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FrHow old should be my baby to be allowed on a Finnair flight?
On all Finnair routes, you may fly with a healthy newborn at least 2 days old. Keep in mind that, in terms of fares, Finnair defines infants as babies aged between 0 and 2 years old who are traveling on an adult’s lap (no separate seat), and children as passengers between 2 and 11 years old.
Does Finnair offer discounts for infants and children?
Adults paying a standard fare and who travel accompanied by children can benefit from certain discounts for them since child discounts are available on almost all fare types. By booking your ticket through Finnair’s official website, you can also book a discounted ticket for your child, and subsequently find out more about the current rates that apply.
When your baby travels on your lap, the infant ticket costs 10% of the adult’s ticket fare. The infant fare applies only when the baby doesn’t have a separate seat.
If you want your baby to travel in a separate seat, you must buy a child ticket. Also, you must reserve a separate seat and purchase a child ticket for your baby in the following situations:
- If your child turns 2 years before the return flight.
- If you are traveling with two babies, for the second baby.
On most ticket types, the child discount is 25% of the basic fare (excluding fees and taxes) and applies to children aged 2 to 11 years.
Infant on Lap
An adult may be accompanied by only one infant sitting on lap. Only children under 2 years old can travel on lap, while those older than two must occupy their own seats.
When sitting on lap, your child must wear a separate safety belt, otherwise must be placed in a certified restraint device tied to the aircraft seat. This is merely a safety measure, its object being your child’s comfort and security during take-off, turbulence, and landing.
On intercontinental flights, baby baskets are available for infants aged up to 6 months (inclusive). Finnair’s baby baskets have an inside length of 70 cm (27.5 in) and support a maximum weight of 9 kg (20 lbs). The baby basket can be booked in advance by reserving a seat suitable for a cot/bassinet (a first-row seat is subject to a fee).
When the adult is entitled to a free baggage allowance, the infant also benefits from a free baggage allowance of one piece up to 23 kg (50 lbs) and 158 cm. However, one fully collapsible pushchair/stroller and one safety seat are always accepted free of charge, even when you have a Superlight or Light ticket, which doesn’t include a free baggage allowance.
You can even take the safety seat in the passenger cabin, provided there is enough space and that no regulations are against it. You can also take the pushchair in the passenger cabin if it is within the size and weight of a carry-on bag.
Infants with Reserved Seats
When reserving a seat for your infant, you can bring on board an age-appropriate child restraint device. Whether this device is an infant seat or a car seat, the airline must be contacted in advance.
After receiving the airline’s approval, the seat’s usage instructions must be presented upon boarding for the flight crew to properly validate that the restraint device is appropriate and has all the necessary safety certification labels. Finnair cannot guarantee that your particular infant seat will have maximum compatibility with their aircraft seats. Should the flight crew consider that your infant seat can’t be safely secured or is incompatible with the aircraft seat, the restraint device will be placed in the overhead compartment or cargo hold.
In order for the certified restraint device to be compatible with the aircraft seat, and consequently approved on board, you must take into consideration a series of requirements. First of all, the seat must be approved in one of the following ways: for use in motor vehicles according to UN standard ECE R44.03 or later series amendments, for use in aircraft by a JAA authority, or according to the German TÜV/958-01/2001, for use in motor vehicles and aircraft according to Canadian standard CMVSS 213/213.1 or US FMVSS No. 213. Secondly, in Finnair’s widebody aircraft, child seats cannot be used on most of the Business Class seats because these are equipped with an airbag seatbelt. If your child restraint device does not fit into the aircraft seat or it cannot be safely secured, it will be placed in an overhead locker or the aircraft hold.
Infants occupying their own seats benefit from a free baggage allowance equal to the one of an adult traveling on the same ticket class. Additionally, a folding pushchair and a safety seat are transported free of charge as checked baggage.
Pushchairs are usually carried in the cargo hold but can be brought in the cabin as a piece of carry-on baggage if no regulation specifically forbids it. At Helsinki Airport, you can request protective plastic from the check-in desks to pack your child’s pushchair properly, as well as any other large baggage units.
Some airports are more permissive, allowing you to take your child’s pushchair, provided it is a small-wheeled umbrella-style model, all the way to the boarding gate. When arriving at the departure gate, the ground personnel will take over the pushchair and place it in the cargo hold. To take advantage of this option, make sure to arrive at the boarding gate in a timely manner because loading your pushchair into the hold might take additional time. Other airports, Helsinki being included, give you the option of borrowing a pushchair, should you need one in order to take your child to the boarding point.
Toddlers
When booking your flight tickets, you have the option of ordering a special meal for your toddler, since Finnair places at its passenger’s disposal meals suitable for children 2 to 5 years old. You can order a complimentary child meal when traveling on long-haul flights to/from Asia, North America, and the Middle East, or in Business Class on flights within Europe. When traveling in Economy class on longer European flights (Southern European leisure flights, over four hours) you can pre-order a tasty child meal.
Toddlers also have their share of entertainment when traveling on Finnair intercontinental flights. Adults and children can watch movies suitable for the entire family, as well as cartoons.
If you are traveling with a child, in addition to his/her free checked baggage allowance, you can bring at no extra charge one fully-collapsible pushchair/stroller and one safety seat. You can also take the pushchair in the passenger cabin if it is within the size and weight of a carry-on bag, but it will count as one piece of carry-on baggage, and you may bring only a small personal item into the cabin in addition to it.
