The alarming prospect of fidgety, sleepless children on long-haul flights is enough to make any parent think twice about that dream holiday. But help is at hand from specially designed inflatable kid’s mattresses. Flying With A Baby tested two such products – Plane Pal and Flyaway – on a flight that could turn laid-back Brad Pitt into a jibbering wreck: London to Sydney via Singapore, with Singapore Airlines. (For other kids travel pillows and neck pillows see this post)

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Flyaway Inflatable Airplane Travel Bed Review
If you are wondering how can I get my child to sleep on a plane, this may be the answer? More than a travel pillow or an inflatable leg rest pillow, the Flyaway is an L-shaped mattress, where the uppermost section rests on top of the aeroplane seat, supported by a ‘leg’ which braces against the floor and keeps the bed level.
Made of light grey vinyl, it’s a very slick piece of product design.


It takes about 100 seconds to inflate. There are two inflation valves which operate one-way to prevent any air escaping while you blow it up, and a third escape valve which releases air pressure if you over-inflate. Talk about attention to detail.
The Flyaway Travel Bed (affiliate link) is designed to fit between any economy or premium seat and can adjust to fit the space between seats.
This unique feature of the Flyaway Kids Bed, includes separate adjustable air compartments that can be inflated to ensure it fits securely on all economy class seats from all airlines.
The length can adjust from 60cm – 80cm long and the width adjusts to inflate the space available on the seat between the arm rests, ensuring the product stays firmly in place throughout the flight.
But there appears to be a slight design compromise if you need to inflate it fully: one of the valves is in the pillow area, which could cause discomfort for a child resting their head on the plastic cap. However an airline or carry-on pillow will fix that issue.

The Flyaway’s killer app is its holistic design: with the mattress resting on top of the plane seat’s base, any child lying on it benefits from one seamless, 80cm flat ‘bed’.
It even has a couple of token side bolsters, though whether they’d have the heft to stop a kid rolling off sideways is questionable. However, these are useful during play time; to stop toys and crayons rolling off the wipeable seat.
You might also need to get the approval of your neighbouring passenger, especially if it’s a mum whose bassinet might be hanging above the mattress. They might fear some wandering child feet will kick the bassinet and disturb the baby they’ve fought desperately to get to sleep.

If you are concerned about the seat in front of you reclining, that potential issue has also been well considered during the design process.
The product is made of a highly durable material and will adjust to fit the space available. The red pressure relief valve located on the side of the product will automatically release air pressure to adjust if required. Clever!
It is pricier than other sleep devices such as the Plane Pal and Fly Tot but cheaper than than Stokke JetKids Bed Box.
Verdict for the FlyAway Inflatable Airplane Travel Bed
My four-and six-year-old, both preferred the comfort and robustness of the flat, one-piece Flyaway mattress. Staying exactly in place helps keep children slumbering – which is what every parent wants on a long-haul flight.

Need to Know Before You Buy
The Flyaway Kids Bed is considered a “carry-on” piece of equipment and an in-flight sleeping aid (same as inflatable pillows) and it is not regulated by aviation authorities including the FAA / EASA or CASA.
The Flyaway Kids Bed was designed with input from IATA to ensure it meets all of IATA’s strict criteria for inflatable comfort devices. However, it is up to the airline to decide if it is permitted on board.
Some airlines prohibit the use of inflatable mattresses, seeing them as a safety hazard that could block seat rows in the event of an evacuation.
Lots of airlines do permit their use but check which ones first!
The airlines that do permit them are quite prescriptive about where they are used: the window seat of outboard rows, and the middle berths of a four-seat central cluster. Some airlines which currently approve include American Airlines, WestJet, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Australia,
You can use at bulkhead seats (where the bassinets are) Check your airline’s website’s Travelling With Children section for their particular rules.
Do Airlines Allow Airplane Toddler Beds & Inflatable Footrests?
Quick answer? Some do and some don’t. Below details the airlines which officially allow or prohibit them and state this on their website. Just click on the links to view their entire policy.
Airlines who officially do NOT allow most sleep travel gadgets/airplane beds for toddlers and say so on their website are:
- Air France
- Air New Zealand – they do have a SkyCouch though . Note they do not allow the CoziGo either.
- British Airways (They only allow the Cozigo Bassinet Cover)
- Emirates
- Jetstar
- Lufthansa
- THAI
- Turkish Airlines – Confirmed directly with safety team that they do not allow any inflatable devices)
- Qantas
- United .
Airlines which OFFICIALLY APPROVE some sleep devices for children (as long as certain guidelines are met) and say so on their website:
However, note that the final decision will always rest with the crew.
- Air Canada – Note they have not updated their website yet, but I have verified with flight attendants that it is officially approved. Infant beds like eg Flyaway, Bedbox can be used onboard when the plane seatbelt sign is off ie NOT during taxi, take-off, turbulence and landing. If traveling with Air Canada, and queried, please ask the crew politely to check their manuals. Similar items are not permitted if they attached to a fixed part of the aircraft.
- Air Mauritius
- Air Vanuatu
- British Airways (ONLY allow CoziGo bassinet cover)
- Cathay Pacific
- Etihad
- EVA air
- Garuda
- KLM
- LATAM
- Singapore Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia


