Neena Gupta says family wasn’t allowed to carry 2.5-month-old granddaughter on flight as ticket mentioned ‘child’: ‘Who the hell knows ‘infant’ in India?’

"This video is to just warn young mothers to be careful when travelling with a small kid which could be a problem," Neena Gupta said.

By: Lifestyle Desk

New Delhi | Updated: January 27, 2025 10:19 PM IST

4 min read

Neena Gupta shares learning something new from her recent airline travel experience (Photo: Neena Gupta/Instagram)

Actor Neena Gupta recently faced an inconvenience while travelling with family, including 2.5-month-old granddaughter Matara. “We were travelling to Goa along with my granddaughter, Masaba’s daughter, who is 2.5 months old. Nowadays, you need to book a ticket for little kids below two years. You don’t get a seat but are charged a little with a proper ticket. You have to show documents like birth certificates, etc. On our way back, we flew a different airline — Air India. When we went to the counter, they told us, ‘Sorry ma’am, aapki choti bacchi nahi ja sakti‘ (Your granddaughter can’t travel). They said children below two years are called infants as per the system,” recalled Neena, 65.

She also said that despite a ticket mentioning “child, age, along with the birth certificate,” the family wasn’t allowed to check in and was made to wait before being told to cancel the ticket and book a fresh one with “infant” mentioned. “What is the problem? Who the hell knows infant in India? We say baccha na– chota ya bada (we say baccha, whether the kid is an infant or older). How many people would know this differentiation?” she asked, adding that the video was made in public interest.

“They made us wait for 15-20 minutes. We had to cancel the ticket and buy a new ticket with infant mentioned. That is when we could check in. This video is to just warn young mothers to be careful when travelling with a small kid which could be a problem,” she said.

What do airline policies say?

According to Dhairyashil Vandekar, an aviation expert and analyst, as per rules, children below two years of age are treated as infants for air travel. “They are normally carried in the lap by the parents, and no separate seat is allotted to them as they need constant care and attention from the parent. The infants are charged a fixed amount – less than the adult fare or some discount, as a fee for travel,” said Vandekar.

Let’s understand more about airline policies (Photo: Pixabay)

According to Vandekar, airlines may provide infant bassinets free of cost, subject to availability. “They can be requested at the time of booking or when checking in at the airport,” said Vandekar.

Children above two and below 12 are given child tickets for air travel. “A separate seat is also allotted to children travelling on a child ticket. In some airlines, child tickets are discounted by 20-35 per cent of the adult fare while some do not offer any discount,” said Vandekar.

Vandekar noted that a child ticket cannot be used for infants on flights because an infant is a baby under two who typically travels on an adult’s lap without a separate seat. “Child ticket is for a young person above two years of age and needs their seat on the flight. Hence, booking a child ticket for an infant would be incorrect and could lead to issues at check-in due to age etc and verification requirements. It is important for passengers to follow the rules in their interest,” said Vandekar.

Story continues below this ad

Also Read | Here’s what happens when you don’t put the phone on airplane mode when flying

It is thus crucial that passengers, when travelling with infants or children, are well informed of the regulations and check their travel documents to be in order. They must also ensure advance requests are made by them wherever necessary, said Vandekar.

Note: We have reached out to Air India for their reaction. This copy will be updated once they send their response.

From the homepage