Akasa Air with a Baby: Infant Policy, Fees & Seat Tips 2026
By Saanvi Iyer (Saanvi Iyer writes offbeat destination guides for Indian travellers — places that work in monsoon, shoulder-season picks, and the cities Indian first-time international travellers underrate. Based in Bangalore, perpetually mid-itinerary.) · Published · 9 min read
Akasa Air doesn't have bassinets on its domestic flights, caps infants at 10 per flight, and offers a 7 kg extra hand baggage allowance for accompanying adults. Here's what that actually means when you're flying Bangalore to Goa with a seven-month-old.
TL;DR: No Domestic Bassinets, 10-Infant Cap, 7 kg Extra Bag — Know Before You Book
The short version for parents planning a domestic Akasa flight with an infant: Akasa Air does not provide bassinets on its domestic routes (all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which typically don't have bassinet fittings in the domestic configuration). Infants under 2 fly as lap infants at a fee that's typically a percentage of the base adult fare — verify the exact current percentage on Akasa's official site, as this changes. Akasa caps infants at 10 per flight, so if you're booking last-minute on a busy route, there's a chance the infant slot is full. And the adult accompanying an infant gets an extra 7 kg of hand baggage allowance — which is genuinely useful for anyone who's ever tried to fit a nappy bag into a standard 7 kg cabin allowance.
What Akasa Air Actually Provides for Infants
Let's go through what you can expect, because what parents often assume and what the airline actually provides are usefully different:
- Seat: Infants under 2 travel as lap infants — no separate seat is purchased. The infant sits on the accompanying adult's lap or can be held during the flight.
- Bassinet: Not available on Akasa domestic flights. The Boeing 737 MAX in Akasa's domestic configuration doesn't have bassinet-fitted rows. This is unlike full-service long-haul carriers.
- Hand baggage extra: The accompanying adult gets an additional 7 kg of cabin baggage allowance specifically for the infant's items (nappy bag, formula, small toys). This is one of the more practical domestic infant allowances available — check Akasa's current policy page to confirm this hasn't changed.
- 10-infant cap per flight: Akasa limits to 10 infants per departure for safety and crew management reasons. This is standard across most Indian carriers, but on Akasa it's worth booking early if your route is on a narrow, popular sector.
- Infant fare: A percentage of the adult base fare, typically in the range of 10-15%. This does not include a checked baggage allowance for the infant on most fares — your adult checked bag allowance will have to cover the baby's stuff. Verify the current rate on Akasa's official site.
The 10-Infant Cap: How to Make Sure You Get a Slot
The 10-infant cap is the thing that surprises most people. It sounds like a lot — surely your flight won't have 10 infants — but on popular routes (Bangalore–Mumbai, Delhi–Goa, Chennai–Hyderabad) during school holiday periods, infant slots genuinely do fill. The cap exists across most Indian carriers and is driven by safety planning factors including the number of oxygen masks and crew capacity to assist with infants in an emergency.
Practically: book early. The earlier you add an infant to your booking, the more likely you are to secure one of the 10 slots. If you try to add an infant at online check-in or at the airport counter and the cap has been reached, you will be denied boarding for the infant — this is rare but it has happened, and it's a very bad day.
If you're booking through an OTA (MakeMyTrip, EaseMyTrip, etc.), check whether the infant can be added during the OTA booking flow or whether you need to call Akasa directly to add the infant to the PNR after booking. Some OTAs handle infant additions; others require a post-booking call to the airline.
How Akasa Compares to IndiGo on Short Domestic Hops
For flights under 2 hours — Bangalore to Goa (about 1 hour), Delhi to Jaipur, Mumbai to Ahmedabad — the differences between Akasa and IndiGo for infant travel are fairly small. Neither has domestic bassinets. Both have a 10-infant cap. Both give a similar extra hand baggage allowance for the accompanying adult.
Where the differences show up:
- Seat selection: Akasa's seat map for free seat selection at check-in tends to be slightly more generous about which rows are available for free, though this varies. IndiGo's front rows and exit rows are paid; Akasa follows a similar pattern. For infants, you ideally want a bulkhead row for the extra floor space — on Akasa's 737 MAX, the bulkhead is typically in the first few rows. These are usually paid seats.
- Checked baggage: Both Akasa and IndiGo offer similar domestic checked baggage allowances on base fares (typically around 15 kg, but varies by fare class — verify at booking). The infant doesn't add to this allowance.
- Meal options: Both are buy-on-board domestically. If your infant needs specific food or formula, bring it. Indian aviation rules allow reasonable quantities of infant food and expressed breast milk through security — CISF and airline staff are generally cooperative about this, though the experience can vary by airport.
- Price: Akasa has been competitive on base fares on its routes, often comparable to or slightly below IndiGo on some sectors. Use FlightGPT to compare across dates — the AI flight search shows both side by side.
