Not every airline has the same rules about travelling with babies and strollers. They all also have different hand luggage rules. That’s why we want to give you our best tips, based on our own experience, on flying with Brussels Airlines with a baby and stroller.
Travelling with a baby, whether on a short or long flight can be stressful. Tell us about it!
The simple idea of being on a tiny seat on a plane for hours is already stressful enough. You have to keep your baby or toddler entertained for hours. On top of thinking about which toys to bring, you have to remember to pack everything you and the baby will need during the flight and your holidays, with very tight limits on hand carry luggage.
In this post, we will break Brussels Airlines’ hand luggage rules based on our recent flight from London Heathrow to Brussels. We will compare them with other airlines and tell you about our first-hand experience with them.
So come on board with us and discover what is it like to fly with a baby with Brussels Airlines.
Flying with Brussels Airlines with a Baby
Brussels Airlines offers flights to hundreds of destinations. They are one of the four Lufthansa Group network airlines and a member of Star Alliance which means that they partner with many other airlines to offer flights to even more destinations. With Brussels Airlines, you will be able to get to your dream destination with your baby.
We used Brussels Airlines to fly fro London Heathrow to Brussels for our 5-day family trip around Belgium and Luxembourg in March 2024.
If you want to get tips on visiting Luxembourg with your family and baby, read our detailed Luxembourg Family Travel Guide.
Research When Flying with A Baby
One of the first things we do when researching a new holiday destination is to look at all the companies that operate that particular route. In addition to the cost of flying with them, we also look for their luggage policy. This gives us an idea of any hidden cost on top of the standard fare, like for any additional hand carry or checked-in luggage.
Buying An Infant Ticket with Brussels Airlines
When buying tickets to any destination, we first use a search comparison engine like Google Flights or Skyscanner. This helps us get an idea of the cheapest and most convenient flight time and the corresponding airline.
We then always buy directly from the company’s official website. This will save you from many issues down the line, like name changes, spelling mistakes, extras, flight delays, etc. If you buy through a third company or agency, you are going to struggle to get those issues resolved.
To buy an infant ticket with Brussels Airlines just go to their website to buy your tickets, select one infant on your lap together with your adult tickets and follow all the steps.
Should Your Infant Fly on Your Lap Or Have Their Own Seat?
We have never bought a seat for Baby O. That way we have saved a lot of money. Even on our 14-hour flight to Japan, Baby O travelled on our lap.
If you want them to have their own seat, you have to bring your own airline-approved car seat. And it is most likely that your baby would want to be on your lap anyway.
Safety During Take Off And Landing
On shorter European flights, you will be given an extra seat belt for your infant. In international or long-haul flights, you probably won’t get it.
Hand Luggage Allowance In Brussels Airlines With Infants And Babies
On Brussels Airlines, all adults and children who have bought a ticket with an allocated seat are allowed a small hand luggage and an additional personal item (e.g. laptop bag, purse, etc).
Special note: In Brussels Airlines, the compact stroller counts as one of the adults’ allowed carry on luggage. So be careful with how many suitcases you take to avoid having to pay extra.
On flights within Europe, you can check in your hand baggage for free so you can have an easy and comfortable time boarding the plane with your baby. This also means that have no limits on liquids
Hand Luggage Rules and Max. Dimensions
We usually try to travel as light as possible, with just a backpack each, including one for the baby stuff, and the additional small suitcase if needed.
The dimensions of most backpacks actually exceed the maximum allowed dimensions stated on Brussels Airlines for the personal item. The personal item should be limited to an item of just 10cm in depth! But our experience with flying with Brussels Airlines tells us that they are flexible with those dimensions.
In both of our flights and from observing other flights that were departing at similar times to ours, the Brussels Airlines staff didn’t check the sizes of the carry-on luggage or personal items. They didn’t even have one of those scary “fit your luggage here” as other low cost companies do. Everyone on the flight had a backpack that surely exceeded the above-stated dimensions.
Travelling with a Lightweight and Compact Stroller with Brussels Airlines
It was our first time flying with an ultracompact stroller, the Cybex Libelle, which fits in the overhead compartment of all aeroplanes, and is an IATA approved stroller. We folded it and, together with a blanket, we stored it in its storage bag and put it in the overhead compartment. It fit smoothly and perfectly in the overhead compartment of the plane.
If you want to know more about travelling with an ultracompact stroller, read this article.
Flying with an ultracompact stroller with Brussels Airlines was very easy and convenient. On our first flight, the flight attendant asked us if we were going to store the stroller in the overhead compartment. This is basically because with Brussels Airlines, you are only allowed a larger carry on suitcase per person, and the stroller counts as one already (see hand luggage rules above). Essentially, she was counting how many bags and suitcases we had.
Boarding with an Infant
When flying with an infant on Brussels Airlines, you’ll be able to board the plane first. This gives you the chance to store all your baggage and stroller in the overhead compartment without pressure from other passengers.
Some parents recommend to board last so that the kids spend less time inside the plane which could be a stressful space for them.
We haven’t had any issues with Baby O as she enjoys seeing all the people walking by and looking for their seats. She is used to flying and is very sociable so likes to interact with everybody.
In-flight Entertainment with an Infant
The flights were very short so entertaining Baby O was a lot easier. The cabin crew of Brussels Airlines was very nice and friendly with Baby O.
They even asked the person who sat next to ask if they wanted to move to a different seat so that we could have an extra seat for Baby O. And we hadn’t asked for it. But it was a very nice detail.
We brought a few of Baby O’s favourite story books, small animal toys and plenty of stickers and snacks. This kept her busy and happy throughout the flight.
Conclusion
In summary, flying with Brussels Airlines with a baby was very easy and convenient. The staff were very friendly and nice.
Having the ultracompact stroller with us was great as we were able to use it straight away after landing.
Have you travelled with Brussels Airlines? Tell us about your experience with them or any other airline. We would love to hear your experiences!
Additional note: This is a post narrating our own experience with Brussels Airlines. We have not been asked to do a review nor received anything to do it. We just want to help you by sharing our experience.
