Flying with Children: Kids' Meals, Entertainment, and Bassinets

Age Policies: Infants, Lap Children, and Minimum Age Rules

Airlines apply different rules to passengers at different ages, from the minimum age at which infants can fly through policies governing when children may travel without adult supervision. Understanding these policies before booking prevents surprises at the gate and ensures that families are prepared for the documentation and seating requirements that apply to their journey.

Infants — defined by most carriers as children under 2 years of age — may travel on a parent's lap without a separate seat ticket. Lap infant fares on domestic US flights are typically free; on international flights, US carriers charge a percentage of the adult fare (usually 10%) plus taxes, which can be substantial on transatlantic or transpacific routes. IATA rules allow one lap infant per adult, meaning two adults can bring two lap infants, but a single adult cannot bring two lap infants. The safety rationale for this policy is that an adult cannot physically protect two infants simultaneously in the event of severe turbulence or emergency evacuation.

The Federal Aviation Administration, IATA, and virtually all aviation safety organizations recommend against lap infant travel and advocate for infants to travel in approved child restraint systems in their own seats. The FAA has specifically noted that aircraft turbulence is the most common cause of infant injury during flight, and that lap-held infants cannot be adequately protected when parents lose their grip. Despite this recommendation, most US parents continue to use lap infant status for cost reasons — purchasing a separate seat for an infant under 2 nearly doubles the family's ticket cost.

Airlines impose minimum age limits for solo infant travel. Most carriers will not accept infants under 14 days of age on any flight, citing respiratory system immaturity and the risk of sudden infant health crises. Some carriers set the minimum age higher: Qantas does not accept infants under 48 hours old, and several carriers require physician clearance for infants between 7 and 14 days old. Premature infants may face additional restrictions due to their underdeveloped respiratory systems and greater susceptibility to hypoxia at cabin altitude pressures.

Children over 2 years old must hold their own seat tickets and travel in that seat. The FAA-approved child restraint systems that can be used in aircraft seats include forward-facing car seats (that display FAA approval language), rearward-facing infant seats, and the CARES harness — a device that attaches to the aircraft seat back to provide a four-point harness for children between approximately 10 and 44 pounds. The CARES harness is FAA-approved and is popular with traveling families because it weighs less than a pound and fits in a small bag, unlike a full car seat. Airlines are required to allow passengers to use FAA-approved child restraint systems in the aircraft seat that the child occupies.

Bassinet Booking: Securing Bulkhead Seats and Bassinets

For flights with infants, securing a bassinet can transform a long-haul journey from an exhausting ordeal into a manageable experience. Bassinets attach to the bulkhead wall at the front of aircraft cabin sections and provide a sleeping surface for infants, freeing parents' arms and allowing both infant and parent to sleep during overnight flights. However, bassinet availability is limited, demand is high, and the booking process requires specific knowledge to navigate successfully.

Bassinets are available only in bulkhead rows — the rows directly behind a wall or divider in the aircraft. The number of bassinet positions varies by aircraft type and cabin configuration. A wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 777-300ER or Airbus A380 typically has 4 to 6 bassinet hooks in economy class, spread across the bulkhead of multiple sections. A narrowbody Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 typically has 1 to 2 bassinet positions. The limited number means that competition for these seats on popular family routes — particularly overnight transatlantic and transpacific flights — is intense.

Most airlines allow families traveling with infants to request bassinet seats at the time of booking, but do not guarantee bassinet availability until check-in or even boarding. Airlines including Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Cathay Pacific allow bassinet requests through their booking systems, with confirmation of the bulkhead seat typically possible 24 to 48 hours before departure when seat assignments are released. British Airways, Qantas, and Air New Zealand follow similar policies.

