Ryanair and EasyJet, the most popular low-cost airlines in Europe, had a very bad reputation in many ways. What about when you need to travel with infants? They had similar guidelines with some minor but key differences. Find them all below.
Ryanair
Cabin Baggage Allowance
In summary, Ryanair charges €/£25 per infant that goes on your lap, and there is no cabin allowance other than a baby bag up to 5kg (dimensions: 45x35x20cms). So if you want your travel-friendly pram (e.g. Yoyo Babyzen) to fly safely in the cabin and use it until boarding and right after disembarking, you need to pay for a 10 kg additional cabin bag.
So what we normally do is purchase the Regular Fare (Priority & 2 Cabin Bags) to allow us to bring a personal item plus an additional 10kg cabin bag (€/£11.99- €/£29.99) for the pram. Or, if we need more luggage (most of the time), we buy the same Regular Fare tickets plus a checked bag of 23 kg and use one of the cabin bags for the pram.
Additionally, adults travelling with infants must sit at a window seat, and Ryanair charges for this, so the minimum would be £2 per seat. See the picture below.
See all fees here.
Checked Baggage Allowance
There is an allowance for checked items. You can bring 2 items of carry-on baby equipment for free which can include a pushchair/buggy, car seat, booster seat or travel cot. These will need to be tagged at the check-in desk or at the boarding gate. You will be able to use your pushchair/buggy until you get to the steps of the aircraft.
If you have your pram plus a bassinet, you can detachable it from the wheels/frame and those would count as your 2 items.
However; depending on the airport you may need to wait for it at the baggage carousel, hence carry your baby all the way plus wait for it. Moreover; airport staff unloading baggage focus on speed and don’t normally treat them gently.
Other Considerations
- Other than that, adults travelling with infants must sit at a window seat as there are 2 oxygen masks provided above these selected seats.
- If you bring a car seat for an infant under 2 years of age and wish them to sit in this car seat for the duration of the flight, you will need to book an extra seat for them.
- Full guidelines are available here.
EasyJet
Cabin Baggage Allowance
EasyJet has very similar rules. They charge £25 per infant that goes on your lap, and there is no cabin allowance other than a baby changing bag for the infant (max. 45 x 36 x 20 cm) and this must be placed under the seat in front of you. So if you want your travel-friendly pram (e.g. Yoyo Babyzen) to fly safely in the cabin and use it until boarding and right after disembarking, you need to pay for a 10 kg cabin bag.
So the options here are the same as with Ryanair. You can purchase an additional cabin bag for the pram (besides your two Standard Plus tickets which include one each), or you can purchase an additional checked bag and use one of the cabin ones for the pram. And it is also a similar case with the seats, you need to pay for them at least £6.99 per seat. The difference here is that they don’t forced to select one by the window.
See all fees here.
Checked Baggage Allowance
Their allowance for checked items is the same as Ryanair. You can bring 2 items of carry-on baby equipment for free which can include a travel cot, pushchair, car seat, collapsible or non-collapsible pram, booster seat and/or baby back carrier. These will need to be tagged at the check-in desk or at the boarding gate. You will be able to use your pushchair/buggy until you get to the steps of the aircraft.
However; depending on the airport you may need to wait for it at the baggage carousel, hence carry your baby all the way plus wait for it. Moreover; airport staff unloading baggage focus on speed and don’t normally treat them gently.
Other Considerations
- If you bring a car seat for an infant under 2 years of age and wish them to sit in this car seat for the duration of the flight, you will need to book an extra seat for them.
- Infants with booked seats and children over 2 years old have the same cabin bag and hold luggage allowance as adults.
- Each adult can travel with a maximum of two infants. If you’re travelling with two infants, you’ll need to buy an additional seat for at least one of your infants, this is because they allow up to one infant on a lap for each row of three seats.
- Full guidelines are available here.
