Flying With Kids On Delta Air Lines

Yes, they can. No matter how young your infant is, they can fly with Delta Air Lines (unless they're under one-week old). However, there are some other important factors to consider when booking a kid's flight.

• Cost
• Unaccompanied minor
• Infant-in-arms
• Germs
• Keeping them calm

What can kids bring on Delta for free?

• Child Safety Seats - If you have purchased a seat for your child, you may bring an FAA-approved child seat. If no seat has been purchased and there are no free seats on your row, the seat will go into checked luggage for no extra cost.
• Strollers - If you bring a stroller, it can go with the rest of your checked luggage and won't count as part of your checked baggage allowance. You can check it through either security or the gate.
• Bassinet - A bassinet can be brought as an additional checked baggage item for no extra cost. If you bring it onto the plane, it must be secured tightly to the seat beside you. Delta also provides free bassinets called SkyCots, which are perfect for babies less than 9kg in weight and 66cm long. Just make sure to request one well in advance.
• Booster Seat - A booster seat can be brought onboard without it counting as your carry-on item.
• Breast Pump - A breast pump can be brought onboard without it counting as your carry-on item.

Baggage Allowance

• Unticked infant - Infants travelling for free (infant-in-arms) don't have their own baggage. Therefore, all their items will be included in the adult's baggage amount.
• Flights ticketed at 10% - Some international flights cost 10% of the adult standard fare. In these cases, the baggage allowance is one checked bag (10kg) (45 inches each way) and one collapsible stroller or pushchair.
• Flights ticketed at 50% + - For flights that cost 50% of the adult standard fare or more, the baggage allowance amount is the same as it would be for a standard ticket.

Even adults find plane journeys scary, but for kids, the experience can be terrifying, so it's important to know how to keep them calm.

Things you can do:

1. Choose good seats - Would they feel safer by a window? Maybe they'd prefer not to see how high up they are?
2. Keeping them entertained - Delta offers inflight entertainment with plenty of kid-friendly movies and TV shows. Keeping the child distracted can help ease their anxiety.
3. Timing of Travel - Booking a night flight could mean they're so tired that they sleep through most of the journey.
4. Make sure they're comfy - Give them soft clothing so they're as comfortable as possible. Depending on the class you book, Delta may provide you with a blanket and a pillow for long-haul flights.
5. Inform them - Let the child know exactly what to expect. Turbulence? Ears hurting? Those are all normal things, but they can be very scary for a child who has never experienced them before.
6. Bring gum - Chewing gum can help equalise air pressure, making the child's ears hurt a little less when the plane descends. Plus, who doesn't love gum?

It's not uncommon to get sick after being at the airport. With so many people from all across the world enclosed in one space, colds and flues can quickly spread. While this can be a frustrating way to start/end the holiday for many, for babies it can be very serious.

When children are still very young, their immune systems won't have finished developing, so if they get ill, it's harder for their bodies to fight it off. Airports are breeding grounds for illnesses, and if you have a newborn, if you can, it's best not to risk it.

Various advice exists on when a newborn is old enough to travel. However, we recommend waiting a few months unless you absolutely have to, just to keep them extra safe. If you desperately need to travel and the newborn is less than 7 days old, an approval letter from a physician will be required.