Virgin Australia Flying With Kids Information

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All the Virgin Australia flying with kids information in one place. Including:

• Flying when pregnant
• Flying with a baby or toddler under two
• Flying with older children
• Kids’ baggage allowance
• Car seat policy
• Other child restraint device policies
• Virgin Australia pushchair/stroller policy
• Bassinet policy
• Sleep devices and child ride-ons/leg rests permitted
• Baby and child meals
• Inflight entertainment for children.
• Other family services provided

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VIRGIN AUSTRALIA FLYING WHEN PREGNANT

If you are pregnant and intend to fly we recommend that you discuss your travel plans with your doctor before you fly – particularly during the later stages of pregnancy.

If you are 28 weeks pregnant or more, you will be required to carry a letter from your doctor or midwife, dated no more than 10 days prior to travel, outlining the estimated due date, single or multiple pregnancies, the absence of complications, and your fitness to fly for the duration of the flight(s) booked.

We require you to travel with medical clearance (PDF, 131KB) during pregnancy if the following applies

Medical Clearance Required

• Any pregnancy with complications will require medical clearance
• Within 5 days of normal vaginal delivery (Exclusion: caesarean, please refer to section 5B of the Medical Clearance Guidelines (PDF, 131KB))

Rules for when travel will not be accepted

Flights greater than 4 hours:

• Single pregnancy – after the 36^th week
• Multiple pregnancy – after the 32^nd week
• Within 48 hours of delivery Normal Vaginal Delivery (NVD)

Flights less than 4 hours

• Single pregnancy – after the 40^th week
• Multiple pregnancy – after the 36^th week
• Within 48 hours of delivery Normal Vaginal Delivery (NVD)

Virgin Australia recommend that you drink plenty of water while onboard the aircraft, and walk around the cabin when permitted. Their inflight magazine, Voyeur, has exercises to assist with blood flow during your flight.

FLYING WITH BABY POLICY (INFANTS UNDER 2 YEARS OLD)

-Infant flight fare may be booked with or without an allocated seat.
-Must be accompanied by the parent/legal guardian^ or a passenger who is 15 years of age or over.
-Only one infant may be booked to travel with each adult or guardian.
-Parent/legal guardian must be aged 13 years or over

Lap infants and infants with their own seat.

-If an Infant is not occupying his/her own seat the Domestic fare is free, *10% Full fare in Trans-tasman, and *10% of the Full fare in an International Short Haul (*Excludes taxes, fees and surcharges)
-If the infant is occupying its own seat, He/she will be in Full fare in Domestic and Trans-taman, and *75% of the full fare in an International short haul (*Excludes taxes, fees and surcharges)

FLYING WITH CHILDREN AGED TWO AND OVER

Child 2-4 years old

• Must be accompanied by the parent/legal guardian^ or a passenger who is 15 years of age or over.
• Once your infant turns 2 years old, they will be considered a child and will need to travel in their own seat. You will then need to book them as a ‘Child’ and pay the child fare. A child fare is from aged 2 – 11.

Infants who become children while travelling

Fares must be booked based on the age at the time of travel.

FLYING WITH OLDER CHILDREN ON VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

Child 5-11 years old

• A child fare is from aged 2 – 11.
• May travel alone under the Unaccompanied Minor program.
• Must be booked as an Unaccompanied Minor if travelling alone.
• Unaccompanied Minor guardian must fill up the Unaccompanied Minor Form and present at the check-in counter. This form must be signed by the child’s Parent/Legal Guardian, which must match the details recorded in the booking

Young Person 12-17 years old

• May travel alone.
• Children travelling alone need to satisfy our independent travel criteria or they are required to travel with a carer. They will need to be able to perform the following tasks without assistance:

1. Consume food and beverages (cabin crew can assist with opening packaging)
2. Attend the toilet (including getting to and from the toilet onboard)
3. Administer any medication (including Epi Pens)
   • Children travelling alone must be capable of self-administering their own medication. Our cabin crew are unable to administer medication. The necessary medications must be accessible in carry-on baggage.

