Everything you need to know about flying Ryanair and EasyJet with a baby
It's better than you think
Ultra low-cost carrier Ryanair is the airline people love to hate. The website is annoying, if you don’t check in on time they charge you, the baggage allowance is practically nonexistent, and the crew seems like its made up of a bunch of 20-somethings who are a little hungover or maybe still drunk, depending on their moods.
(I once knew a Ryanair pilot in Rome who told me sometimes they turn the emergency landing off, “just for fun!” I never worked out whether he was serious, but he was serious about the crew partying together every night.)
Is your flight going to be on time? There’s an 83 percent chance, if you go by data from last year. Will you get your too-large carry on past the gate agent? I can tell you from experience they let a lot more slide when they see a baby… Will you be able to check in online without the app flashing error messages? Probably not. Will customer service be helpful? Lol.
But…you get what you pay for, and flights regularly range from $10-100. Honestly, it’s not that bad. Yes, the seats are hard plastic. No, you don’t get even a water for free. But their beverage options are pretty good and not very expensive. A coffee is like $4. A cocktail is around $7. The seats are not comfortable, especially not with a fidgety baby, but Ryanair flies around Europe, where the vast majority of flights are under two hours. I can handle a bit of discomfort for two hours in exchange for a €45 roundtrip flight to another country. Plus, the crew is often funny and seems in on the jokes about their employer.
Here’s what you need to know:
Booking fees & baggage allowance
Infants under 2 years old don’t pay for tickets, but do pay a €25 fee per one way flight. (This is irritating, as often the adult tickets are less than €25.)
Ryanair notoriously tries to trick customers throughout the booking process. It’s not as simple as selecting flights, entering passenger info and submitting payment. On Ryanair, you must decline insurance, car rentals, credit cards, valet services, hotels. You are forced to choose a seat and it is not immediately clear that free seats are available. Pop-ups encourage you to add ‘fast track,” add cabin bags, add check-in bags, and add equipment, including strollers.
You save money by booking your baggage ahead of time, but do not book equipment for your stroller or car seat. I repeat, do not pay the €15 to book a stroller.
At the airport, you can carry on or gate check two items of baby equipment per child (stroller, car seat, booster seat, travel cot) free of charge.
I have never had an issue gate checking these items (including two-piece strollers with a car seat attachment, counted as one item). If you have more than two items, you do have to pay and have them checked in.
If traveling with an infant you can bring a 5kg diaper bag on board in addition to your carry on allowance.
Should you pay for Fast Track?
Don’t pay extra for fast track, either. While Ryanair says fast track is not free for families and is only a paid service, I think it’s more of an airport decision. I have always been ushered into the fast track lane when traveling with Stella. If you want to absolutely guarantee it, go ahead and pay, but I would risk it and hope.
Ryanair, like all airlines, boards people traveling with babies early (though I don’t recommend this–more on that in another post).
What type of seat does your baby need?
Infants aged 8 days to 23 months must sit on an adult’s lap. Many airlines allow you to buy a seat for an infant, but Ryanair does not.
Infants must sit at a window seat, as those are the seats with two oxygen masks. There are a few free infant seats near the back of the plane. Those toward the front typically have a fee. Ryanair does not have bassinet seats.
For kids age 2-11, you will pay for tickets but reserving seats next to your children is free (up to four kids) when you choose Basic fare or Family Plus.
Amenities
Rear bathrooms have changing tables. Ryanair says crew can warm baby bottles if needed (I’ve never tested this). They do not allow you to heat your own baby food.
Ryanair does not provide any toys, wings, coloring books, or other amenities that some other airlines offer.
Everything you need to know about flying with a baby on EasyJet
Most of the above applies. There’s a €25 infant fee per one way flight. You get an additional small carry-on bag (max. 45 x 36 x 20 cm) if you’re traveling with an infant, and you can check or gate check two pieces of baby equipment for free.
A couple of differences: EasyJet does not allow babies under 14 days old, while for Ryanair it’s 8 days. EasyJet allows you to book an individual seat for your infant, but if you go this route your baby will need to sit in a car seat during takeoff and landing and whenever asked by the crew. EasyJet provides a Little Traveller’s logbook where kids can keep a record of their travels.
Thanks for reading! Just a reminder that starting next week, posts about traveling with kids will be for paid subscribers only. More information on pricing and how that will work coming Friday.
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- Rebecca 💛