Let our family care for yours

Lots of our team are parents themselves, so you can trust us when we say we know what it takes to travel with children. From dedicated family check-in desks in Abu Dhabi to preferential boarding for families with young children, we’ll make sure you have a smooth trip.

Tips for flying with children

From where to sit to what to pack, here are our tips to make sure everyone has a happy journey.

Baggage

Packing

  • Bring only the essentials, including a change of clothes, nappies and a few toys. 
  • Place items you'll need regularly at the top of your bag. 
  • Travel with a smaller pushchair (weighing up to 7kg) and check it in for free. Or hand it to us at the gate. 
  • Use our baggage calculator to check your allowance before you travel.  
Father and daughter in economy

Your seats

  • Bassinet seats, if available, are complimentary. Add this as a special request for your infant at etihad.com/manage, then select your seat as soon as you can.
  • Book an Economy Comfort fare and select your seat for free, or book a Deluxe fare for a complimentary Extra legroom seat.
  • Or pay to secure your seats early at etihad.com/manage.
Family

Food and snacks

  • At least 24 hours before you fly, order a child's meal by adding a special request at etihad.com/manage. 
  • Pack snacks and have water or milk ready for take-off and landing to help with changes in air pressure. 
  • Children's meals will not be available on flights less than two hours and 50 minutes, so you may wish to bring your own. 
  • You can carry baby’s food, formula and sterilised water over 100ml in your cabin bag. 
Mother and daughter

Entertainment

  • E-BOX has dedicated children’s channels and games, with options for you to control what they watch. 
  • Sync your screens to play or watch as a family, or use the seat-to-seat chat feature if you’re sitting in different rows. 
  • If you’re an Etihad Guest member, get free Wi-Fi on board to use chat apps. 
  • Seat-back entertainment is not available on our smaller planes (A320 and A321) but can be streamed to your own device so remember to pack headphones.
Abu Dhabi

Holiday hacks

  • Why waste time waiting for your bags when we can do it for you? With our land and leave service in Abu Dhabi, we’ll deliver your bags straight to your hotel.  
  • When it’s time to fly, fast track through the airport with Priority Access – free for under twos!  
  • Or book Home check-in to check in for your flight from the comfort of your hotel in Abu Dhabi.
Lounge with family room

Lounges

  • Our airport lounge in Abu Dhabi is a sure-fire way to get any flight off to a smooth start.  
  • Complete with a dedicated children’s area, games room and food and drinks for the whole family. 
  • Forget chasing your children around the airport and step on board feeling relaxed instead.  
  • Eligible guests can access the lounge for free, or you can book and pay in advance. Children under two go free. 

Policies and advice by age

Business and First Class

Business class

Upgrade to Business or First Class for extra space and privacy on board. And with priority check-in and boarding, you can fast-track through the airport.

  • Bassinets are available in Business and First Class.
  • Children are welcome to use our airport lounges and we have dedicated family rooms in Abu Dhabi and London. 
  • It’s not possible to fix car seats to our seats in Business or First Class.
  • You may not always be sat next to your child or have clear visibility of them in their seat in Business or First.
  • For your child’s safety, make sure they stay in their seat and wear their seatbelt when the seatbelt signs are on.

Disabilities and special assistance

If your child has a disability and needs special assistance, we’re here to help. We recommend that you get in touch with us before your trip so that we can make sure everything is in place to make your journey as smooth and comfortable as possible.

Here are some of the things we can help with: 

  • Reserving a seat for you where your child will feel most comfortable. This is free. 
  • Arranging wheelchairs and special assistance at the airport.
  • Requesting special meals for your child.
  • Talking you through what you can expect at the airport and on board, if you’re unaware, so that you can explain this to your child before they travel.
  • Explaining the facilities at our airports that may help make your child more comfortable, like family check-in desks and quieter areas.
Wheelchair

Flying during pregnancy

Here’s everything you need to know about flying during pregnancy, including when you’ll need a medical certificate.

Learn more

Children flying alone

If your child is between 5 - 11 years old, they can travel on their own if you pre-book our Unaccompanied Minor service. 

Learn more

Flying with the family 

An Etihad Guest Family membership lets everyone earn miles individually and spend them together as a family. 

Join now

Frequently asked questions