Aer Lingus flying with babies

Is there a minimum age for acceptance of infants on Aer Lingus flights?

Aer Lingus doesn’t have a restriction on a minimum age that the infant should be, however, the airline does recommend that you clear with your doctor that it is okay to travel up to the age of 2 weeks. A medical clearance will be required for infants born prematurely to fly up to the age of 6 months (in addition to the number of days that they were born prematurely).

When is it necessary to purchase a ticket and reserve a seat for my baby?

Children between 2 and 11 years old must travel in their own seat. If the infant reaches the age of 2 years, the baby must pay the applicable fare, taxes, charges and fees for that part of the journey.

For infants, Aer Lingus has strict rules regarding how a baby can travel, on an adult’s lap or in a separate seat. Passengers may purchase a seat for the infant, with the following restrictions:

• You are not allowed to reserve a separate seat for an infant under 6 months.
• Infants up to 2 years of age can only travel on the adult’s lap, never in a baby/car seat, on Aer Lingus Regional flights (only the AMSAFE CARES harness may be used for securing children aged 2 years and over and children with disabilities).

Infants

One adult cannot be responsible for three or more infants. Where one adult is traveling with two infants, one of them must be over 6 months old and seated in a car type safety seat. If both infants are under 6 months, they must be accompanied by two adults. Infants are not allowed to occupy exit rows or the rows immediately before or after an emergency exit row.

Regulations for infants on Aer Lingus flights (do not apply to Aer Lingus Regional flights)

Infants (0-5 month):

• If the infant is under 6 months, the child must sit on the adult’s lap and will be charged a flat rate of €25/£25 or equivalent per one way flight on short-haul routes, and 10% of the adult fare on flights from/to North America.
• You can make a booking for your unborn infant using the infant’s surname and ‘Baby’ (to be advised) as the ‘First name’, and there will be no charge when changing the name to the correct infant’s name after the birth.

Infants (6-24 months):

• An infant between 6 months and 2 years may sit on the adult’s lap and will be charged a flat rate of €25/£25 or equivalent per one way flight on all short-haul routes, and 10% of the adult fare on flights to/from North America.
• Passengers may purchase a seat for the infant at the appropriate fare where the infant can sit in an approved forward facing car seat provided by the passenger. The car seat must be secured on the aircraft seat by the normal aircraft lap strap. Aer Lingus does not allow rearward facing car seats.
• For the car seat to fit into the aircraft seat, please ensure the seat width does not exceed 17 inches (43 cm).
• Car type safety seats may be used by children between 6 months and 3 years of age (in order to accommodate a child aged 3 years or older in a car seat, the child must be within the size and weight limits for that seat, and special IAA approval is required).

Regulations for infants on Aer Lingus Regional (Flight Nº 3000-4000 operated by Stobart Air)

• Infants up to the age of 2 years may travel provided that they sit on an adult’s lap (one infant per adult), and a fee is charged per sector.
• Baby car seats are not allowed in the cabin of the aircraft.
• Aer Lingus can carry a maximum of 8 infants on board the aircraft for each flight.

Infant Baggage Allowance

All infant cabin baggage must be included in the accompanying adult’s baggage allowance. The “Carry-on bag with priority boarding” is included for the accompanying adult traveling with an infant, which means that the drop-off option is not available, and you must take both your carry-on bag and the personal item on board with you.

For an infant booking, a fully collapsible pushchair or stroller plus one of the following items – car seat, travel cot, or booster seat – are allowed free of charge as checked baggage. The stroller or pushchair is checked in with the baggage and can be handed down at the gate if required.

As for checked baggage, the checked baggage allowance for infants depends on the route:

• European flights – no checked baggage allowance.
• Transatlantic flights –  a 10 kg (22 lbs) checked baggage allowance included in your booking.

Infant Amenities

• Baby changing facilities are available on all Aer Lingus aircraft. Please ask cabin crew members for locations.
• The cabin crew onboard will heat baby food and bottles for babies and small children.
• The use of a bassinet is subject to availability on Aer Lingus flights to/from North America and requires bassinet seats for use.
• Bassinet seats for long-haul flights are subject to availability. Passengers may instead opt for increased comfort by purchasing a dedicated seat for the infant at the child rate. Remember that infants with confirmed seats would not be able to also request bassinet seating.
• Infant seat belts are available on board for babies under the age of 2 years.

Children

Aer Lingus offers a discount for children between the ages of 2 and 11 traveling on Transatlantic flights. If an infant is older than two years old for any part of the journey, adults must purchase a seat or alternatively make two separate bookings; one for the outbound and one for the return. Remember that cabin and checked baggage allowances for children aged 2-12 are the same as for adults. For a child booking, a fully collapsible pushchair or stroller plus one of the following items – car seat, travel cot, or booster seat – are allowed free of charge as checked baggage.

Children Amenities offered on Aer Lingus Transatlantic Flights

Child meals are available upon request on flights to or from North America and include child-friendly food items. To request a child meal, parents or guardians should contact the local Aer Lingus contact center and advise a flight attendant onboard that they have made a special meal request. Children’s meals can be requested up to 24 hours prior to departure.

Video and audio entertainment are provided on all long-haul flights (travel outside Europe). Aer Lingus offers a wide range of children’s movies but also interactive games where you can even compete against other passengers.

Children Traveling on Parents Passport

Minors traveling from, to, or through all Schengen countries plus Romania, Bulgaria, and Cyprus are no longer permitted to travel on their parent’s passport and are required to hold their own individual travel documentation due to EC Regulation 444/2009. Children traveling to the following destinations are currently not bound by this regulation: all Irish and UK destinations, Agadir, Dubrovnik, and Izmir.

More information here >>