Traveling with Children

Bassinets

Children's Meals

Children Traveling Alone

Groups of Children

Kids Packs

Safety and Wellbeing

Seating for Children and Infants

Strollers

Bassinets

On international fights, bassinets may be installed on Air New Zealand Boeing 747, 777, 767 and 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft.  These bassinets are designed for infants of average size up to 8 months old.  The bassinets are made up with sheets, pillow and blankets.

There are only a limited number of bassinet positions on any aircraft so it is important to request a bassinet seat when making your booking.  Please note that because the bassinets are designed for infants up to 8 months old, pre-allocation of bassinet seats is only available for infants up to that age on a first come, first served basis.  If you are traveling with an infant aged between 8 months and 15 months, a bassinet seat may be allocated to you if one is available at the time you check in on the day of travel.

Children's Meals

Special meals for children and for infants are available on our long-haul flights including services to and from Perth, Noumea and Papeete and must be requested through our contact centre or your travel agent at the time of booking. Where possible, the cabin crew serve children's meals before serving adults, so you can feed your child before relaxing and enjoying your own meal.

Children and infant meals are no longer available on Tasman or Pacific services (except for services to and from Perth, Noumea and Papeete).  Please note that meals are not available on Air New Zealand Domestic New Zealand services.

You're welcome to bring your own pre-packed snacks for your children, however our Cabin Crew are unable to refrigerate, heat or add water to any food items you bring on board. Our crew are happy to prepare, heat and wash bottles whenever needed. Please remember that all food taken on board must be either eaten or destroyed prior to landing in another country due to quarantine regulations. Air New Zealand can also cater for children with special dietary needs on long-haul flights including flights to and from Perth, Noumea and Papeete. Please see special meals.

On our long-haul flights (including Perth, Noumea and Papeete), disposable diapers, drinking cups and formula are available.  Pre-prepared baby food is also carried on board.  Due to limited aircraft space, only a small amount of these products are loaded for emergency use.

Children traveling Alone

Children may travel unaccompanied, provided the child does not require additional care such as toileting, feeding or administering of medicine. If you are concerned that your child has a medical condition that may be affected by the flight please seek medical advice. Our staff will do all they can to ensure a safe and comfortable journey however they cannot be responsible for ensuring your child takes medication at a specific time.

Children under 5
Children under the age of 5 must be escorted by an adult 15 years or older. On Air New Zealand international flights we can provide a company escort for the child. Air New Zealand or your travel agent can give you details of the cost for this service.

Children aged 5 - 11
A child aged between 5 and 11 may travel alone as an Unaccompanied Minor. Please note that a 5 to 11 year old traveling with others aged under 15 years must still travel as an Unaccompanied Minor on the applicable fare.
 
Young People traveling Alone (12 to 17 Years)
Air New Zealand ground staff can provide assistance upon arrival and departure for young people travelling alone if you request assistance within airports. This does not include the same level of assistance provided to Unaccompanied Minors. If you prefer a greater level of assistance you can request that your child travels as an Unaccompanied Minor.

Domestic New Zealand flights
All flights need to be booked at an adult fare level. Bookings can be made online, however, an Unaccompanied Minor form is also required. Please contact the Air New Zealand Contact Centre to request an Unaccompanied Minor form to be sent for your completion. This form must be presented at check-in for each flight to ensure your child receives the necessary care when traveling alone.

Tasman and Pacificı flights
For domestic New Zealand and Tasman and flightsı, an Unaccompanied Minor can be booked online on an adult Smart Saver (or higher) fare level. You must also complete an Unaccompanied Minor form for presenting at each check-in. A copy of this form may be requested by contacting Air New Zealand.

Other International flights
Unaccompanied Minor fares for long-haul international travel will vary according to the rules of the fare booked and an Unaccompanied Minor fee will apply. For long-haul international flights, Unaccompanied Minors cannot be booked online.

Unaccompanied Minor Travel Procedure
An Unaccompanied Minor will be escorted by airline staff from check-in to their seat on the aircraft. If traveling on an international flight, the child will be escorted and assisted through the departure formalities of passport control, and security screening to the departure gate.

At the departure gate the Unaccompanied Minor is escorted onto the aircraft, introduced to the cabin crew who then assist the child to their seat.