Children travelling alone with any medical conditions that may affect their travel, must satisfy our Medical Clearance Guidelines (PDF, 331KB).

KIDS’ BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE ON VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA INFANTS BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

Checked baggage:

Infants and children are entitled to carry special items as checked baggage, free of charge, as listed below

Infants that are not occupying their own seat are entitled to 3 special infant items and 23kg Baggage + 3 special items when occupying their own seat.

What can I check-in as a special infant item?

• Pram/stroller
• Portable cot
• Car seat
• Baby capsule
• 1 x 23kg bag

Hand Baggage:

Adults travelling with infants are entitled to take an additional 7kg carry-on baggage free of charge for essential baby products, as listed below.

• Baby milk, including breast milk
• Sterilised water
• Juice
• Baby food in liquid, gel or paste form
• Disposable wipes

CHILDREN AGED 2 and ABOVE BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

Checked Baggage:

Children are entitled to 23kg baggage + 2 Special Equipment Items

What can I check-in as a special equipment item*?

• Pram/stroller
• Portable cot
• Car seat
• Baby capsule

Hand Baggage:

Children are entitled to the same carry-on baggage allowance as adults.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA CAR SEAT POLICY

Car seat acceptance criteria 

In addition to the above, car seats must meet the following criteria prior to being considered for travel:

• Be designed so they can be secured with a fastened to the aircraft seat with a seat belt only
• Not exceed a width of 44cm (17 inches)
• Be designed to restrain the weight of a child using the device, which unless other specified on the label is 9kg or less for rear facing restraints and 18 kg or less for forward facing restraints
• Must be in good condition, showing no signs of damage
• Have a single release that secures and releases your child’s seat belt, torso and shoulder straps. The car seat must be sufficiently secure so that the child cannot easily undo the strap
• Be quick and easy for the parent/guardian to secure and remove the child
• Have a solid back and seat

If accepted for carriage, car seats must also be:

• Fitted to the aircraft seat by parent/guardian
• Must not impede guest access to aisle or exit routes (this includes protrusion over the seat cushion edging)
• Seat allocated according to airline seating rules

Other Child Restraint Device Policies

Child restraint systems (CRS)

Virgin Australia accept the carriage of selected child restraint systems (CRS), including car seats and harnesses, onboard the aircraft subject to satisfication of the below requirements. The AmSafe CARES Restraint is one of those approved.

Approved support devices designed to provide upper postural support for a guest with disability can be found on our Mobility Assistance page. 

To be considered for travel, all other CRS that aren’t classified as an approved support device must be certified for carriage in the aircraft by meeting one of the below labelling/marking requirements and also the Car Seat Acceptance Criteria below. Wording on labels must be consistent with wording outlined below. 

Comply with Australian design standard AS/NZS 1754: 2013 and onwards	Be permanently and legibly marked AS/NZS 1754 and bear the label ‘This child restraint system meets the standard for use in aircraft as recommended by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia and the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand’.Car seats that comply with Australian design standard AS/NZS 1754 and which bear the approved label for fitment in an aircraft (see below) can be installed on Virgin Australia aircraft with only the use of the aircraft seat belt.Approved Label for Aircraft Use*May be certified for Forward or Rear facing use, Forward only use or Rear facing only use.Car seats that comply with Australian design standard AS/NZS 1754 which do not bear the approved label for fitment in an aircraft are currently unsuitable for carriage on Virgin Australia aircraft, as they require a top tether in addition to the fastened lap belt to secure the three-point attachment.
Comply with United States FAA design standard FMVSS No. 213	Have two markings: ‘This child restraint system conforms to all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards” and in red lettering: ‘This Restraint is Certified for Use in Motor Vehicles and Aircraft’.
Be approved under United States FAA process TSO-C100b	Be permanently and legibly marked ‘TSO-C100b’.
Be approved under United States FAA process 21.305(d)	Be clearly marked showing FAA approval under 21.305(d) and bear the label ‘FAA Approved in Accordance with 14 CFR 21.305(d)’.
Be approved under United Nations ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) Regulation No. 44	Be clearly marked with a circle around the letter ‘E’ followed by the distinguishing number of the country which has granted approval.Be clearly marked with the approval number showing version ECE R44/03 or ECE R44/04.
Be clearly marked with a label showing the CRS has been certified to CMVSS 213 or 213.1	Rear-facing restraint systems are certified to CMVSS 213.1.Forward-facing restraint systems are certified to CMVSS 213.Convertible restraint systems are certified to both CMVSS 213 and 213.1.

