Busiest Travel Day

[redheaded mama]

We are flying to WDW on Nov 22 (the day before Thanksgiving). Has anyone flown on this day? How bad is it? How many hours early should we get to the Airport?

Another question I haven't flown with my children before. What kind of ID do I need to bring with them to get them on the plane?

Thanks for your help.

 

[gw_lit]

I've flown on the day before Thanksgiving before, and it is busy! Since we don't know which airport you're flying out of, it's kind of hard to give you advice about how far in advance to get there.

Some airlines give suggestions as to how far in advance you should arrive for your flight. Information for Southwest can be found here, American here. Just check the website for your airline, and then add an hour to their suggested time since you are travelling on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Especially travelling with children, you don't want to miss your flight since most are filled on this busy travel day and getting on on standby is dicey at best.

As far as ID, children under 18 do not need any ID, unless you are travelling with a lap child. Most airlines will want to see proof of age to make sure the child is under two and eligible to be a lap baby. Also, if your child is close to 18, or looks close to 18, you may want to have a school ID, or something with their name and picture on it if there are any questions. My kiddos aren't old enough to deal with this yet, but I've heard of others that have.

 

[Yzerbear19]

As far as ID, children under 18 do not need any ID, unless you are travelling with a lap child. Most airlines will want to see proof of age to make sure the child is under two and eligible to be a lap baby. Also, if your child is close to 18, or looks close to 18, you may want to have a school ID, or something with their name and picture on it if there are any questions. My kiddos aren't old enough to deal with this yet, but I've heard of others that have.

When my sister flew to Orlando with a group from school back in 1999 she didn't have her driver's liscence yet and had to go to the secretary of state to get a Michigan photo ID in order to fly. So if you have any kids that are older, maybe check with your DMV or Secretary of State to see what the policy is for IDs.

 

[redheaded mama]

Thanks so much for the help. We are flying out of SLC and our plane leaves at 10:00. I'm guessing from what you've said that we'll need to be there about 2 to 21/2 hours early. My oldest is barely 13 I'll bring her school ID just in case. The Dis rocks!!!! Thanks again for helping.

 

[DizziDezi2]

My little sister is 12 and there hasnt been a time since she was very small (3 maybe) that they have not asked to see some sort of ID for her. My mother used to send us w/ her birthcertificate and social- but lately picture IDs are a must. You can get a 'offical State ID card' at the DMV for like 12 dollars. I would do that- it has all their information on it and its "offical documentation."

 

[riaesq]

My DS13 has never been asked for ID and he's a pretty big kid. We've had at least a dozen plane trips in the past two years. They've asked his age and that's it...

 

[SomePixiedust]

My DD-13, was not asked for ID-they didn't even ask her age and she looks older, but I'm sure each city is different. Being in NY I thought we'd at least be asked, but we weren't.