The practical approach for families who need a bassinet is to book as far in advance as possible, immediately add an infant to the booking and request bassinet seating, call the airline directly if the online booking system does not display bassinet request options, and reconfirm the bassinet request 48 hours before departure. Parents should also confirm the weight and length limits for the bassinet on their specific flight: most airline bassinets accommodate infants up to 10 to 14 kg (22 to 31 lbs) and 70 to 75 cm in length, but limits vary.

Bulkhead seats have tradeoffs beyond their bassinet advantage. They typically offer more legroom than standard economy seats, which is valuable for parents who need space to nurse, change diapers on their lap, or manage infant feeding. However, bulkhead seats always have fixed armrests that do not stow, making it impossible to create a flat surface across adjacent seats for a sleeping child. They also lack under-seat storage, requiring parents to stow all cabin bags in overhead bins — inconvenient when you need frequent access to a diaper bag during the flight.

Entertainment for Kids: Seatback Screens, Tablets, and Airline Programs

Keeping children entertained during air travel is one of the primary challenges facing families, and airlines vary enormously in the depth and quality of their child-focused entertainment offerings. The difference between an airline with a thoughtful children's programming selection and one with a generic entertainment system can mean the difference between a peaceful flight and a miserable one.

Dedicated children's content sections in inflight entertainment systems have become standard on most long-haul carriers, though the depth and curation of that content varies significantly. Emirates' ICE (Information, Communication, Entertainment) system offers one of the industry's most comprehensive children's libraries, with hundreds of films, television episodes, games, and interactive learning activities specifically curated for children from infancy through early adolescence. The system's children's section includes parental controls that allow parents to restrict content categories, set viewing time limits, and block access to adult content — features that are increasingly expected but not universally available.

Singapore Airlines' KrisWorld system includes a children's portal with games, films, and educational content organized by age group (0–3, 4–8, and 9–13). The airline also provides activity kits for younger children that include crayons, colouring books, and small toys that have been safety-tested for inflight use. Lufthansa's FlyNet Kids program provides a dedicated children's entertainment channel with age-appropriate content, complemented by a physical activity kit distributed at boarding for families traveling with young children.

Personal device accommodations have become increasingly important as families carry iPads and tablets loaded with content as their primary entertainment strategy. Airlines that provide power outlets at every seat — increasingly standard on new-generation aircraft — allow families to keep devices charged throughout long flights. USB-A and USB-C charging ports are now common on aircraft operated by major carriers, though older aircraft retrofitted with inflight entertainment systems may have only limited power provision. Families traveling with multiple devices should carry a compact multi-port charger to avoid competing with their own devices for a single outlet.

Some carriers have developed distinctive children's brand identities that extend across the travel experience. KLM's "Fly with me" children's program provides a small stuffed animal companion for young travelers, a children's menu, and activity books. Korean Air's "Junior Star" program offers special children's meals, activity kits, and priority boarding for families. Air New Zealand's "Junior Flyers" program includes dedicated children's content on its seatback entertainment system and activity packs with New Zealand-themed content. These programs represent relatively low-cost investments that generate significant goodwill and loyalty among family travelers.

Screen time limits and alternatives are important for parents managing young children's travel experience. For long-haul flights, many child development experts suggest alternating between screen time and non-screen activities: physical activity books, small quiet toys, audiobooks through headphones, and window seat observations during daylight portions of the flight. Airlines including Japan Airlines provide children's meals with activity sections printed on the tray liners — a simple but effective way to redirect attention from screens to physical activity during meal service.

Family-Friendly Airlines: Which Carriers Excel for Families

Not all airlines treat family travel as a priority. The combination of seating policies, check-in experience, gate processes, onboard amenities, and crew training determines whether an airline actively facilitates family travel or merely tolerates it. Consistent rankings and family travel reviews point to a cluster of airlines that consistently outperform for families.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has been consistently recognized by family travel organizations for its family-friendly approach. SAS allows families with children under 12 to select seats together free of charge at the time of booking — a policy that addresses one of the most common family travel frustrations. Many airlines now charge for advance seat selection and allow the algorithm to potentially separate parents from children, creating gate-level disputes and passenger inconvenience that could be avoided with a simple policy of free family seating. SAS also operates a Jackpot-branded children's entertainment program with age-specific content and activity packs.

