2 year 2 month old lap child?

[tessa]

So Delta's website does clearly state that a lap child must be less than 2 years old. I really thought it was 3 and already booked our tickets.

My son will be 2 years and 2 months old when we fly.

Are they going to ask for his birth certificate, etc? or do I even need to worry about it. I really don't want to buy him a seat because he will want to sit with me anyway...

No flames please, not trying to abuse the system, just really want some opinions on this.

Thanks!

 

[carj]

I think that I would probably see if you can get a ticket for him now. I wouldn't want to get all the way to the gate and have them question me. I don't even know if they would or not. If it were me, I would be freaking out about it from now until we got home. I don't know if they would make you buy a ticket for him at the gate, at a really high price if you can't prove his age but I guess they could.

Also, if you have an older child, they might tell on you.

I completely understand not wanting to purchase a ticket for him because you are probably right and that he will end up sitting with you but it is the rule, and I guess that the rule has to have a cut-off somewhere. Maybe this rule also has to do with the comfort of the other passengers and having 2 people in a seat??

Good luck with your trip!

 

[Lewisc]

Your child is to old to travel as a lap baby. AFAIK the rule was always under 2. This isn't airline policy but rather government rules, the airline is fined if they're caught. SW routinely asks to see a copy of the birth certificate. This thread is an example the honor system not working.

I don't know if Delta checks the same way SW does but I'd suggest buying a ticket now. You really don't have any grounds to complain if you're charged the full fare price if you wait until you get to the airport. You really don't have any grounds for compensation if the flight is full. Many flights to FL or booked and are overbooked.

You're really asking if you'll be able to get away with abusing the system.

No flames please, not trying to abuse the system, just really want some opinions on this.

Thanks!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Delta requires you provide his birth certificate if you wish you keep him on your lap and NOT purchase a ticket.

You'll need to buy him a seat.

So Delta's website does clearly state that a lap child must be less than 2 years old. I really thought it was 3 and already booked our tickets.

My son will be 2 years and 2 months old when we fly.

Are they going to ask for his birth certificate, etc? or do I even need to worry about it. I really don't want to buy him a seat because he will want to sit with me anyway...

No flames please, not trying to abuse the system, just really want some opinions on this.

Thanks!

 

[Jestocost]

They can and do request a birth certificate to prove that a child is under two and eligible to travel without a ticket. It may not happen 100 percent of the time, but if it does happen they will require you to purchase a ticket at whatever the going rate is and that will be very high. That's assuming there are tickets available. In addition, you will encounter this situation on both your outbound and return flights, which increases the chances that you will be required to produce proof of age at some point.

Not much else to say. I agree with the PP that you should purchase a ticket now.

 

[n2mm]

They will ask you for a birth certificate. My DD just flew last month with the baby (only 11 months old) and both SW and AT asked for a birth certificate each time. It was pretty obvious that she was no where near 2, but I made sure she had it and had to show it both times.

 

[Taja]

Yep! We had to provide a copy of the birth certificate for our 14-week-old hitchhiker last December!

He wasn't even a twinkle in his parents eyes when we planned the trip. Hence the "hitchhiker" label! BTW, he was absolutely terrific the entire trip!

 

[jeff968]

Well, things must have changed in recent years. In order to save the $200 for the seat I had my son in my lap until he was almost 3YO. The check in staff never gave me a hard time. It was only for 2.5 hours so i dealt with it and our vacation dollar went a little further.

 

[CarolA]

As a Delta frequent flyer I can assue you I have seen them ask for proof if the child appears to be older then two. I have personally seen them deny boarding to "lap children" who the gate agent did not believe were within the legal limits.

I can also assure you that it will cost a FORTUNE if you try to just "sneak" him on and get caught.

I can assure that if something happens to him because "I thought I could get away with it" you will never forgive yourself.

 

[daisy112878]

As a Delta frequent flyer I can assue you I have seen them ask for proof if the child appears to be older then two. I have personally seen them deny boarding to "lap children" who the gate agent did not believe were within the legal limits.

I can also assure you that it will cost a FORTUNE if you try to just "sneak" him on and get caught.

I can assure that if something happens to him because "I thought I could get away with it" you will never forgive yourself.

I agree with CarolA and have seen people get deny for boarding.

 

[uva185]

Just to let you know a full fare coach class ticket from ATL-MCO is $891 each way. I'm sure you don't want to end up paying that much for your 2 year old to fly to MCO!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

UVA has a point.

