Children
Discounts:
- In air transport, there are discounts only for infants, i.e. for children who are not yet two years old and who travel on the lap of the person taking care of them. You usually have to pay only 10% of the ordinary ticket price for them and some airlines carry infants for free as they do not have their own seat on board of the plane.
- If you buy a round-way-ticket for a child and if on the departure day the child is still an infant and on the arrival date it has already turned two, you will still pay with a discount for the return ticket. An infant cannot collect points for travelling in loyalty programs.
- Children aged 2-12 travel on the same conditions as adults.
Pregnant women:
- Lower pressure and air in the cabin is not dangerous for the mother or for the fetus but the second trimester of pregnancy is considered to be the safest time for travelling. A pregnant woman should receive a special seat with more space to stretch out her legs. During a calm flight, she should walk every half an hour in order to prevent deep vein thrombosis. The seatbelt should be fastened around the pelvis.
- Due to low humidity on board, it is advisable to drink a lot in order to prevent dehydration.
- A pregnant woman should always have a document saying when the baby is due and a document from the doctor saying that she can travel by plane. If you are nine months pregnant and travelling to the USA, the Federal Aviation Authority will demand from you a document (in three copies) from your obstetrician stating that 72 hours before the departure date there were no reasons preventing you from travelling by plane.
Baggage:
- Depending on the airline, infants are entitled only to have hand baggage or baggage whose weigh does not exceed 10 kg.
- You can always take a foldable buggy and its weigh won’t be included in the registered baggage price. After landing the plane personnel should place the buggy by the exit or in a special place in the arrival hall.
- Despite a ban on carrying any containers with compressed liquids or gases in your hand baggage, it is allowed to take milk and other liquid meals for small children on board as long as they have been packed in small containers.
- Some airlines give precedence to mothers with children at check-in. In case of airlines which do not offer numbered seats, it is worth asking the personnel to let you board the plane first, which will allow you to choose a seat in a calmer manner and to put your luggage in the overhead locker.