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How late is too late to fly during pregnancy?
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Yours truly, calling it good with a final pre-baby flight at 7 months pregnant. Photo: Tim Rivoli.
When a baby was born on a trans-Atlantic flight from Amsterdam to Boston this week, many of the travelers among us had to ask ourselves, “How late is too late to fly during pregnancy?” Especially the pregnant travelers among us.
Having experienced the surprise of regular contractions 5 minutes apart at only 35 weeks with my last baby, I decided to call it good with a final pre-baby flight at 7 months this time around. But what different travelers and different airlines consider reasonably safe timing for flights during late pregnancy can vary a surprising amount.
As compared with cruise lines that impose strict limits on pregnant travelers (around 24 weeks is the limit for most), many airlines are surprisingly lax about restrictions for pregnant flyers. Northwest Airlines, which welcomed the baby girl on its flight 59 this week, doesn’t state any limit whatsoever for pregnant travelers, but only recommends that travelers in their eighth month of pregnancy and beyond consult their doctor or midwife before flying to ensure they are “physically fit to travel.” After successfully delivering a healthy 6 lb. girl in Canadian airspace with the help of two doctors who happened to be onboard and the use of the airline’s medical kit, we can only assume that the mother in this case was indeed physically fit for travel at 8.5 months pregnant.
The baby in this case may just have easily been born on a United flight, where the only restriction for pregnant travelers is that those in their ninth month “have an obstetrician’s certificate dated within 24 to 72 hours prior to their flight departure,” which states that she is physically fit to travel by air, and includes the departure and arrival destinations and dates, as well as the estimated birth date of the baby. Birth dates, as demonstrated time and again, can be as unpredictable as flight arrival and departure times.
Delta, Alaska, Frontier, and Southwest, among several other domestic airlines have no stated restrictions for women flying during normal, uncomplicated pregnancies. So it remains largely a “judgment call” left up to most mothers as to when and whether it’s still reasonable to fly during the third trimester.
To most of us, however, boarding an 8- to 11-hour flight after your water breaks seems like it’s pushing it a bit, though that didn’t stop Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin last spring. Reportedly, it was worth the risk to her so that “her baby would be Alaskan-born,” as it was just a few hours after landing. I can only imagine her disappointment if the baby had accidentally been born in Canadian airspace, making him by all rights a Canadian citizen like the little girl born on flight 59.
Some airlines that do state restrictions on travel in late-term pregnancy include:
Air Canada – Pregnant travelers with normal pregnancies and no history of premature labor may travel up to and during the 36th week of pregnancy.
Air France – In the ninth month of pregnancy, a medical consent by the Air France medical department is required.
American Airlines – Within 4 weeks of the due date, a medical certificate is required for travel. On domestic flights under 5 hours, pregnant travelers are not allowed onboard within 7 days before or after the due date in uncomplicated pregnancy. For international and overseas flights within 30 days of the due date, a passenger may be allowed to fly if examined by an obstetrician within 48 hours of departure and certified in writing as “medically stable for flight.”
China Airlines – Pregnant travelers beyond 32 weeks must have a medical certificate and signed release are required at check-in.
Continental – Within 7 days of the “anticipated delivery,” a doctor’s certificate is required. The airline also states, “However, boarding will only be denied if physical signs of labor are present.”
Lufthansa – Pregnant travelers may fly up to 36 weeks / 4 weeks before due date in uncomplicated pregnancies, or with a “certificate o exemption” for a flight after the 36th week from Lufthansa’s medical service.
Mexicana – Women more than six months pregnant must provide a medical certificate issued within 7 days of the
outbound flight and will also need to fill out a limited liability form.
Virgin Atlantic – After 28 weeks, a medical letter from the doctor or midwife is required to confirm the estimated due date and that there are no known complications. Travel must be completed before 36 weeks of pregnancy.
If you have any questions about flying during pregnancy, be sure to check with your physician, and never hesitate to check with an airline’s reservations agent about their specific policies or extra assistance that may be available to you. For help planning air travel after your little one comes in for a landing, see Part 5 of Travels with Baby.
Questions about traveling with your infant? Email Shelly at examiner(at)travelswithbaby(dot)com or visit www.travelswithbaby.com. Twitter: travelswithbaby
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