Jet2 vs Ryanair with a Baby: The Honest Comparison

The Quick Version

Why This Post Exists

Before we flew with Tallulah for the first time, we spent hours Googling things like "is Jet2 good with babies" and "Ryanair vs Jet2 for families". Most of the answers were from forums where someone flew in 2019 and the policy has changed three times since. So here's our actual, recent experience.

We're not travel bloggers who fly business class and review lounges. We're a normal family who fly budget airlines because that's what makes sense when you're spending money on a month-long stay instead of a week in a resort. If Jet2 and Ryanair are the two options you're weighing up, this is for you.

Jet2 with a 4-Month-Old: Turkey

This was our first ever flight as a family. Tallulah was 4 months old, and honestly, we were bricking it. Would she scream the entire way? Would everyone on the plane hate us? Would we forget something essential? (Read the full Turkey trip review for what the holiday was actually like.)

None of that happened. Jet2 were genuinely lovely about the whole thing. From check-in to landing, it felt like they actually wanted families on their flights rather than just tolerating them.

The Jet2 teddy bear passport from her first flight at 4 months, and Tallulah walking the airport in Norway with Lamby, trying to tire her out before boarding.

Tallulah had a bottle of milk on take-off, another on landing, and slept the entire time in between. At 4 months old, that's about as good as it gets. The milk on take-off and landing helps with ear pressure - the swallowing action is the baby equivalent of adults chewing gum. Highly recommend.

Jet2 with a 13-Month-Old: Norway

By the time we flew to Bergen, we were old pros. Tallulah was 13 months and a completely different travel companion - mobile, opinionated, and interested in everything (including the stranger's phone in the row behind).

The Jet2 experience was just as good the second time. Same drill with the pram to the gate, same friendliness from the crew. The flight times worked in our favour - we flew early morning, which meant Tallulah was due a nap. She went down without much fuss and slept for most of the flight.

We got a spare seat again. At this age it's even more useful because a 13-month-old on your lap for 2+ hours is significantly less relaxing than a 4-month-old who just lies there. Having that extra seat meant we could spread out, put a blanket down, and let her sit between us with toys.

The Jet2 Verdict

Two flights, two countries, two different ages - and both times Jet2 were excellent. For a budget airline they go above and beyond for families. The pram-to-gate policy alone is worth its weight in gold when you're navigating an airport with a baby. The crew were friendly and helpful every time, and the spare seat (whether intentional or not) made a huge difference.

Ryanair with a 14-Month-Old: Benidorm

We deliberately chose Ryanair for this trip so we could compare the two. Ryanair has a reputation for being less family-friendly — stricter on baggage, tighter seats, less patient staff. But reputation and reality aren't always the same thing.

Honestly, the price difference between Jet2 and Ryanair wasn't much at all for this route. It's really a case of which has better flight times for your trip. We went with the 7pm Ryanair flight hoping Tallulah would sleep — she nearly did. When they dimmed the cabin lights for take-off she started drifting off, but then woke up again when they turned the lights back on. She eventually passed out in the transfer and we arrived at the apartment at 11:45pm. We'd still recommend evening flights where possible — the dimmed cabin helps, and even if they don't fully sleep, they're calmer and more likely to settle. The deciding factor between the two airlines should be flight times, not price.

The Pre-Flight Anxiety

Before we'd even set foot on a Ryanair plane, the experience was already stressful. If you spend any time online, you'll see post after post about Ryanair being strict with hand luggage — people forced to check bags at the gate and pay fines because their bag was slightly too big or they had one too many items.

When you're travelling with a baby, that hits different. We needed Tallulah's bag with her milk, bottles, snacks, and nappies. We needed our laptops for working. We'd already paid for checked bags, hand luggage, and two pieces of baby equipment. But the thought of being pulled aside at the gate and told we'd got too much — with a toddler losing it in the queue — genuinely gave Leila anxiety for days.

The reality? They didn't check any of it. Not the weight, not the size, nothing. Whether that was because we had priority boarding or because they just don't bother, we don't know. But all that stress was for nothing. Something to bear in mind if you're lying awake the night before your Ryanair flight worrying about your bags.

The Upsell Experience

The other thing that left a bad taste was the constant upselling. Since booking, we'd been bombarded with emails about bigger cabin bags, fast track upgrades, priority boarding, seat selection — all things designed to make you spend more on top of what you've already paid.

The worst part is the check-in process on the app. We'd already paid for our checked bags and hand luggage as part of the booking. But when you go through the app to check in, it doesn't show you what you've already bought. Instead, it pushes you through page after page of add-ons trying to get you to buy cabin bags, fast track, and extras. It's only right at the end — after all the upsell pages — that it finally shows you've already paid for these things.

It feels deliberately designed to trick people into accidentally paying twice. Maybe it's just aggressive marketing, but when you're a sleep-deprived parent checking in at midnight with a toddler on your hip, it doesn't feel fair. Jet2's check-in was straightforward — no tricks, no pressure. Just check in and go.

The Actual Flight

Here's the thing — the flight itself was absolutely fine. It took off on time and actually landed early. For a two-hour flight, there's not much that can go wrong, and nothing did.

The plane was a slightly older model with leather seats — not as fresh or new-feeling as Jet2's fleet, but perfectly comfortable. Legroom was enough. We got lucky with a spare seat next to us again, which made a huge difference with a 14-month-old who wanted to wriggle around.

The cabin crew were lovely and friendly. They very much leave you to it though — there's none of the little family touches you get with Jet2. No novelty passport, no fuss. It's a no-frills flight and it feels like one. But nobody was rude, nobody made us feel like a nuisance for having a baby, and the service was fine.

Tallulah didn't sleep at all on this one, unlike the Jet2 flights. She wasn't well — teeth coming through — and was more restless than on the other flights. But that's a baby thing, not a Ryanair thing. She was a bit over the magazines by this point. Overall she was fine though, and she settled towards the end.

The reality of flying with a 14-month-old: phone cartoons to buy 10 minutes of peace (left), and every toy we own spread across the seats (right).

The Head-to-Head Comparison

So Which Is Better for Families?

Jet2 wins. Not by a landslide — the actual flights are comparable once you're in the air. But the overall experience is noticeably better with Jet2. The check-in is simpler, the planes are newer, the crew are more family-oriented, and you don't spend the week before your trip anxious about your bag being 0.5kg too heavy.

That said, Ryanair was fine. The flight took off on time, landed early, the crew were friendly, and our bags weren't checked. If Ryanair is significantly cheaper for your route (which it often is), it's a perfectly decent option for families. You just won't get the warm fuzzy feeling you get with Jet2.

As Leila put it: “The only real downfall is the two-hour check-in window. If they start getting funny about bag sizes, that would tip it. But the flight itself was fine.”

Would we fly Ryanair again with Tallulah? Yes, if the price was right. Would we choose them over Jet2 if both were available at a similar price? No.

General Tips for Flying with a Baby

Regardless of which airline you pick, here's what we've learned from four flights with Tallulah:

Frequently Asked Questions