The airlines no longer have the luxury of 'guessing' who is and isn't 2 years old. If a parent does not provide proof of a child's date of birth, they are required to pay for a seat for that child, if one is available on the flight. If a seat is not available, you must wait for the next flight where a seat is. The fine levied for allowing a child over the age of 2 to occupy an adult's lap is a cost they can ill-afford to risk just because you didn't want to buy a ticket.

Just to let you know a full fare coach class ticket from ATL-MCO is $891 each way. I'm sure you don't want to end up paying that much for your 2 year old to fly to MCO!

 

[CarolA]

The Delta agent I saw deny boarding to the family told them that they could pay the full fare ticket and then submit proof that the child was under two and get a refund. They were told that "proof" was the certified copy of the birth certificate.

In this case they went back to the gate to yell at some other folks. (They had already made a scene at the gate. I have no idea how old the child was, she was probably close to the age cut off however.... I can't judge a few months either side LOL!)

On at least one other instance I saw a denied boarding. Mom and Son... Mom wound up having Dad come to the gate and she gave him the child. (who was over two!) She got on. (That child told on himself... when the gate agent asked his age he told!! LOL! They know!)

If it's a "baby, baby" (i.e.... little bitty thing) I rarely see them ask any quiestions. Much bigger and they do ask.

As the OP noted Delta's website is clear. The rules apply to everyone and abuse has lead to change.

 

[squirrlygirl]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you had to have "proof" that the child was under 2 in order to get through security if you didn't have a ticket for the child.

 

[DebbieB]

You also have to consider those around you. I was on an American flight earlier this month and a woman had a lap child, probably about 1 1/2 - 2. She was squirming all over, kicking, throwing things. I felt bad for the woman who had to sit in the seat next to them (it was an RJ with 2 seats on each side). Unfortunately, the flight was oversold and there were no empty seats for her to move to. The thing that really turned me off was that the child kept throwing her toys into the aisle, the guy across the aisle would pick them up and the mother gave them back to the child who promptly put them in her mouth.

In my opinion, this child was too big to be a "lap child" for an almost 3 hour flight.

 

[Alexander]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you had to have "proof" that the child was under 2 in order to get through security if you didn't have a ticket for the child.

Your boarding pass must say "Infant In Arms" to pass through security with a lap infant.

I flew several times on Delta and AirTran with my youngest on my lap. Most recently was in Feb. on Delta when he was 22 months. I was never asked for proof of age, but was sure to bring in in Feb. because he is a big boy and looked almost three.

On the flight home, I put him in a seat because it was just too difficult to hold him still for so long. It was the most enjoyable flight I've had with him. I would recommend to anyone to get a seat for your any child over the age of one, it is so much easier. Ironically on the way home, two different FA thought he was a lap-baby and I had to say, "No, that's his seat." They seemed surprised.

 

[mdhkitten]

I'm know that you're flying on Delta, but on Southwest they have always asked for a BC when I flew with my dd as a lap child, and believe me, when I flew with her as a lap child before her second b'day, I was wishing that she had her own seat! She did not want to be still for 1 1/2 hours and, quite frankly, it was uncomfortable!

With the way that airlines are having to nickel and dime everything due to the high cost of gas, I wouldn't be surprised at all if their checking for BC's is now going to be the norm.

 

[CarolA]

The thing about the two year old rule.. .is that it's been in place for umpteen years.

I think kids today are a LOT bigger then kids 40 years ago. I was 6 lbs at birth and pretty much "normal" ALL of my friends who have full term babies have MUCH bigger babies. At age two those kids are BIGGER then kids 40 years ago...

But the rules haven't changed. I wonder how many parents could REALLY hold the avg 2 year old now in the event of a real emergency. We are talking some big kids to hang onto!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

We flew earlier this month with Mason who was almost a year old and were questioned on both flights about his age. We didn't have his BC with us but were allowed on the flights with strong warnings to always have his BC in the future.

I strongly prefer for him to be in his own car seat in his own seat on the plane but this trip we didn't buy him a ticket. We used the Baby B'Air harness for him but it is not approved for use during Takeoff and Landing.

The age for a lap child is an FAA regulation and the airlines and YOU can be fined heavily for violating this federal law. Don't risk it. Buy a seat.

 

[safetymom]

The thing about the two year old rule.. .is that it's been in place for umpteen years.

I think kids today are a LOT bigger then kids 40 years ago. I was 6 lbs at birth and pretty much "normal" ALL of my friends who have full term babies have MUCH bigger babies. At age two those kids are BIGGER then kids 40 years ago...

But the rules haven't changed. I wonder how many parents could REALLY hold the avg 2 year old now in the event of a real emergency. We are talking some big kids to hang onto!

Ding, ding, ding. I know the answer to this one. None of them would be able to hold onto their baby. It's silly that parents think that they could.