Baby bassinet weight limits on long-haul flights run from roughly 9 kg to 16 kg, depending on the carrier. No industry standard exists.
EVA Air accepts up to 16 kg on certain aircraft. ANA stops at 10 kg. Singapore Airlines allows 14 kg. Confirm the exact weight, length, and age limits with the airline operating your specific flight — especially on codeshare itineraries, where a bassinet request may not transfer.
Parents tend to assume an airplane bassinet is an airplane bassinet. Book the bulkhead, request the cot, board the flight. The fine print says otherwise. EVA Air will fit 16 kg into certain Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 bassinets. ANA caps the same amenity at 10 kg. Same cabin concept, wildly different threshold. Singapore Airlines at 14 kg, Cathay Pacific at 12 kg with a recommendation that infants be under six months — the spread runs from a compact eight-month-old to a heavy two-year-old, and no regulator has told any of them to align.
The only reliable defense is verifying the specific carrier’s policy before you pay for the ticket. Here’s why the numbers differ so much, which rules actually matter at the gate, and how to check your own flight’s bassinet setup without relying on a booking-site checkbox.
The 10 kg to 16 kg gap most parents never see
Carrier policy pages reveal a spread the booking sites don’t surface. EVA Air’s infant travel information describes certain Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 bassinets with a sleeping surface of 77.8 cm by 34.9 cm — among the roomiest cots in the Asia-Pacific fleet, and sized accordingly. ANA’s international bassinets measure 72 cm long, 27 cm wide, and 17 cm high, practical for smaller infants but tight for a lanky six-month-old. Singapore Airlines offers cots around 76–77 cm long and 30 cm wide. Cathay Pacific’s bassinets measure 76.2 cm by 38.1 cm by 20.3 cm.
Qantas lands at 11 kg with a 71 cm by 31 cm by 26 cm cot — noticeably deeper but shorter than the Asian carriers’ units. Lufthansa‘s long-haul bassinet suits babies up to 11 kg and 67 cm in length, one of the tightest length caps in this comparison. Delta Air Lines markets its bulkhead-mounted unit as a ‘SkyCot’ for wide-body flights over 1,500 miles, with a 25 lb (11.3 kg) and 26-inch (66 cm) ceiling.
The practical takeaway: a child who fits on EVA Air will not fit on ANA, and may not fit in Lufthansa’s shorter cot even at the same weight.
Age rules vary even more than weight
Weight is only the first gate. Age and length restrictions are where the hidden denials happen. Qantas will book a bassinet for an infant up to 18 months old — provided the child weighs no more than 11 kg and can lie flat. Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa describe their cots as suited mostly to babies of six to eight months, though neither enforces that as a hard cutoff. Other carriers accept infants up to 24 months on paper, but the practical limit is whatever the cot’s dimensions allow.
That means two babies of identical weight can get different answers depending on carrier. A long 10-month-old may pass on Singapore Airlines and be refused on Lufthansa. The age rule isn’t the real constraint — the cot’s length is.
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Why no regulator will give you one number
There is no global regulatory standard. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency — EASA — publishes an advisory that operators should not exceed 11 kg and 12 months in baby bassinets. But it is just that: advisory. The agency also states plainly that bassinets are not child restraint devices and are not certified for use during taxi, takeoff, landing, or turbulent conditions. CASA, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority, matches that position in its own guidance.
Without a binding rule, each airline and manufacturer sets its own figures. That’s why EVA Air can accept 16 kg while ANA stops at 10 kg. Neither is violating a regulation. Both are operating within a system that leaves the decision to the operator’s equipment, seat map, and risk tolerance.
The codeshare blind spot
Booking through a marketing partner doesn’t guarantee a bassinet on the operating airline’s metal. ANA’s infant-travel rules are explicit: bassinet service covers only ANA-operated flights. Passengers on codeshare itineraries must check directly with the operating carrier. A request logged with a partner can remain a non-binding note until the airline actually flying the leg records it — and that airline’s equipment, limits, or seat map may not accommodate it.
How the cot actually works in flight
A bassinet is a convenience, not a safety device. EASA’s passenger-safety guidance is unambiguous: the cot is not a child restraint and is not certified for taxi, takeoff, landing, or turbulence. The infant has to be removed and held during those phases. CASA’s Advisory Circular 91-18 tells operators the same thing — bassinets should be stowed for takeoff and landing.
Delta’s rules put the requirement in plain terms: even when a SkyCot is available, all infants must be held during takeoff, landing, and whenever the seat belt sign is on. That’s the baseline across every carrier in this comparison. The bassinet helps only during cruise, when the seat belt sign is off and the ride is smooth. It’s a cot bolted to a bulkhead, not a child seat.
What this means for you
Confirm three things before booking: the specific carrier’s weight limit, the length allowance, and whether your exact flight has bassinet attachment points. Parents should request the bassinet seat in advance through the reservation center or special assistance department. It is not assigned automatically.
Bulkhead rows with bassinet fittings have limited inventory, and selecting one can cost extra. On codeshare itineraries, contact the operating carrier directly — not just the airline you booked through. If your flight is operated by a partner, your bassinet request is only as good as that partner’s willingness and equipment.
Policy pages from Qantas, Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, ANA, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines were still showing roughly the same 10–16 kg spread in 2026, with no harmonized standard on the horizon.
Questions? Answers.
How big can a baby be for an airplane bassinet?
Airline bassinet weight caps run from roughly 10 kg to 16 kg depending on the carrier. EVA Air permits up to 16 kg, Singapore Airlines up to 14 kg, Cathay Pacific up to 12 kg, Qantas and Lufthansa up to 11 kg, and ANA up to 10 kg. EASA’s advisory recommends 11 kg but is not binding.
How long can babies use an airplane bassinet?
Qantas books bassinets for infants under two years old, provided they weigh no more than 11 kg and can lie flat. EASA’s advisory to operators recommends not exceeding 12 months of age, but this is guidance, not a rule. On codeshare itineraries, limits must be confirmed with the operating carrier — ANA’s bassinet service, for example, applies only to ANA-operated flights.