Virgin Australia pushchair/stroller policy

Virgin Australia also permits guests to have their pram/stroller tagged at check-in and remain with them for use
within the terminal until it is collected by Ground Crew at the gate prior to boarding. Upon requests, guests can
have their pram/stroller delivered to the gate at their transitioning point (for connections greater than 40 minutes)
and/or arrival airport.

What can I check-in as a special infant item*?

• Pram/stroller
• Portable cot
• Car seat
• Baby capsule
• 1 x 23kg bag

What can I check-in as a special equipment item*?

• Pram/stroller
• Portable cot
• Car seat
• Baby capsule

 *Please note that special items and essential baby products are not restricted to the above.

SLEEP DEVICES AND CHILD RIDE ON/LEG RESTS PERMITTED

Happy tots mean happy parents, which is why Virgin Australia allows the use of certain guest comfort devices on our aircraft – including Plane Pal, Fly Tot and JetKids BedBox. Comfort items are included in your 7kg hand luggage allowance.

If you are using a comfort device onboard your flight, please ensure the following guidelines are met.

• You are responsible for device set-up and use.
• The device may only be set up once the seatbelt sign is switched off and must be stowed securely during taxi, take-off and landing.
• If inflatable, the device valve must face the aisle for easy inflation and deflation.
• Whenever the seatbelt sign is illuminated, children must be seated with a seatbelt fastened and infants must have an infant seatbelt fastened or be secured in a fixed bassinet.
• Children must be secured with their head towards the back of their own seat and their feet facing forward.
• The use of the device must not affect the comfort of other passengers.
• No device may be used that requires attachment to any part of the aircraft for structural stability.

BABY AND CHILD MEALS ON VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

Do Virgin Australia provide baby food?

Yes, on pre request only for long haul international flights.. Strained meat, vegetables, fruits and desserts and juices are provided for babies. Combination of jars and packaged items, no fresh produce.

Can I sterilise my bottles on Virgin Australia?

You can read more about sterilising baby bottles on board here.

Do Virgin Australia provide child meals?

Yes, on long haul international flights only.. This meal is suitable for children and features items such as chicken nuggets, spaghetti bolognese etc. Can contain meat, poultry, fish and dairy products.

Domestic and International Short Haul Flights

Requests for special meal options are not available on Domestic and International Short Haul flights.

A range of vegetarian and gluten-free options are available for purchase from their On-board Menu. If these are unsuitable, guests are welcome to bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages on-board

How to request a special meal:

Make at point of booking on line or add via manage your booking. Alternatively, call Virgin Australia.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT FOR CHILDREN

Virgin Australia Entertainment App – Available on selected domestic and international short-haul flights on equipped aircraft, using a supported mobile or tablet device*. Before you fly, pack your headphones, charge your device and download our Entertainment app. The Entertainment app is free to download and free to use.

OTHER FAMILY SERVICES PROVIDED

Family Points Pooling is an exclusive Velocity benefit that allows members to pool either their Velocity Points or their Points plus Status Credits with family members living at the same address. A Family Pool can consist of a maximum of six family members (including the beneficiary).

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