Lap Infant Award Travel
Bringing a lap infant on an international award flight can seem complicated and expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Lap infant pricing varies widely among loyalty programs, so we put together our ToP picks of programs for booking lap infant award travel.
RELATED: Check out 12 tips for traveling on points as a family.
Flying with Lap Infants
As the term suggests, a lap infant is supposed to spend the flight on your lap instead of having their own seat. Virtually every airline in the world considers lap infants to be children under the age of 2. Many airlines allow you to bring an extra personal item for the lap infant, such as a diaper bag. This does vary by airline, so be sure to check when booking your lap infant. Also, many airlines provide a bassinet (also called a cot) free of charge. Typically, bassinets are only available in the first row of the cabin, both for business and economy.
You still can book a separate seat for your infant if you wish. But in that case, you would be paying for a seat outright. Also, keep in mind that airlines require you to bring an approved car seat when having a lap infant fly in their own seat.
Domestic Flights
For domestic travel, booking lap infant award travel is very easy. There is no fee for adding a lap infant on any domestic flight within the US. You can add an infant as late as when you're checking in at the airport in person. Depending on the airline, you may be able to add your lap infant when booking, through your reservation online, by phone or at the airport. Some airlines even allow you to add a domestic lap infant at a self-service kiosk. Ticketing and check-in procedures vary by airline. Check your airline's current procedures and requirements before departure.
Lap Infant Award Travel Costs
Generally, costs for adding a lap infant to an international award booking fall into one of 4 categories:
- A fixed cash cost
- A fixed number of miles
- A percentage of an adult award ticket
- A percentage of an adult revenue ticket
The last category is what you will want to avoid. With business class flights costing thousands of dollars, paying 10% or 20% of that cash cost to bring your infant onboard can break the bank.
The Best Airlines for Lap Infant Awards
The best airlines to book lap infant award travel for are of course those that charge the fewest amount of points or dollars.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Aeroplan is one of the best programs for booking lap infant awards. It charges a discounted fare of just $25 CAD or 2,500 Aeroplan points per direction of travel to add your lap infant to any booking, regardless of class of service. Taxes, fees and charges may apply. Paying the fee in cash instead of points is certainly the best approach here. You can get a lot more value out of Aeroplan points than just 1 cents per point. The booking process is super easy too. You can add your lap infant while booking your award ticket online. There is no need to call Aeroplan to add your lap infant. But you still can add a lap infant over the phone if you prefer or forget to do it during the original booking.
All Nippon Airways Mileage Club
ANA flies under the radar when it comes to lap infant awards, but it can be a very helpful program. It charges just 10% of the mileage cost for an adult award on the same flight, plus taxes and fees. The infant must be registered as an award user. For partner bookings, lap infants will require an infant fare ticket,, which typically costs 10% of the revenue fare. The purchase must be made by phone.
Atmos Rewards
Atmos Rewards just rolled out a brand-new policy that now distinguishes it as one of the best programs for lap infant bookings. You'll be charged only applicable international taxes to add a lap infant on long-haul international Atmos Rewards bookings. This applies not only to Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights booked through Atmos Rewards, but it even includes partner bookings.
British Airways Club
Like ANA, British Airways charges just 10% of the cost in Avios to add an infant, plus taxes and fees. The cost is the same for awards on BA and its partners. While British Airways is notorious for high taxes and fees on its award flights, taxes and fees are comparably quite reasonable for lap infants:
United Airlines MileagePlus
On international flights, United charges 10% of the revenue fare for lap infant awards—but this charge is capped at $250, including any taxes or fees. This policy applies to both flights on United and its partners. While this is not as generous as some of the other programs listed here, it can still be useful. The $250 cap can be particularly helpful when flying a partner carrier that imposes significant taxes and fees, like ANA, or when flying into an airport with high fees, like London:
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Virgin Atlantic charges the following amount of points to add a lap infant on a Virgin Atlantic-operated flight, one-way:
- 1,000 points in Economy, plus taxes and fees
- 2,500 points in Premium, plus taxes and fees
- 5,000 points in Upper Class, plus taxes and fees
For partner-operated flights, Virgin charges between 1,000 and 7,000 points one-way to add a lap infant, depending on the class of service. For example, to add a lap infant to a booking on ANA first class, Virgin will charge you 7,000 one-way, plus taxes and fees. Since Virgin passes on carrier imposed surcharges on award flights (including those on partner airlines), you might end up spending a decent amount of cash adding a lap infant depending on the airline. Still, for travel on Air France or KLM, Virgin Atlantic can be quite useful. Air France/KLM's own program, Flying Blue, charges lap infants 10% of the adult's applicable revenue ticket cost, plus taxes and fees. This makes Virgin's pricing way more budget-friendly.
Lap Infant Award Travel: ToP Thoughts
Bringing a lap infant doesn't need to break the bank. When flying with a lap infant, look into the airlines covered in this post and you'll come out ahead by saving lots of points, cash, or both. It's never too early to start making memories with your little ones! Let us know your experience booking lap infant award travel in our ToP Facebook Group.