Emirates receives consistent praise from families for its children's entertainment offering, bassinet availability across its wide-body fleet, and the quality of its children's meals. Emirates' policy of allowing all passengers (including families with infants) to check in up to 48 hours before departure allows families to secure ideal seating and make bassinet arrangements with maximum lead time. The airline's wide-body fleet — primarily the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 — provides more physical space and better bassinet provision than narrow-body focused carriers.

Air New Zealand's product design for families is particularly thoughtful. The Skycouch product — three adjacent economy seats where the footrests rise to create a flat surface at seat level — was explicitly developed with families in mind. For families with young children who have passed the lap infant age but are too small to be comfortable in a standard economy seat for a 10+ hour transpacific flight, the Skycouch provides a space to lie flat and sleep. The product is sold at a premium (roughly equivalent to purchasing 1.5 standard economy seats), but for overnight transpacific flights with toddlers, the pricing is often considered justified by the sleep it enables.

Southwest Airlines' open seating policy, while unusual, has a specific benefit for families: Southwest guarantees family boarding — allowing families with children under 6 to board after the first boarding group — which ensures that families can board together and select adjacent seats regardless of check-in time or ticket type. The airline's lack of advance seat selection eliminates the common scenario of families being seated apart by an assignment algorithm. Southwest also offers no change fees, which families value because travel plans with children are inherently subject to illness, schedule changes, and other unpredictable events.

Unaccompanied Minors: Rules, Fees, and What to Expect

Children traveling alone by air must meet specific age requirements and comply with airline unaccompanied minor (UM) programs that provide supervision and facilitation services throughout the journey. The UM system has become an important part of family logistics for divorced families with shared custody across different cities, grandchildren visiting grandparents, and older children attending camps or schools that require independent travel.

US airlines have standardized their unaccompanied minor policies around an age range of 5 to 17, with variations: most US carriers require children between 5 and 14 to use the airline's UM service (mandatory UM), and children between 15 and 17 may optionally use the UM service or travel as standard adult passengers. The minimum age of 5 for solo air travel is industry standard — younger children cannot reliably follow instructions, manage emergencies, or navigate airports without adult guidance even with airline escort services.

Unaccompanied minor fees range from $50 to $150 each way on domestic US flights, applied per child per flight segment (not per booking). On international routes, UM fees are typically higher, ranging from $100 to $200 per segment. These fees are in addition to the ticket price and cover the airline's cost of supervision, documentation, and escort services. The fee structure means that for a child making a nonstop round trip, the UM fees add $100 to $300 to the total travel cost — a meaningful additional expense for families already paying full adult-equivalent ticket prices for their children's seats.

The UM service typically includes: a dedicated form completed by the sending adult identifying the child, the escorting adult at the destination, and emergency contacts; an identification wristband for the child; airline escort from the departure gate through the flight to the arrival gate; delivery of the child to the designated receiving adult against ID verification; and airline responsibility for the child throughout the supervised portion of the journey. Airlines typically restrict UM travel to direct or nonstop flights, declining to allow unaccompanied minors on itineraries with connections — the handoff complexity and potential for missed connections creates unacceptable risk when the traveler is a child.

Parents and guardians sending children alone should prepare the child thoroughly before the flight. Children should know their full name, destination city, the name of the person meeting them at the destination, and the airline they are flying. They should have a charged phone with key numbers saved, written backup documentation in their carry-on in case the phone is lost or dies, and a clear explanation of what to do if an airline representative does not meet them as expected (remain at the gate, ask a uniformed airline employee for help). The vast majority of UM journeys proceed without incident, but preparation reduces anxiety and provides a plan for the scenarios that do occasionally occur.