Seat Tips for Flying Akasa with an Infant
No bassinet, so you're on your lap for the whole flight. That changes how you think about seat selection:
- Window seat if the flight is short. You want the window side so your infant has a surface to look at and you're not getting bumped by the aisle trolley every time it comes through.
- Aisle seat if the flight is longer or if you have a toddler who needs bathroom trips. The aisle gives you the ability to get up when the seatbelt sign is off without disturbing a row-mate.
- Avoid the last two rows. These don't recline on most 737 configurations, which is fine for adults but means there's slightly less flexibility when you're trying to get an infant comfortable.
- Bulkhead row (first row of the cabin) gives more floor space — good for a crawling baby to sit in front of you briefly when the seatbelt sign is off. Usually a paid seat; worth considering for flights over 90 minutes.
- Don't book the emergency exit row with an infant. DGCA and airline rules prohibit infants in exit rows. If you book it by mistake, you'll be moved anyway.
One honest note: domestic flights under 2 hours with an infant are generally manageable. The ones that require real preparation are the 2.5-3 hour domestic sectors (Delhi to Port Blair, say) — those are long enough that you need the nap to work, the food to be timed right, and your carry-on bag to be genuinely well-organised.
The Stuff Parents Often Forget to Check
A few gotchas worth flagging based on things that catch people out:
- Infant age documentation: Akasa (like all Indian carriers) requires proof of the infant's date of birth. A birth certificate or passport page is accepted. Your phone's photos app is not. Print a copy or have the image saved offline where you can show it without connectivity.
- What 'infant fare' means at the OTA level: Some OTA platforms display the total booking amount inclusive of infant fare; others show it separately at the payment step. Don't assume the infant is covered if you haven't seen a specific infant passenger entry and fare in your booking confirmation.
- Akasa doesn't have a frequent flyer program of its own yet — so there are no miles to earn or redeem on Akasa flights. If you're an IndiGo BluChip member, you earn on IndiGo; if you're Air India Flying Returns, you earn on Air India/AIE. Akasa bookings are purely cash for now.
- Insurance: A standard travel insurance policy should cover the infant if they're named on the policy. Check that your insurer's age minimum covers infants — some policies start coverage from age 6 months or from age 2 on certain products.
Also useful: our article on DGCA's 60% free seats rule covers the seating rights you have as a family across all Indian carriers, including Akasa. And if you're flying Akasa domestically to connect onto a Gulf-bound AIE or IndiGo flight, the AIE vs IndiGo Gulf comparison is worth reading before you book the international leg.
Frequently asked questions
Does Akasa Air have bassinets on domestic flights?
No. Akasa Air's domestic fleet is entirely Boeing 737 MAX in a configuration that does not include bassinets. Infants travel as lap infants for the entire flight. If you need a bassinet for a long overnight flight, you'd need to look at Air India's long-haul international routes, which do have bassinets on widebody aircraft.
How many infants are allowed per Akasa Air flight?
Akasa Air caps infants at 10 per flight. This is consistent with most Indian carriers. On busy routes during school holidays, infant slots can fill — book early and confirm the infant has been added to your PNR (not just your OTA record). If the cap is reached and you haven't secured a slot, you can be denied boarding for the infant.
What extra baggage does an infant allow on Akasa Air?
The adult accompanying the infant gets an additional 7 kg of cabin hand baggage over the standard cabin allowance (which is typically 7 kg for standard fares). This 7 kg extra is specifically for the infant's items — nappy bag, formula, small toys. The infant does not add a checked baggage allowance on most Akasa base fares; verify at booking on akasaair.com.
What is Akasa Air's infant fare on domestic routes?
Akasa charges infants (under 2, lap infant) at a percentage of the adult base fare, typically in the range of 10-15%, plus applicable taxes. This percentage and any additional fees should be verified on Akasa's official site (akasaair.com) before booking, as fare structures are updated periodically.
Can I take baby food and formula through security for an Akasa flight?
Yes. Indian aviation security rules (CISF and BCAS guidelines) allow reasonable quantities of infant food, formula, and expressed breast milk for travel with an infant. Keep quantities proportionate to the flight length. Carry the items in your nappy bag, declare them at the security tray, and CISF staff are generally cooperative — though the experience can vary by airport and shift.
How does Akasa Air compare to IndiGo for flying with an infant domestically?
The two are broadly comparable for domestic infant travel in 2026 — similar infant cap (10 per flight), similar extra cabin baggage allowance for the accompanying adult, no domestic bassinets on either carrier. Price comparison across dates on FlightGPT often shows Akasa competitive with IndiGo on its operated routes. The main differentiator for most families ends up being schedule fit and which carrier is cheaper on a specific date.