Airline Pregnancy Policy Clarity Index 2026: which of 30 European airlines actually answer an expectant traveller's questions

Key facts

• Only 2 of 30 airlines, Jet2 and SAS, answer all seven questions on their pregnancy pages.
• Only 7 of 30 airlines define how they count weeks; 23 pages allow two readings of the final week.
• 8 of 30 airline pages publish no rule for twins or other multiple pregnancies.
• Wizz Air is the strictest of the 30 for pregnant passengers: a week-34 limit and a 6-day certificate.
• The average clarity score across the 30 airlines is 5.3 out of 7.

The short answer

Most airlines publish a pregnancy rule; few publish a complete one. Read on 24 September 2026, 27 of 30 pages say whether a letter is required and 29 give a last week or due-date rule, but only 22 set a multiples rule, 21 give a letter age and 7 define a week. Jet2 and SAS answer everything, Brussels Airlines answers two, the rest sit between 3 and 6.

Which questions do most pages answer, and which contradict themselves?

Four questions are answered almost everywhere: whether a letter is required and from which week (27; not Brussels Airlines, Pegasus or AEGEAN), a last week or due-date rule (29; LOT alone gives no maximum week), and who may sign or which form (26; not Wizz Air, Norwegian, Pegasus or Croatia Airlines).

27 pages pass the consistency test. Brussels Airlines calls a clearance "recommended" beyond week 28 while its FAQ says "you must have a medical clearance if you wish to fly beyond the 28th week"; Pegasus says "Pregnant guests are not required to present a medical report", then describes one dated within 7 days; Turkish Airlines says week 28 in one place and week 27 in its FAQ. Where pages disagree, carry the stricter reading.

Why do twins, letter age and week counting leave travellers guessing?

Multiple pregnancy. 22 pages state a rule; KLM, Air France, Aer Lingus, Norwegian, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, AEGEAN and Croatia Airlines do not, yet every published multiples limit sits earlier than the single week.

Letter age. 21 pages give a letter age; British Airways, Vueling, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Norwegian, Finnair, Brussels Airlines, TAP and Emirates do not, and published windows run from 6 days at Wizz Air to a month at SAS.

Week counting. Only Jet2, Vueling, Aer Lingus, SAS, Norwegian, Finnair and Croatia Airlines define a week; the other 23 write "week 36" without saying whether it ends at 35 weeks + 6 days or 36 weeks + 6 days, a seven-day gap that can decide a return. Finnair's wording: "until the end of the 36th week of pregnancy (35 weeks + 6 days)".

The full ranking

All 30 airlines in score order, with a tick per question answered, the strictness score explained below and a note on what each page leaves open; ties share a rank. The 30-airline comparison links every row to its source.

Q1 Does the page say whether a letter or certificate is required, and from which week (or that none is required)? · Q2 Does it state the last week (or the last date before the due date) you can fly with one baby? · Q3 Does it state a rule for a multiple pregnancy? · Q4 Does it say how old the letter may be at the flight (scored as answered when no letter is required)? · Q5 Does it say who may sign the letter or name its own form (scored as answered when no letter is required)? · Q6 Does it define how it counts weeks (inclusive weeks, weeks + days, or days before the due date)? · Q7 Is the policy stated once, consistently, without contradicting itself elsewhere on the site?. Strictness: 2 points if a letter is required (1 if recommended), 1 if required from week 28 or earlier, 1 for every week the cut-off sits before week 36, 2 if the letter may be no older than 7 days (1 if no older than 14). Pages read on 24 September 2026.

Twelve airlines score 6 and twelve score 5; ten of the sixes lose their point on week counting alone, while Vueling and Finnair define the week but never give a letter age. AEGEAN and Norwegian score 4, Pegasus 3, Brussels Airlines 2.

Which airline is strictest for pregnant passengers?

Strictness is scored separately: points for requiring a letter, for requiring it from week 28 or earlier, for every week the cut-off sits before week 36, and for a letter no older than 7 or 14 days. Wizz Air tops it with 7. The scores diverge: Jet2 is among the strictest and the clearest, Wizz Air is strictest yet scores 5 for clarity, silent on who may sign and how weeks are counted, and SAS scores 0 for strictness yet answers all seven.

What does a clear policy look like?

Jet2 writes inclusive bands, "28 – 35 weeks (inclusive) Fit to Fly required; 36 weeks or greater travel not permitted", adds a multiples band, its own certificate, a named signatory and a signing window of 7 days before departure and 16 before the return. SAS counts from the due date, "Between 4 and 2 weeks before your due date, you may only fly on flights of less than 4 hours", with a MEDIF dated within a month. Both share a defined counting unit, a signing window and a named form or signatory.

How can airlines correct or improve their score?

Each score rests on the airline's own page. If a rule was misread or has changed, the correction loop for airlines takes the link and the wording; the row is corrected within two business days, credited, and the dated entry appears in the open data feed. Moving up is editorial work: define the week, give the multiples rule, print the letter's maximum age and name who may sign. Brussels Airlines would gain two points just by reconciling its FAQ and main page.

How was the index compiled?

All 30 pages were read on 24 September 2026 by one reader and marked 1 or 0 on each question against what the page says; letter age and signatory count as answered when no letter is required. Every row on the comparison page links to the page it was scored from. The index is published under CC BY 4.0 as CSV and JSON, and may be reused with the citation "Mobi Doctor European Travel Health Hub, Airline Pregnancy Policy Clarity Index 2026".

Which three findings can journalists quote?

1. Only 2 of 30 European airlines, Jet2 and SAS, answer all seven traveller questions; the average page answers 5.3.
2. 23 of 30 airline pregnancy pages never define what "week 36" means, leaving a seven-day ambiguity over the last flight allowed.
3. Wizz Air is the strictest European airline for pregnant passengers, with a week-34 cut-off and a 6-day certificate, while 8 of 30 airlines publish no rule for twins.

Each line stands alone; the fit-to-fly certificate page describes the letter a doctor issues.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• The 30 airline policy pages listed on the comparison page — accessed 24 September 2026
• Finnair — Travelling while pregnant — accessed 24 September 2026
• Jet2 — Assisted travel FAQs — accessed 24 September 2026
• SAS — Health and medical — accessed 24 September 2026
• Brussels Airlines — Pregnancy — accessed 24 September 2026
• Pegasus — Reduced mobility and health — accessed 24 September 2026