renting a car seat through with a car rental is an option for almost all major companies, but be sure to reserve it ahead of time!
Safety policies vary by region. Within the US, there are no requirements for lap infant safety belts (and in fact, the FAA prohibits the use of most lap infant belts). Infant life vests are also kept at the front of the cabin and will be distributed if needed. However, in the EU, Australia, and some Asian countries, a special lap infant belt will be provided that tethers to the adult belt and the life vests will be handed our during boarding. The lap infant belt is required to be worn during taxi, takeoff, landing, and during times of turbulence. We've found in foreign countries that a flight attendant will often give us a special safety briefing for the lap infant.
Bag allowances vary by airline. Sometimes a lap infant is allowed an extra checked bag and carryon bag. Sometimes the lap infant doesn't get any extra baggage and only the adult bag allowance applies (as we found out flying Qantas in Australia). Many airlines allow a car seat or stroller to be checked for free AND a car seat or stroller to be gate checked for free. It's definitely a lot to keep up with, so we recommended checking the airline's "traveling with children" page (example here) for clarification.
Documents may be requested. An airline may ask for proof of age while traveling. This is typically a copy of the birth certificate, but a passport also works (note: an infant will need their own passport to travel internationally). Additionally, it is suggested to carry a notarized "permission letter" from the other parent or guardian if only one adult is traveling with the baby.
Immigration/security may be slower...or faster. Many EU coutnries allow citizens of the EU, US, and other countries to use dedicated "e-gates" to clear passport checks. However, if you're traveling with a child under 12 years of age, you must use the regular passport line to see an officer. We found this to be a BIG delay when departing Brussels. If you have Global Entry and are traveling with a child, the child must also be approved for Global Entry, regardless of age. Conversely, many countries provide a dedicated "express" security line for parents traveling with young children.
Go with the flow. We used to have our travel routine down to the minute. We'd knew exactly when we'd be where and how much time to plan for each activity. That has been completely turned on its head now that we're traveling with Brady - and that's part of the fun! There's no reason to stress if things aren't going exactly to plan. No matter what - we're enjoying our time together!
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