Flyaway Specifications
The Flyaway comes in a convenient travel pouch with its own small pump and easily fits into your carry on luggage.
Dimensions: 50cm wide x 60-80cm long x 52cm high
Load: up to 50kg/110lbs
Max height: 130cm/4 ft,3 “
Age range: 2-7 years
Price: Approx $159.00/£127.00 Currently only available from the Flyaway website, although they do ship internationally. Use my discount code below (affiliate link)to get $10 off. If you are ordering from another country, the equivalent amount will be taken off in your currency.
What do you think? Is the Flyaway the best toddler bed for plane travel? What kids’ travel accessories do you recommend?
Flying With A Baby is a participant in the GoAffpro Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to the partner site.
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Leanne
Thursday 27th of January 2022
Hi! Great review, really interested to try this product, I tried the code you had and it doesn't seem to be working. Wondering if the code expired or if you could get it extended? THank you! :)
Carrie Bradley
Monday 31st of January 2022
Hi Leanne, the code should be working now!
Carrie Bradley
Saturday 29th of January 2022
Hi Leanne, I will contact Flyaway and get them to check and let you know ASAP!
Lisa
Thursday 27th of August 2020
This product is AWESOME! I'm so glad we found this article:) The bed made such a difference on our 9.5 hour flights for so many reasons. My daughter had her own space that was bigger than just the seat/tray and was able to lie down when she was tired. She slept perfectly! The bed was a great germ barrier for the airplane seat and I loved that you can wipe it down. Also the bed deflates very small so it was light and easy to put in our carry-on. We recommend it to all our expat friends - it's a must have if you fly with kids!
Callum
Monday 6th of July 2020
I’m so glad that we found this product! We flew with our toddler a few months ago and were so pleasantly surprised and relieved that the Flyaway Kids Bed works so well! The Flyaway kids bed was so easy to setup and put away and helped our child sleep much better on the long flight.
We’ve tried other “beds” in the past that don’t work as well and aren’t as comfortable for our daughter. With the other ones, she wouldn’t want to sleep for more than an hour and we would need to hold her to sleep.
Using the Flyaway Kids Bed, our daughter slept for 6+ hours each way! We were a bit worried that the bed might not fit well in the premium economy class, but it actually fit quite perfectly. We made a makeshift canopy top to help block out as much ambient lights from the cabin to help her sleep better (we made sure to ask the flight attendants if that was ok).
The Flyaway Kids Bed is such a godsend product for parents that fly. It worked so well we bought another one as a Christmas gift for our friend! Would definitely recommend to anyone.
Cassidy
Thursday 13th of February 2020
Hi Carrie! After reading your review we ordered and received our two Flyaway Kids Bed for our upcoming flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne. We'll be flying Virgin Australia with our 16 month old twins. The boys are too big for the bassinets (34 inches tall and around 29 lbs each.) We're also currently booked for the Bulkhead Row, the middle 4 seats. I just took a look at the instruction sheet included with the beds it said that it cannot be used in the bulkhead. So I tried looking on the Virgin Australia website and it only said that they cannot be used in an emergency exit row. Any chance, do you know if the bulkhead row is considered an emergency exit row? Or have you had any experience using this on a Virgin Australia flight? And thank you for providing such a great review. Fingers crossed it works for this trip!
Carrie Bradley
Monday 17th of February 2020
Hello Cassidy,
and thank you so much for you kind words! So glad they help! The bulkhead seats are sometimes near an exit row - but they don't allow children on an exit row, or parents with infants, so you will be given a seat that is suitable for your little ones and the Flyaway. If you book online the system shouldn't let you choose seats by the exit. :-)
Lenke
Sunday 19th of January 2020
Hi Carrie, Just travelled to Colombia and back (11.5hrs there, 9.5 hrs back) with the Flyaway Kids Bed and I wanted to recommend it wholeheartedly. Fantastic gadget! I found the best way to keep my 3 year old on it was to lower the armrest (didn’t do it outbound, big mistake as she ended up halfway on me so I couldn’t move LOL), and to construct a tent over it out of a blanket. Nearly 8 hours of sleep on our way home! The little bolsters on the side kept my daughter’s toy and cup of water on the bed. I’d also recommend not inflating it completely fully, to leave it a little softer while still securely standing in its “leg”. fully inflated it was too hard and uncomfortable. You were right, a small travel pillow was a good idea too. Thanks very much for a great suggestion, it will get used over and over again!
Carrie Bradley
Tuesday 28th of January 2020
Amazing! So glad it worked out for you!