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Flying with a baby: car seats, waiting time and what to pack

Baby's first flight? Here's how to handle the airport transfer, security, and the flight itself — from a taxi operator that does this every week.

2025-11-13 · 5 min read

Flying with an infant for the first time is stressful for reasons nobody quite prepares you for. Here's what we tell our customers.

Before the airport

Car seat / rear-facing seat: We can fit an infant carrier in any of our cars at no extra charge — please tell us at booking. If you're planning to fly with the seat and check it in, bring the base too. If you're bringing your own seat and just want us to fit it in place of one of ours, that's fine.

Pack a "gate bag": nappies, wipes, one bottle, one full change of clothes, a muslin, and a small pack of formula. This is what you'll live out of from taxi drop-off until you're on the plane.

At the airport

  • Priority security is available at every UK airport for families with a child under 12. Ask at the queue entrance — you don't need to have paid for Fast Track.
  • Buggy check-in: at every UK airport, you can gate-check the buggy for free — meaning you use it right up to the plane door and pick it up at the gate on arrival.
  • Feeding on the plane: bottles must be presented separately at security; airport staff can taste-check formula in the UK.

The flight itself

  • Feed or offer a dummy on takeoff and landing — helps their ears.
  • Book a bulkhead row if flying long-haul; airlines offer bassinets for babies under ~11kg.
  • Change nappies just before boarding, then again mid-flight if long.

The return journey

Our Meet & Greet includes 1 hour of free waiting from landing — meaning if immigration takes 45 minutes with a screaming baby, we're still there when you emerge. Included in the fare — you don't need to worry about tipping the meter into overtime.

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