A ? About Booking Flights

[DznyDreams]

I think I already know the answer to this, but I'll ask anyway...just in case.

DH and I only have one child, and we'd like to bring a friend for DD along on our trip. At this point, I don't know who that will be (or if it will happen at all), but I do know that in years past I've found some great airfare sales for our spring trips around this time of the year (Oct usually). Of course this means non-refudable/non-transferable tickets, so I'm assuming I MUST know the exact name of the 4th passenger (child-under 10 years of age) before I can buy the ticket.

The question is not whether or not I can get my money back if the child does not go...I already know the answer to that. The question is: MUST I present a name for said ticket if we don't know exactly which friend will be going at the time a too-good-to-pass airfare sale comes along?

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[seashoreCM]

You must be prepared to show ID for all children, and there are several places in the airport where they might ask for ID.

Kidnappings, particularly by non-custodial parents, often occur by air, so it should be no surprise if child ID's are checked from time to time.

This problem unfortunately forces families to ask friends to make their decision early by making an upfront payment towards airfare or other expenses.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

Meanwhile a child who knows he is being kidnapped against his will should scream for attention at security checkpoints, I won't suggest any words or phrases here.

 

[DznyDreams]

This problem unfortunately forces families to ask friends to make their decision early by making an upfront payment towards airfare or other expenses.

Well, I'm paying for this trip. I would not invite a child to come with us and not pay their way.

The reality is this: There is probably only one friend in particular who might be able to make the trip with us. This particular child is not only close to my daughter, but her parents are longtime, very dear friends of DH and I. That said, Florida IS a long way from home and the possibility remains they may not be comfortable with allowing their child to go so far from home, no matter how far back we go or how close we are . Although, I do know there have been occasions where they've allowed their 10-yr-old daughter to go on extended stays with her friends, so it’s a definite possibility.

I've already presented the idea to this family, but I did so in such a way that gives them ample time to thoroughly think things through. Their immediate response was, "OH, how fun! She'd absolutely LOVE that!" However, I told them I was not looking for a final answer right away and asked them to please think things through before giving one. (BTW, the kids do not know we're discussing this...we don't want there to be any heartache on either side in case it doesn't work out.)

Truthfully, the idea of asking a different friend in the event this one cannot make the trip is more of a casual, not-well-thought-out idea. In other words, it’s most likely not a reality. Upon further consideration, if my child were the one being invited, I would have to be VERY close to the family (like the scenario above) before I’d allow her to go on an extended, out-of-state trip with them. Although DD has other friends whose parents I am both friendly and social with, I know none of them remotely as well as the above family.

So, with all of that said, let me approach this subject a bit differently:

If you were planning to bring a friend for your child with you, and the too-good-to-pass airfare deal came up before the friend's parents had confirmed, would you....
(A) Buy the cheap ticket and be prepared to take the loss in case the friend cannot go, or
(B) Buy a more expensive refundable ticket for said child?

ALSO, to get back on topic, seashoreCM's post did leave me with some other questions concerning the ID situation. What type of ID is required by the airport for children traveling within the US? (We've never needed one for our daughter before.) Will questions be raised solely because the child's last name does not match our own? If so, are there prior arrangements that we can make with the parents and/or the airlines to avoid any confusion?

Thanks again!