When you’re buying plane tickets, one rule always holds true: what one carrier gives families for free, another will charge you dearly for. Personally, I fly most often with Ryanair, but when it comes to the best family airlines, the traditional full-service carriers often deliver much better service for parents travelling with little ones.
Low-cost airlines charge you a fixed fee for an infant without their own seat, which comes to €25 with Ryanair and roughly €27 with Wizz Air per segment. Traditional airlines, on the other hand, charge only a tenth of the adult fare and, on top of that, offer bassinets on longer flights.
Below you’ll find a big comparison of how airlines treat families with children. You’ll learn who checks in your stroller for free and without any fuss, where you have to worry about being seated together, and who serves a special kids’ menu on board.
TL;DR
- Infant fees vary widely: Low-cost airlines charge fixed amounts (Ryanair €25, Wizz Air about €27), while traditional airlines usually take 10% of the adult fare.
- A stroller in the cabin isn’t a given: Most airlines require you to hand over the stroller at the gate (gate-check); exceptions include easyJet and Norwegian.
- New European rules: In July 2026 the European Union approved a revision under which, from mid-2027, airlines will have to seat children under 14 next to their parents completely free of charge.
- Watch out for liquids: Rules at many airports still vary — some terminals allow up to 2 litres of liquids, while others keep the strict 100 ml limit in place.
- Best for long-haul flights: KLM offers infants a 12 kg baggage allowance, a free bassinet and is one of the few airlines that doesn’t ban travel beds like the JetKids.
- Bassinet traps: With Turkish Airlines the bassinet itself is free, but reserving a seat in that row will cost you $80 to $160 per person.
12 Things You Need to Know About the Best Family Airlines
Choosing a plane ticket is long past being just about the lowest price in the search engine. When you travel with small children, completely different factors come into play — and they can turn an originally cheap fare into a pricey one.
1. How to compare the best family friendly airlines
When you’re picking a ticket, you can’t just look at the basic adult fare. The single most important criterion is the infant fee (a child under 2 without their own seat). With low-cost carriers you’ll pay a fixed fee for every segment of the journey, while traditional airlines take a percentage of your fare. Another huge difference is the baggage policy. Some airlines give a lap infant no baggage allowance at all, while others let you bring a large diaper bag or even check a full-size suitcase.
Pay close attention to stroller rules too. Being able to take a compact stroller straight into the overhead locker is priceless, but plenty of carriers strictly forbid it and take the stroller off you at the gate. For long-haul flights, the availability of a bassinet (a hanging cot) is absolutely crucial. Always check in advance whether the airline offers one, what its weight limits are, and above all whether it charges astronomical fees for the seats in the bassinet row.
💡 Tip: Airline rules change practically before your eyes. Double-check all dimensions and weight limits directly on the carrier’s website before booking, because relying on old experiences from forums simply doesn’t pay off these days.
2. Flying Ryanair with kids
The Irish carrier is a European staple you’ll probably fly with on your summer holiday. Its rules are strict but easy to understand. An infant can fly with them from 8 days old up to 23 months. For a baby on your lap you’ll pay a fixed fee of €25 per segment, and the child isn’t entitled to a standard cabin bag, but you can bring a bag up to 5 kg. In theory it should measure 45 × 35 × 20 cm, but Ryanair occasionally tweaks the exact dimensions, so check before you pack.
A huge advantage is that you’re entitled to 2 pieces of baby equipment for free, which includes a stroller, car seat or travel cot. They won’t let you take the stroller into the cabin, though — you always hand it over at the gate. As of 25 June 2026, after pressure from regulators, Ryanair scrapped the mandatory fee for family seating. If you choose random seat allocation, the system will seat children under 12 next to an adult for free, but you’ll almost certainly end up in the back rows.
💡 Tip: An adult with a lap infant must sit by the window, because that’s the only place with two oxygen masks. On top of that, since November 2025 Ryanair has switched to 100% digital boarding passes, so make sure your phone is fully charged.
3. Flying Wizz Air with kids
The Hungarian competitor has a policy very similar to Ryanair’s in many ways, but it hides a few catches. A child can fly with them from 14 days old, and the lap infant fee sits at around €27 per segment. If your adult ticket is cheaper, the fee drops to match it. The baby is entitled to one bag measuring 40 × 30 × 20 cm. The key difference comes with equipment. You get a stroller OR a car seat for free, not both.
Wizz Air is notorious for its uncompromising approach to strollers on board. They simply won’t let you take one into the cabin — you always have to leave it at the gate. If you own a pricey compact model, be prepared for it to travel in the hold. On top of that, there’s an absolute ban on any electric or motorised strollers.
