Flying with children On board
Seating and sleeping
There are a few seating options that may help make travelling with an infant or child more comfortable, including bassinets, approved seating support devices and Economy Skycouch™.
Some options are only available on certain aircraft, seats or cabins. It’s best to request or book them as early as possible.
Bassinets
Bassinets are available on our 777-300 and 787-9 aircraft. Bassinet seats are located at the front of the cabin, where the bassinet attaches to the wall in front of your seat.
Bassinets are limited and subject to availability. We recommend purchasing your bassinet seat early. If you do not secure one before travel, we will do our best to allocate one at check-in if a bassinet seat is still available.
Using a bassinet during the flight
Bassinets are made up with sheets, pillows and blankets.
For your infant’s safety, the bassinet can only be used while they are sleeping. When the seatbelt sign is on, you must take your infant out of the bassinet and secure them on your lap.
Economy Skycouch™ with infants and children
Economy Skycouch gives your family extra space to relax, stretch out or help your child rest during the flight. Skycouch can be used with infants and children. For infants, we provide a Skycouch infant harness, harness belt and optional infant pod free for Skycouch customers.
Skycouch with children
If you're travelling as one adult and one or two children, one Skycouch provides room to stretch out comfortably.
Skycouch with an infant
For families travelling with an infant, a Skycouch gives you space to lie down with your infant using the infant harness.
Skycouch for families
Travelling with two adults and more than one child? Consider two Skycouches so everyone can put their feet up and sleep.
Give your family more room to relax, rest and travel comfortably with Skycouch.
Using Skycouch with an infant
Once you’ve booked a Skycouch, we’ll help you get set up for a safe and comfortable journey. Our crew will provide a safety briefing before departure and explain how to use the infant harness, harness belt and optional infant pod during your flight.
Children with additional support needs
If your child requires additional seating or medical support during their flight, a range of approved support devices can be used on Air New Zealand services. We’ll help you find suitable seating and prepare for your journey, but some devices may have restrictions depending on the aircraft, cabin and seat location.
Approved seating support devices
Where seating support devices can be used
Seating support devices may have restrictions depending on the aircraft, cabin and seat. On most aircraft, these devices cannot be used in exit row seats or in the Business Premier™ cabin for safety reasons. On Boeing 787-9 V3, V4 and V5 aircraft:
- MERU TravelChair and Carrot 3000 are not permitted in exit rows, Business Premier™, Business Premier Luxe™ or Premium Economy.
- Houdini Harness is not permitted in Business Premier™, Business Premier Luxe™, Premium Economy or Economy.
Please contact us before you travel so we can help you book suitable seats and prepare for your flight:
Infant and children's meals
Infant and children's meals are available on selected flights and need to be requested before you travel. You can find out more on our special meals page around booking special meals, bringing your own food and snacks on board and managing your family's allergies in-flight.
Entertainment for children
On aircraft with inflight entertainment screens, select the “Kids” button to find age-appropriate movies, TV shows, music and games. You may also want to bring your own entertainment, especially for waiting time, delays or flights without seatback screens. Consider packing:
- Child-sized headphones
- A charged device
- Books or activities
- A comfort toy or blanket
Find out what entertainment is available on board our flights,