Supervision and assistance will also be provided if your child is making connecting flights on the same day. This applies to transit stops less than two hours on domestic services and for same day connections on international services. On arrival your child will be escorted from the aircraft, through the arrival formalities and handed to the person you have nominated. Where another airline is involved in a journey, our airport staff will escort your child to the check in counter and ensure your child is handed over to the appropriate airline staff member.

In order that we can take the best possible care of your child, you will need to provide information including contact details of guardians at both ends of the journey and for any person meeting your child at stopover points. Your travel agent will provide you with a form that needs to be completed before travel.

Groups of Children

School trips, sports tournaments, and family reunions are just some of the occasions when groups of children travel with Air New Zealand. Whatever the reason, and whatever the size of the group, it is always a very exciting adventure for children, however, it is important that there is adequate adult supervision to ensure their safety and well-being.

For this reason, we strongly recommend that there should be at least one adult for every five children traveling.

Kids Packs

traveling is a wonderful experience to share with your child. But we also know how tiring it can be for your both.  So we've developed an exciting Kids Pack with a wide range of activities and entertainment to keep the little ones occupied.

These specially designed packs feature native New Zealand characters Kerry the Kiwi, Phizz the Fantail and Ted the Tuatara, who help kids learn a little about New Zealand in a fun way.  The colourful bags contain a range of items including an activity book, colouring pencils, magic slate and stickers.

Please note that Kids Packs are not available on Domestic New Zealand, Tasman or Pacific services (except for services to and from Perth, Noumea and Papeete).  

Safety and Well-being

The safety of your children is our first concern when you are traveling with us. So it is important that you follow any instructions from your Cabin Crew.

Please also note that international safety and hygiene regulations do not allow Cabin Crew to feed children, administer medication, take children to the toilet, change nappies, or allow children to run through the aircraft.

While Cabin Crew cannot administer medication, they do have eucalyptus sachets available to help children suffering from ear-ache during take off or descent. To assist your infant during take off and landing we suggest you have a bottle to give your baby to help their ears adjust to the change in air pressure. Children do seem to be more susceptible than adults to the changes in air pressure, and this is especially so if they are suffering from a cold, or have tonsil or adenoid problems. If your child has these problems, it is advisable to see a doctor before traveling.

Seating for Children and Infants

Children under the age of 2, not occupying a seat and accompanied by an adult, may travel on an infant fare.  A child traveling on an infant fare must be held by the accompanying adult. For safety reasons an adult can hold only one infant, and children under the age of 15 may not hold infants.

If you are the only adult traveling with more than one infant you will need to reserve a seat for the additional infant and pay a child's fare (available for children up to and including 11 years of age). The additional infant must be restrained in an approved infant car seat.

The car seat must have its own inbuilt restraint system and be of a type approved for use in motor vehicles. Please refer to the chart below. It must also be in good, safe working condition and should not exceed the given dimensions.

Please note: the Business Premier lie-flat seat is sideways facing therefore the seatbelt has an airbag in it. This means infant car seats are not able to be used in the Business Premier lie-flat seats on our refitted B747and B777 aircraft as it would impede the deployment of the airbag in the event of an emergency. Infants under the age of 2 years are still able to be seated on their parent/guardian's lap and will be provided with a specially designed infant's seat belt which will not inhibit the safety features of the airbag seat belt.

These dimensions apply to B747, B777, B767, B737 and A320 aircraft.

The child restraint should display one of the following manufacturing standards marks:

Please note, for your child's safety, child booster seats cannot be used on board.

Graphics courtesy of Transportation Safety Training Center, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Strollers

Infants are entitled to the same baggage allowance as the accompanying passenger, including car seats and strollers. Safety requirements mean that strollers must be stowed in the overhead lockers of the aircraft. If your stroller will not fit in an overhead locker, it will need to be checked-in with your other baggage.

On Air New Zealand Link aircraft there is very limited cabin stowage space so your stroller will need to be checked-in.

On Boeing 747, 777, 767, 737 and the Airbus A320 aircraft, strollers with a completely collapsible frame and seating will fit in the overhead lockers. Other strollers do not fit, including the three-wheeled 'jogger' style and those which do not fold inwards when collapsed.

OK on board

This style of stroller can be stowed in the overhead locker of Boeing 747, 777, 767, 737 and A320 aircraft.

Must be checked-in

These larger styles of stroller do not fit in the overhead locker of any aircraft and must be checked-in with your baggage.

ıTasman and Pacific flights are services between New Zealand and Australia, Norfolk Island, Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands, and Fiji.