💡 Tip: If you want your own seat for the baby so you can install a car seat, experienced parents recommend buying an adult ticket and entering INFANT as the first name and the child’s name as the surname.
4. Flying Smartwings with kids
This is a Central European staple you’ll mainly use when travelling with a tour operator. Smartwings won’t let a child under 48 hours old on board, and for those under seven days they require a special form. The infant fee usually takes the form of a reduced fare. Interestingly, you can bring baby food up to 200 ml on board, which is very generous. They’ll check in your stroller and car seat for free.
If you’re dreaming of taking a stroller into the cabin, Smartwings allows it, but with a huge catch. The folded stroller must measure 55 × 40 × 23 cm and weigh up to 8 kg — but crucially, it completely replaces your cabin bag. So you can’t have both a suitcase and a stroller. If you’re sending a child off on holiday alone, Smartwings offers an unaccompanied minor service for ages 6 to 11.
💡 Tip: Smartwings has a tough rule in their terms that they aren’t liable for damage to an unpackaged stroller. A protective cover or wrapping it thoroughly in film is an absolute must with them.
5. Flying easyJet with kids
The British low-cost airline is one of the most family-friendly out there. Babies from 14 days to 2 years get a diaper bag measuring 45 × 36 × 20 cm. With easyJet you’re entitled to two pieces of baby equipment for free, and they’re one of the few to explicitly list a baby carrier backpack among their permitted items. That’s a huge relief for parents who love heading into the mountains and would otherwise have to awkwardly pack the carrier away.
Another big plus is priority boarding, to which families with children under 5 are entitled automatically. You can take a stroller into the cabin if it fits the larger dimensions of 56 × 45 × 25 cm, but you must have purchased a large cabin bag allowance.
💡 Tip: Seats on easyJet are allocated according to check-in order. Check in the very second it opens, otherwise you risk the system scattering you all over the plane.
6. Flying Eurowings and Vueling with kids
Spain’s Vueling isn’t exactly a fan of families with children. An infant does get a bag up to 5 kg, but the stroller always has to go in the hold. Not even the smallest compact models are allowed in the cabin, and there are no bassinets on long-haul routes. If you want to check a car seat, you often have to pay dearly for it with Vueling.
Germany’s Eurowings is noticeably better. You’re entitled to two pieces of baby equipment for free. If you’re flying with a lap infant, you can bring two cabin bags measuring 40 × 30 × 25 cm, which gives you decent room to pack all the diapers and toys. Do check the exact rules on strollers in the cabin with Eurowings in advance, though — the conditions often change depending on the aircraft type.
💡 Tip: With Vueling, brace yourself for having to cram everything essential for the baby into your carry-on backpack, because you won’t be able to reach anything in the hold during the flight.
7. Flying Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian with kids
The Lufthansa Group carriers offer unified and fairly generous rules. The infant fee is the classic 10% of the adult fare. A huge advantage is that the infant is entitled to their own checked bag up to 23 kg, plus a stroller and car seat for free. You can also bring the essentials for the child on board.
Bassinets with Lufthansa and SWISS are free, but they have their quirks. With Lufthansa the bassinet limit is roughly up to 8 months of age (11 kg and 67 cm) and you must reserve it at least 52 hours before departure. These airlines always try to seat families together, and for older children from age 5 they offer an excellent unaccompanied minor programme.
💡 Tip: With SWISS there’s an unpleasant financial trap. The bassinet itself is free, but you’ll pay $99 per flight segment for every other family member in that row.
8. Flying KLM and Air France with kids
The Netherlands’ KLM is an absolute winner for families with children. They have no minimum age — a newborn can fly right away. The diaper bag for an infant can weigh an amazing 12 kg, which is an absolute record. Bassinets are free on long-haul flights and, crucially, KLM is one of the few airlines to allow inflatable beds and the JetKids BedBox suitcase, which turns a seat into a comfy bed.
Sister airline Air France also offers excellent conditions. The cabin item for an infant can likewise weigh 12 kg, and on top of that you can bring one folding stroller and two more pieces of equipment. A bassinet is available for free after a phone reservation.
💡 Tip: While KLM welcomes those innovative beds, Air France strictly bans the JetKids suitcase. So always check who actually operates your flight, even if you bought your ticket from one alliance.
