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FrHow old should be my baby to be allowed on an Air China flights?
When you plan on travelling with your baby on an Air China flight, make sure that he or she is at least 14 days old, in order to be allowed on board. Air China’s regulations regarding infants also state that, if a child was born premature, they must be at least 90 days old to be accepted on a flight.
When am I required to purchase a ticket for my child?
There are several instances that you need to be aware of when travelling with your children:
- If you are travelling with only one infant that is under two years old at the time of the flight, you do not need to purchase a separate ticket. Therefore, your child will be required to sit on lap, and will not have his own seat. However, should you specifically ask for another seat for your child, Air China will honor your request, and you will need to pay a child fare ticket.
- If you want to bring with you two infants, both under two years old, one of them will subscribe to the aforementioned rule, while the other one will require to occupy a seat, and consequently must have a child fare ticket paid in advance.
- Any child between 2 and 12 accompanied by an adult will be subject to the child fare payment, and therefore must have a ticket.
- Situations may occur in which your child will exceed the maximum specified age, while still having a round-trip ticket (because of unexpected schedule change of the return flight). Should this be the case, a single-trip ticket will be issued in accordance with the child’s new age, while the unused segments of the previous ticket shall be refunded fully, after the new ticket expires.
Do I need special items when travelling with my baby?
For starters, you are allowed to have with you powdered formula, which you can mix with water on the plane in order to feed your baby. If you do not have powdered formula with you, Air China will provide free baby formula during the flight.
You should also know that, if you decide to travel accompanied by your baby, you can request a baby meal at the time of booking.
Secondly, if you bring your baby at the airport within your own cradle, you are permitted to take it on board as part of the free checked baggage allowance for infants. However, Air China gives you the option of requesting a bassinet, but in order to do this you must go to Air China’s ticket offices at least 3 days before the scheduled flight departure (the flight day excluded). Make sure that you have all the relevant travel documents when purchasing tickets for yourself or your infant (if that is the case).
Does Air China offer discounts for infants and children?
If your baby is less than 2 years old, they will not occupy a seat and will be charged an amount of 10% of the normal adult fare.
If you still want your baby to travel in a separate seat, you are supposed to purchase for him or her a Child Fare ticket. This step is mandatory for children who are two years old or older at the time of flight take off. Depending on whether your flight is domestic or international, when travelling in a domestic flight your child is supposed to pay 50% of the normal adult fare if he or she is aged between 2 and 11, and 75% of the applicable adult fare if in an international flight. Of course, they might be charged other applicable special adult fares, should any special instance occur.
Your child’s age at the moment of the flight is the main criterion on which the calculation of the fare to be paid is based. For example, if you are choosing a round-trip journey for your infant, he or she might be subject to different fares in different flight segments if they come of age during one of the segments of their journey.
You will also be subject to fare adjustment if the initial age requirement is not met on the return flight of a round-trip journey. A new, return-trip ticket will be issued, accurately reflecting the new age of your child, and, upon arrival, the unused segments of the original ticket will be fully refunded.
Infant on Lap
A person above 18 years old may carry with themselves two infants at most. One of them will be seated on lap and benefit from an Infant Fare, while the other one must have their own seat and will have to pay the full Child Fare.
An adult passenger is also allowed to travel with one infant on lap, and also accompanied by two minors. If, however, an infant is ill, an adult is supposed to focus their attention exclusively on the infant, so any other children will not be permitted for carriage in this travelling situation.
Be advised that you need to pay special attention to your infant when the plane operates the take-off, landing or flight maneuvers, since the cabin pressure will vary greatly. During these times, your child may cry due to some discomfort felt in the ears. Try to provide him or her with a feeding bottle, as this will help relieve the pressure. Furthermore, you can bring your own food and snacks if your infant has any special needs.
Bassinets
In order for your infant to be eligible for a bassinet, they must be at least 14 days old, but less than two years old, no longer than 75 cm / 29.5 in, and also weigh no more than 10 kg / 22 lbs. Air China offers bassinets for your infants free of charge, but within aircraft type limits.
Only certain aircraft types may come equipped with bassinets for your infant. A350 900, A330, B747, B777, B787 aircraft come with the Bassinet Service, which is available only for international flights and after the necessary arrangements have been made in advance.
Cradles are also subject to certain limitations due to aircraft type, so the best course of action – if you need one for your baby – would be to consult with Air China’s business department, in order to ensure its availability for the time of your journey.
Baggage Allowance
Infants are subject to a special free baggage allowance, which varies depending on the route.
On Mainland China routes, the infants’ baggage allowance is based on weight: 10 kg (22 lbs) is the maximum weight accepted, while the maximum size should be 100 x 60 x 40 cm.
All other international and regional routes have a free baggage allowance established to a single piece of checked baggage, which should not exceed 23 kg (50 lbs) and 158 cm (62 in – total linear dimension).
Also, one car seat or bassinet or foldable stroller is accepted as checked baggage free of charge.
An infant seat belt will be provided for your infant during any Air China flight. However, safety regulations state that a bassinet should not be used during transport to the aircraft, flight take off and landing, when the seatbelt reminder will be on.
Restrictions
First of all, please be aware the Online Check-in procedure allows the addition and joint check-in of up to 2 children in the same cabin and on the same flight during the accompanying adult’s check-in. The system does not currently support separate children’s check-in. Family Online Check-in is only available for flights operated by Air China.
Another restriction refers to the aircraft type / route type, a limited number of children being accepted for carriage at once depending on these two criteria. This is a measure taken as a safety precaution for passenger carriage.
In order for this safety regulation not to be violated, and for you to be sure that your infant has a place on the aircraft you intend on travelling on, a ticket will be issued for both you and your child only if the quota for babies on that particular flight is not exceeded. This is why you are supposed to submit a travel request for your accompanying infant at the time of your booking, or when you purchase a ticket.
