Airline ticket info for infants

[Fish2girls]

We are flying with a 13 month old and have 3 tickets, one for me ,one for my DH, and one for my DD5. Does my DD13 mo. need a paper ticket to get on the plane or a birth cert.? The airline reserved 3 seats for us, and we're not sure what the requirements are for out 13 mo. old. Our TA told us that she does not need a ticket if she is a year old, but she is now 13 months. What will she need?? Hope this is not a stupid question!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

None of you needs a "paper ticket" to get on a plane anymore; all US domestic airlines are set up to use e-tickets now, so the only paper the ticketed passengers need is a boarding pass (which you must have in hand before getting into the security line.)

Legally, a child who has not yet turned two may fly domestically as an unticketed lap-child, so no, you are not required to buy her a ticket.*(Personally, I would buy one anyway and put her in a carseat. 13 mos. is PRIME squirmy-worm time.)

If you fly her as a lap-child and she is already walking, it would be wise to bring along a photocopy of her birth certificate to prove that she is still under age 2, and thus, eligible to fly as a lap child. Some airlines will ask for proof that a toddler is in fact under the age limit.

(* On an int'l flight [except to CAN], lap-babies must be paid passengers in order to get them on the immigration manifest. The usual charge for a lap-baby on an int'l flight is 10% of whatever the carrying adult paid.)

 

[Samar]

Your lap child will be listed as infant on one of your tickets. That's how all my tickets have been.

 

[abbie13_15]

Don't buy another ticket. All you need is proof of age for your 13 month old. You must have this or you will be forced to buy another ticket!

 

[lorrainesy]

I wouldn't buy a ticket for her. Her first time flying she may be scared so she may end up on your lap even if you do buy a ticket...or at least that was how it worked for us

 

[jncvh]

I wouldn't buy another ticket either. Most of the time when you check in you can ask for seats in an area that has many open seats. If you can get an open seat next to you, you can put the child in that seat to sit. She will have to sit in your lap during departure and during arrival. I have done this everytime and never had a problem. Only problem is when the flight is full or they can't put you next to an open seat.

 

[safetymom]

The days of being able to count on empty seats around you are gone. Most flights are full these days and it isn't a good idea to count on there being an empty one near you.

 

[Fish2girls]

Thanx to all who responded, you all have been a BIG help!! Any other info. you can send would be great!

 

[Samar]

Don't buy another ticket. All you need is proof of age for your 13 month old. You must have this or you will be forced to buy another ticket!

That's not necessarily true. I was never asked for proof when my son was 15 months old and he walked a bit.

 

[vald1977]

We just purchased our airline tickets for September and also have a lap child. We are flying American Airlines. What they told us to do was buy our tickets online (we needed three for me, dh and ds6) then to call back and have them add a lap child to our reservation. If I were you I would call the airline you are flying and make sure your lap child is added to your reservation just to avoid any hassles .

 

[Cindy's Mom]

We always bought our infant children seats.....I wouldn't have it any other way. They each get their own seat, are sitting in their car seat and their fare is 1/2 price. My children were not lap babies I couldn't imagine them sitting on my lap for 3 hours, it would have been torture for them and every passenger on the plane. My suggestion is, if you are able to afford to ticket, I say buy it. if nothing else you'll have some much needed extra space.

 

[pezpam]

I'd check with the airline for their specific policies, but chances are you don't need ot buy a ticket. I traveled a lot with DD when she was little and I will say that paying for that extra seat was always well worth it for me, but that's for me personally.

I would definitely bring the birth certificate (or better yet, a copy if that's ok) because carrying one piece of paper and then not needing it is much easier than not having it and having to argue about it at the airport. It's just peace of mind to eliminate one possible problem.

 

[abbie13_15]

That's not necessarily true. I was never asked for proof when my son was 15 months old and he walked a bit.

Maybe not other airlines, but I know for a fact that this is southwests policy. You must have proof of age.

 

[made75]

when i went to orlando last year, i got a seat for my 18 month old. Buying her a ticket was financially a hassle, but it gave me piece of mine. I was lucky because she did not fuss or cry; she slept. i actually took her to vegas from jersey this past january and she sat most of the flight (we had to get up for potty breaks). The flight back from vegas was non stop turbulance. NON STOP... to the point where things were flying around the plane... but not my little one. better safe than sorry.

 

[pooh4evr]

Granted DD was 23 mos old when we went but IMO trying to hold her during the flight would ahve been a nightmare for the person in front of us, next to us she and I. So she had her own seat, which allowed her to bring her luggage and a carry on bag with treats (coloring books, snacks juice...) and she was bale to have HER own space. And YES bring a copy of the BC just in case we did not need it but you never know!

 

[ZuZugal]

Southwest does require a copy of the child's birth certificate if you do not buy a ticket (for proof of age under 2 years.)

Also, we have always bought my youngest ticket and brought his car seat along. When he is in his car seat in our vehicle he is never allowed to get out, and so the same applies on the airplane.

 

[Danaans]

I would check airline policies out before you go. All the airlines have websites where you can log in and go get information.


We flew on USAIR in December with my grandson who at the time was 13 mos. I made my daiughter in law bring a copy of his birth certificate (Just-in-case) but I had no ticket for him as he was considered a lapchild. I found this information on the website for usair. But I am such a nervous nelly that I even called to confirm the day before we left.....I didn't want any surprises..... another thing you may want to consider is ear planes.....I read up about that also...the pressure in the airplane might bother the babies ears....My grandson had all kinds of ear issues, so he ended up getting tubes in his ears about two weeks before we left.

 

[hannah's dad]

You might want to verify with the airline that your 1 year old is listed as infant in arms. That point does need to be noted in the reservation or else you'll add delay and hassle to check in