9. Flying British Airways and Norwegian with kids
British Airways charges 10% of the fare for an infant and lets you bring one bag of essentials. Bassinets are available for free, and the seat-style version can even hold a child up to 12.5 kg. The main problem, though, is that on short European routes they don’t have bassinets installed at all. You can take a compact stroller up to 56 × 45 × 25 cm into the cabin.
Nordic carrier Norwegian is a hidden gem for families. Their rules are incredibly friendly and transparent. Regardless of which fare you’ve bought, one car seat and one stroller are always free. That saves a lot of stress and money when packing.
💡 Tip: If you’ve bought a Norwegian fare that includes a large cabin bag for the overhead locker, you can fully swap it for an approved travel stroller and take it with you into the cabin.
10. Flying Qatar, Emirates and Turkish with kids
Middle Eastern airlines are very popular for flights to exotic destinations. Qatar Airways charges 10% of the fare, the child gets their own checked bag and the bassinet is free. Emirates offers a bassinet up to roughly 8 months of age (11 kg) and checks a fully folding stroller for free. Neither of these airlines tolerates the JetKids suitcase, though.
Turkish Airlines looks great at first glance — the fee is 10% and the stroller and car seat are free. But there’s a huge financial trap hiding on long-haul flights. The bassinet itself is free, but the bassinet rows carry a charge of $80 to $160 per person and segment. A family of four can end up paying hundreds of dollars just to sit next to the cot.
💡 Tip: With Qatar Airways the number of bassinets on board is strictly limited — usually a maximum of four for the whole cabin. So don’t put off the reservation; sort it out right after buying your ticket.
11. Which airline is the most generous with baggage for kids
If you’re packing two weeks’ worth of diapers and baby food, baggage limits will matter a great deal to you. The absolute king on long-haul routes is KLM, with a 12 kg infant bag. Qatar Airways and Lufthansa also do very well, where the infant is entitled to their own 23 kg checked suitcase.
Among European low-cost carriers, Norwegian excels, carrying a stroller and a car seat for free regardless of fare. At the opposite end of the spectrum sit Wizz Air and Vueling, where you often pay dearly for extras and can take practically nothing beyond a small bag into the cabin.
💡 Tip: With some airlines you’ll see claims that in the cheapest Light fares the infant is entitled to nothing at all. These conditions often change quietly, so when buying the cheapest fare always open the detailed baggage breakdown.
12. The child-free zone trend and what it means for families
The atmosphere on board is getting tense, and airlines are responding. Corendon became the first in Europe to introduce a child-free zone (the Adult Zone). For a one-way fee of €45, a passenger gets a seat in a separate part of the plane that no one under 16 can enter. For parents this creates enormous psychological pressure, since they often fear embarrassment and that their crying child will bother someone.
This trend hasn’t caught on across the board yet, though. Big European players like KLM, TUI and Transavia have publicly rejected introducing similar zones. Much more important, however, is the change in legislation. From mid-2027 a revised EU regulation will come into force requiring airlines to seat children under 14 next to an accompanying person completely free of charge.
💡 Tip: Until the new European rules fully take effect, never count on swapping seats with someone on board. People pay for their seats and don’t want to give them up. If you’re flying with a small child, it’s better to pay for reserved seats so you have certainty.
Practical summary and indicative prices
When planning your summer holiday budget, keep in mind that even a ticket for a lap child isn’t free. What’s more, these fees are charged for each individual segment of the journey (so there and back, and several times over for connecting flights).
| Airline | Lap infant fee (indicative) |
|---|---|
| :— | :— |
| Ryanair | €25 / £25 per segment |
| Wizz Air | About €27 per segment |
| Lufthansa Group | 10% of the adult fare |
| British Airways | 10% of the adult fare |
| Turkish Airlines | 10% of the adult fare |
| Qatar Airways | 10% of the adult fare |
| Iberia | 10 to 30% of the adult fare |
If you’re planning a long-haul flight with a baby, a bassinet will save both your nerves and your arms. The conditions differ drastically, though, and with some airlines your ticket gets seriously more expensive.
| Carrier | Max. bassinet weight | Bassinet free? | Surcharge for a seat in that row? |
|---|---|---|---|
| :— | :— | :— | :— |
| Lufthansa | 11 kg (approx. 8 months) | Yes | Yes, on some fares |
| SWISS | 11 kg (approx. 8 months) | Yes | $99 per segment per family |
| British Airways | 12.5 kg (seat version) | Yes | No (but not available in Europe) |
| Turkish Airlines | 11 kg | Yes | $80–160 per person! |
| Qatar Airways | 11 kg | Yes | No |
| KLM | 10 kg | Yes | ⚠️ Better to check |
Beyond the tickets themselves, keep a close eye on airport rules and bureaucracy. On 10 April 2026 the European Union launched the EES system, which records entries and exits. The good news is that fingerprints aren’t taken from children under 12.
