Air France flying with babies

Are there any restrictions for acceptance of infants on Air France flights?

Without imposing any age restrictions for infants, Air France recommends you to avoid traveling in the first week following the birth of your baby or if the infant is ill.

On all Air France flights, each infant must be accompanied by a passenger who must be over the age of 18, unless the accompanying adult is the child’s father, mother, or legal guardian.

When am I required to reserve a seat for my baby?

Infants (children under 2 years of age) do not require a seat reservation and may travel on the lap of the accompanying adult (not occupying a seat).

A separate seat must be reserved for the infant, who must travel strapped into an approved infant car seat or carrier, when:

  • You want your baby to enjoy the comfort and safety of his/her own car seat during the flight.
  • You travel with 2 infants under 2 years of age. In this case, one of the infants must occupy a separate seat, and the booking must be made by telephone.

What children amenities are offered on Air France flights?

When traveling with an infant, families benefit from priority boarding. Changing tables are available on all long-haul flights. For infants, you can order a meal of baby food jars and baby biscuits up to 24 hours before departure. For children aged 2 to 8 years, a special kids meal is offered on flights lasting two and a half hours or more. A gift set is offered to entertain children during intercontinental flights.

Infant on Lap

When you are traveling with a child under the age of 2, you only need to mention this when you make your own reservation. If you want to travel with your infant in the La Première/First cabin, you must contact Air France by telephone. Infants must be held in the arms of the person accompanying them during takeoff and landing (flight attendants will give the accompanying adult a special seat belt for the baby).

On all flights (except flights between Paris and Corsica), Air France offers a discount when your baby is traveling on your lap; you receive a 90% fare reduction for your infant. On flights between Paris and Corsica, infants travel on your lap free of charge. If an infant turns two years old during the trip, the infant discount does not apply, but the child discount applies to all the flights in the itinerary. If the fare allows, the child discount is up to 20% on short-haul flights and up to 33% on medium-haul and long-haul flights.

Bassinets

Upon request and subject to availability, for the comfort of both you and your infant, Air France can provide you with a bassinet (skycot). You can request a bassinet on long-haul flights in the Economy, Premium Economy, and Business cabins. Bassinets are designed for infants weighing less than 10 kg (22 lbs) and measuring less than 70 cm (27 inches), limited in number and cannot be requested online. For safety reasons, Seat Plus cannot be located near bassinets. To check availability and submit your request, you must contact Air France by phone as soon as possible after booking your flight, but no later than 48 hours before your departure. Your infant must travel on your lap if no bassinet is available.

Baggage Allowance

An infant traveling on an adult’s lap has a special baggage allowance (in addition to the accompanying adults’ baggage):

  • Carry-on (hand baggage) – 1 hand baggage item weighing less than 12 kg (26 lbs) and whose dimensions do not exceed 55 x 35 x 25 cm (21 x 13 x 9 in).
  • Checked baggage1 baggage item with a maximum weight of 10 kg (22 lbs); you must pay a supplementary fee to transport baggage in the hold if you selected the Light price ticket.

A foldable stroller and a car seat may be checked at no extra charge. On long-haul flights (with a few exceptions¹), a small foldable stroller, with the maximum dimension of 15 x 30 x 100 cm (5.9 x 11.8 x 39.4 in), may also be accepted in the cabin, subject to availability in the overhead compartments. Other foldable strollers, packed in a carrying case that covers it fully, may replace the hand baggage allowance for infants, provided the stroller does not exceed the maximum dimensions allowed for a standard hand baggage item. You should know that some airports may have to deny access to strollers inside the boarding areas for security reasons. Remember to affix a label with your contact information (name, address, phone number and e-mail) if you are bringing a stroller on board.

¹Flights between metropolitan France and Cayenne, Fort-de-France, Pointe-a-Pitre, Reunion, Saint Martin, Havana, Mauritius, Santo Domingo, Punta Cana.

Infants with Reserved Seats

Not available when traveling in the La Premiere/First cabin and Business cabin on certain Boeing B777 aircraft and all Boeing B787 aircraft, but optional in all other cabins, a seat can be reserved for an infant at the child fare (80% of the adult fare on short-haul flights, 67% of the adult fare on medium- and long-haul flights). When occupying a seat, an approved car seat will be accepted in the cabin. Booster seats are not authorized, and the cabin crew may refuse to accept in the cabin all seats that are unsuited to air travel. You must travel in an adjacent seat, and your baby’s car seat must be:

  • Approved for use on board aircraft (a non-standard car seat may be refused by personnel upon check-in or boarding).
  • Maximum 44 cm (17 in) width, or 42 cm (16.5 in) if your seat is located in the first row of the Economy cabin.
  • Installed by you as indicated by the manufacturer’s instructions (facing the rear of the aircraft during take-off and landing, facing forward at cruising altitude).
  • Held in place by a seat belt, resting on the seat itself.
  • Placed on a window seat (except for emergency exit seats) or one of the middle seats of a center aisle.

Baggage Allowance

An infant with a reserved seat has the free baggage allowance that corresponds to his/her travel cabin. Still, a foldable stroller and a car seat may be transported in the hold at no extra charge. Subject to space availability, small collapsible strollers may be accepted in the cabin, under the same conditions that apply when traveling with an infant on your lap.

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