Flying With A Newborn, All Our Tips For Your Flight

Want to book a flight for a holiday but feel a little unsure about travelling by plane with a newborn? Don’t worry: generally speaking, there are no particular contraindications for travelling by plane with babies that are a few months old. Here, we offer you a few tips for a stress-free flight with your little one. Before you set off, always let your paediatrician know about your trip, as they will be able to give you more detailed information, as they know about your child’s specific conditions. 

To fly with us, the child must be at least 7 days old and have permission from the family doctor, confirming that it can fly without any specific needs. 

Children under the age of 2 are not eligible for a seat, and must travel on a parent’s lap. However, to make your flight a little more comfortable, there is the option of booking an additional seat at the same price that we offer for children aged 2-11. In this case, you will need to bring a suitable restraint system (e.g. a car seat or a child restraint device). Get in touch with our Sales Centre to receive all the information you need about the procedure and additional details about the equipment we allow on board. With our Economy LIGHT fare, children under 2 years of age are entitled to transport a collapsible buggy (or 1 car seat) for free, whilst the other fares allow them a piece of hold luggage of up to 10kg for free along with the buggy (or car seat).

When travelling by plane with a newborn, every mother’s worst fear is that during takeoff and landing, the baby will experience discomfort or pain in its ears. In fact, with a change in altitude, their ears can get blocked. To resolve this problem, an adult need only yawn or swallow, but newborns are not yet able to perform these two actions on command. To resolve the problem and get them to swallow, you need only give them a dummy or a bottle with a little water to drink. We recommend keeping the baby well hydrated both before and after the flight.

If you use baby formula, we recommend having it ready in its liquid form rather than making up the powder in flight. This is much more practical, as it requires no measuring, dilution or sterilisation. Milk and baby food are considered essential items, so after having gone through the appropriate checks at security, you can even take quantities greater than 100ml on board.

Another very helpful tip for travelling by plane with babies is that you should always bring an extra change for the baby with you on board, including nappies and onesies. It will prove very useful in the event that the little one makes a mess!

Finally, don’t forget to bring a few toys for the baby on board. To keep the baby as calm as possible, it is important to bring its favourite toy or comfort object (such as dolls, teddy bears or blankets) on the plane with you. Just in case, you should also bring a new toy with you. The baby may get bored and a novelty could be a good way to distract it. On our flights, your little ones will receive different complementary gadgets depending on their age - a little reminder of their experience on cloud nine with Air Dolomiti.

For children who are flying for the first time, we offer the opportunity of receiving a certificate of “Flight Baptism” for their first journey by plane (which you can request directly on board).

And now, all you need do is enjoy your flight with your child: it’ll be a wonderful experience for you both to share!