Liquids are a big trap for families flying within Europe. Some airports have lifted the liquids limit and now allow up to 2 litres per person, but often only in certain terminals. If you’re flying with Ryanair or Wizz Air from a terminal serving non-Schengen countries, the strict 100 ml limit may still apply. Baby food and milk fortunately have an exemption, but security staff’s approach can vary.
If an airline damages your checked stroller, you’re protected by the Montreal Convention. The key thing, though, is to report everything in writing within 7 days of collection, otherwise you lose your right to compensation.
Where to go next
- Not sure what bags and suitcases for kids actually exist? Read the article Luggage for children on a plane.
- If the packing and limits with the Irish carrier scare you, you’ll find a detailed breakdown in the guide Ryanair baggage: dimensions, weight and fees.
- If you’re flying with the pink competitor, the article Wizz Air baggage will help.
- When you have to buy your child their own seat and how it works, I break down in the article A plane ticket for a child.
- You’ll find everything about bassinets on long flights in the article Bassinet on a plane.
- And if you’re wondering how to transport a stroller safely, take a look at Stroller on a plane.
- A complete summary of all the advice and tips, from packing to boarding, is offered by the big guide Flying with kids: the complete guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can I give my child melatonin before a flight to help them sleep?
The International Paediatric Sleep Association has issued a very clear warning that melatonin should absolutely not be given to children under two years of age. For older children, only administer it after direct consultation with a paediatrician. Avoid sleep medications in general and rely instead on adjusting routines.
What should I do when my child’s ears hurt during take-off and they’re crying?
The most effective weapon against ear pain is swallowing. For infants, breastfeeding or drinking milk from a bottle works brilliantly; for older children, sipping water through a straw or chewing helps. Noise-cancelling headphones will relieve engine noise, but they don’t solve pressure equalisation at all.
Are we entitled to financial compensation when a flight is delayed?
This is a very contentious area (EU Regulation 261/2004). If you have an infant on your lap and paid nothing at all for them, airlines often refuse compensation. However, if you paid a fixed fee or a percentage of the fare, you theoretically have a claim. Definitely submit a request, but be prepared for it to be a battle.
Can I fly alone with two children under two years old?
Unfortunately, that’s not possible. For safety reasons, there’s a strict rule of one infant per one adult passenger. If you’re a solo parent and have twins who aren’t yet two years old, the airline won’t allow you on board without another adult.
What if my child turns two during the holiday?
This is a very common situation. On the outbound journey, the child flies as an infant on your lap, but on the return journey they must have their own ticket and their own seat, because they’ve turned two. With some traditional airlines, this can cost you a considerable sum as a supplement to the current fare.
Why does my child have to be secured on my lap with a child belt?
It’s a regulation for the event of unexpected turbulence, when an adult physically cannot hold a child in their arms. The NTSB has been pushing for years for a blanket ban on lap travel in favour of car seats, but for now the supplementary belt is the mandatory minimum.
Can I really take a large bottle of water through security at major airports?
It depends on where you’re flying. If you’re flying within the Schengen area from Terminal 2 (for example to Spain or Italy), you can have liquids up to 2 litres from October 2025. However, if you’re flying outside Schengen from Terminal 1 (Turkey, Britain, Egypt), the old 100 ml limit still applies.
Tips and Tricks for Your Vacation
Don’t Overpay for Flights
Search for flights on Kayak. It’s our favorite search engine because it scans the websites of all airlines and always finds the cheapest connection.
Book Your Accommodation Smartly
The best experiences we’ve had when looking for accommodation (from Alaska to Morocco) are with Booking.com, where hotels, apartments, and entire houses are usually the cheapest and most widely available.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Good travel insurance will protect you against illness, accidents, theft, or flight cancellations. We’ve had a few hospital visits abroad, so we know how important it is to have proper insurance arranged.
Where we insure ourselves: SafetyWing (best for everyone) and TrueTraveller (for extra-long trips).
Why don’t we recommend any Czech insurance company? Because they have too many restrictions. They set limits on the number of days abroad, travel insurance via a credit card often requires you to pay medical expenses only with that card, and they frequently limit the number of returns to the Czech Republic.
Find the Best Experiences
Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can book guided walks, trips, skip-the-line tickets, tours, and much more. We always find some extra fun there!
