How to Actually Get a Bassinet Seat on Indian Flights in 2026: IndiGo, Air India and Post-Merger Rules Explained
By Ishaani Reddy (Ishaani Reddy writes about family travel, flying with children and navigating Indian airline policies for parents.) · Published · 10 min read
Parents searching for how to guarantee a bassinet seat quickly hit the frustrating phrase 'on request only.' This guide maps each Indian carrier's actual request process, weight limits and bulkhead quirks, and tells you exactly what to do when the airline won't confirm it in advance.
What a bassinet seat is — and why it's never a normal seat selection
A bassinet (also called a carrycot or sky cot) is a small cradle that clips onto the bulkhead wall — the partition at the front of a cabin section — so an infant can lie down during cruise. Because it attaches only to a bulkhead, bassinet positions exist only in bulkhead rows, and there are just a handful per cabin. That scarcity is why you can't simply pick a bassinet seat the way you'd pick a window — it's allocated, not freely selected.
The single most important thing to understand: across virtually every airline, a bassinet is offered "on request," subject to availability and at the airline's discretion. No carrier contractually guarantees a specific bassinet to a specific passenger at booking. What you can do is maximise your odds by requesting early, choosing the right flights, and knowing how to escalate. Anyone promising a guaranteed bassinet is overstating what the rules allow.
The universal rules: weight, age and who qualifies
Bassinets carry physical limits that are remarkably consistent across carriers, though you must verify the exact figures on each airline's official site for 2026:
- Age: generally for infants under 2 years (lap infants), as bassinets are designed for babies who can't yet sit up unaided.
- Weight: a typical ceiling is around 10 to 11 kg, sometimes expressed with a length limit too. A baby over the weight or length limit will not be permitted in the bassinet regardless of age.
- Usage: the bassinet can only be used during cruise; the baby must be removed and held during taxi, take-off, landing and turbulence.
If your baby is close to the weight limit, plan a backup — a near-limit infant is the most common reason families are refused the bassinet at the gate even after a confirmed request.
IndiGo: bulkhead seats and the request reality
On India's largest domestic carrier, bassinet provision applies mainly to longer and international sectors where bassinet-fitted bulkheads exist; many short domestic hops simply don't carry bassinets. The mechanism is to request the bassinet/bulkhead seat as early as possible — ideally at booking or immediately after — through the airline's booking management or by contacting the carrier directly.
Because bulkhead seats with bassinet fittings are limited and often released through seat selection (which may carry a fee on some fares), parents face a trade-off: pay to lock a bulkhead seat for proximity, or request the bassinet allocation and accept it's availability-dependent. Confirm on IndiGo's official site which of your specific sectors actually offer bassinets in 2026, since equipment varies by route and aircraft.
Air India and the Vistara merger: what changed
Following the integration of Vistara into Air India, what were two separate policies now sit under the single Air India brand — so don't search for old Vistara bassinet rules as a standalone product; the operative policy is Air India's current one. On Air India's wide-body international fleet, bassinet-fitted bulkhead rows are standard in the relevant cabins, and the request process is the familiar early-request-on-booking model.
For families, the practical effect of the merger is that you now deal with one set of contact channels and one policy page, but you should expect aircraft-type variation: the bassinet fittings, bulkhead layout and number of positions differ across the merged fleet's mix of aircraft. Always check the specific aircraft on your route, request the bassinet at the earliest point, and reconfirm closer to departure — verify the precise current process on Air India's official website, as post-merger policies continue to be standardised through 2026.
The bulkhead-row quirks nobody warns you about
Bulkhead rows come with trade-offs beyond the bassinet. Tray tables and IFE screens are usually stowed in the armrest rather than the seat-back ahead (since there's a wall, not a seat, in front), which slightly narrows the seat. There's no under-seat storage in front of you for take-off and landing, so all your baby gear must go in the overhead bin during those phases — plan a small essentials pouch you can keep within the airline's rules.
The legroom in front looks generous but the bassinet, once mounted, occupies that space at the wall. Also, a confirmed bulkhead seat is not the same as a confirmed bassinet — you can hold the bulkhead seat and still find the bassinet has been allocated to another infant on a full flight. Treat the seat and the cot as two separate things to secure.
What to do when they say 'on request only'
"On request only" is not a refusal — it's the system working as designed. Your job is to stack the odds:
- Request at the moment of booking, then get the request noted in your reservation (a Special Service Request). Earlier requests are served first.
- Reconfirm at multiple touchpoints: after booking, a few days before travel, and again at airport check-in. Polite persistence moves you up the allocation.
- Check in early. If allocation is partly resolved at the airport, being first to the counter helps.
- Have a fallback: if no bassinet materialises, you can hold the baby (a lap infant), and a child travelling on their own paid seat with an approved restraint is the safest alternative on longer flights.
Document every confirmation in writing where possible. If a request was confirmed and then denied at the gate due to a near-limit baby or equipment swap, that record helps you escalate.
Your step-by-step plan to maximise bassinet odds
Put it together as a sequence. Before booking: verify on the airline's official site that your specific route and aircraft offer bassinets in 2026, and confirm your baby will be under the weight/length limit at travel date. At booking: select a fare/flight on a bassinet-equipped aircraft, request the bassinet and a bulkhead seat, and get the request recorded.
After booking: reconfirm a few days out and again at check-in, and arrive early. Carry your baby's documents and keep an essentials bag for the no-storage take-off and landing phases. Accept that the cot is availability-dependent and have a lap-infant or paid-seat-with-restraint backup ready. Done this way, you've taken a process that frustrates most parents and squeezed the best odds the rules allow. For trip planning and family-travel guides, see the blog, and always cross-check the final policy on the operating airline's own site before you fly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I guarantee a bassinet seat on an Indian flight in advance?
No airline contractually guarantees a specific bassinet to a specific passenger. Bassinets are offered on request, subject to availability and the airline's discretion. You can maximise your odds by requesting at booking, choosing a bassinet-equipped aircraft, and reconfirming repeatedly before travel.
What is the weight limit for a bassinet on Indian airlines?
Limits are typically around 10 to 11 kg, often with a length limit too, and generally for lap infants under 2 years. A baby over the weight or length limit will be refused the bassinet even with a confirmed request, so verify the exact figures on the airline's official site.
Where are bassinet seats located on the plane?
Only in bulkhead rows, because the bassinet clips onto the bulkhead wall at the front of a cabin section. There are only a few positions per cabin, which is why they are allocated on request rather than freely selectable like a normal seat.
Did bassinet rules change after the Vistara and Air India merger?
The two policies now sit under the single Air India brand, so you should follow Air India's current policy and contact channels, not old Vistara rules. Expect aircraft-type variation across the merged fleet and verify the specific process on Air India's official website for 2026.
Is a confirmed bulkhead seat the same as a confirmed bassinet?
No. You can hold a bulkhead seat and still find the bassinet itself was allocated to another infant on a full flight. Treat the seat and the cot as two separate things to secure, and reconfirm the bassinet specifically at each touchpoint.
What should I do if the airline says the bassinet is on request only?
Request it at booking and have it recorded as a Special Service Request, reconfirm a few days before and again at check-in, and arrive early. Keep a fallback ready, such as holding the baby as a lap infant or booking a paid seat with an approved restraint for longer flights.