Cost of lap baby on SW if we purchase a seat

[DMRick]

Southwest indicates there is a discount price for lap babies if a seat is purchased. Does anyone know if that is a set price, or a percentage?
Also, we'll be meeting our family in Orlando and will be bringing an extra car seat for a almost three year old to use in our rental car (my son will have the lap babies car seat to use on the plane). Does anyone know if SW will count that as a piece of our luggage, since we won't actually have a child with us?

 

[tjmw2727]

Generally speaking the regular web wanna get a way fare is cheaper than any infant fare but to get the actual price you have to call SWA and book it directly.

Lap riders ride free but on a parents lap so you won't have a place for the baby carseat unless you do purchase the baby a seat. If you don't purchase the seat be prepared to provide a birth certficate (or passport) to prove the child is eligible to ride as a lap rider. SWA checks 99.9% of the time!

Carseats can be checked free of charge on most airlines but I would double check the section at SWA.com on traveling with babies/children to verify.

 

[DMRick]

I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't clear. I am purchasing a seat for the baby, so there would be a place for his car seat. He'll be under one, so I doubt there would be a question, but he'll have his passport if needed.
I am meeting them in Orlando (they are coming from overseas and will only have the youngest one's car seat) and will need a car seat for the almost three year old, for our rental car, so I wondered if anyone knew if SW would let me check one I have free (without having a child..I know what they say online if I had a child..I could check either a carseat or a stroller for free) or would it have to be my second piece of luggage. Eventually I should be able to get through to SW, but I thought I would ask on this board, if someone has had a similar experience. Doesn't sound like you have experienced this with SW, so that's prob why you don't know the answer for sure..anyone out there that has?
On overseas flights the lap baby cost is a set fee, so I wondered if that was the same on SW..sounds like you have experienced that and it isn't..and if I'm understanding you correctly the infant fee is higher than the fee I would pay for a regular seat. That's disappointing, since they indicate it's a lower fee on line.
Thanks.

. If you don't purchase the seat be prepared to provide a birth certficate (or passport) to prove the child is eligible to ride as a lap rider. SWA checks 99.9% of the time!

Carseats can be checked free of charge on most airlines but I would double check the section at SWA.com on traveling with babies/children to verify.

 

[mom2brooke76]

In my experience I was allowed to check a stroller and carseat for free for my ticketed child. I would think that since you'll already have a carseat on the plane for him, you'll have to either count it as yours or the babies second piece of luggage. I'd just call to be sure.

 

[gmeh1]

I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't clear. I am purchasing a seat for the baby, so there would be a place for his car seat. He'll be under one, so I doubt there would be a question, but he'll have his passport if needed.
I am meeting them in Orlando (they are coming from overseas and will only have the youngest one's car seat) and will need a car seat for the almost three year old, for our rental car, so I wondered if anyone knew if SW would let me check one I have free (without having a child..I know what they say online if I had a child..I could check either a carseat or a stroller for free) or would it have to be my second piece of luggage. Eventually I should be able to get through to SW, but I thought I would ask on this board, if someone has had a similar experience. Doesn't sound like you have experienced this with SW, so that's prob why you don't know the answer for sure..anyone out there that has?
On overseas flights the lap baby cost is a set fee, so I wondered if that was the same on SW..sounds like you have experienced that and it isn't..and if I'm understanding you correctly the infant fee is higher than the fee I would pay for a regular seat. That's disappointing, since they indicate it's a lower fee on line.
Thanks.

If you are purchasing a seat for your baby he/she is no longer a lap child, that is where the confusion may have been.
They don't indicate that the fee is lower, they say:
Does Southwest offer infant fares?
Southwest Airlines offers very affordable Infant fares for children under two years of age that allow you to reserve a seat for your little traveler to fly safely in his/her approved CRS. Infant fares are not available for purchase on southwest.com. Please contact a Customer Representative at 1 (800) 435-9792 for more information.

Southwest Airlines Infant Fares have no restrictions, are fully refundable, and are offered on every Southwest Airlines flight (although seats are limited).

Although not recommended, if your child is under the age of two and you would prefer to hold him or her on your lap when traveling, you may do so on Southwest Airlines without charge and we'll be glad to check your CRS for use at your destination. FAA regulations require any child who has reached his/her second birthday to occupy his/her own seat. Please keep in mind that Southwest personnel must ensure compliance with this regulation, so be sure to bring along a copy of your infant's birth certificate for age verification.

 

[bumbershoot]

..and if I'm understanding you correctly the infant fee is higher than the fee I would pay for a regular seat. That's disappointing, since they indicate it's a lower fee on line.
Thanks.

It's a lower fee than the normal full price.

Usually cheaper to just buy a "wanna get away" fare, instead of getting a percentage off the full fare.

 

[tjmw2727]

I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't clear. I am purchasing a seat for the baby, so there would be a place for his car seat. He'll be under one, so I doubt there would be a question, but he'll have his passport if needed.
I am meeting them in Orlando (they are coming from overseas and will only have the youngest one's car seat) and will need a car seat for the almost three year old, for our rental car, so I wondered if anyone knew if SW would let me check one I have free (without having a child..I know what they say online if I had a child..I could check either a carseat or a stroller for free) or would it have to be my second piece of luggage. Eventually I should be able to get through to SW, but I thought I would ask on this board, if someone has had a similar experience. Doesn't sound like you have experienced this with SW, so that's prob why you don't know the answer for sure..anyone out there that has?
On overseas flights the lap baby cost is a set fee, so I wondered if that was the same on SW..sounds like you have experienced that and it isn't..and if I'm understanding you correctly the infant fee is higher than the fee I would pay for a regular seat. That's disappointing, since they indicate it's a lower fee on line.
Thanks.

Not sure why the snark - I fly SWA almost monthly and tried to answer your question. FWIW its always best to use the website or call the airline when dealing with travel as that is what counts vs what "dis friends" have experienced.

That said -and if you still want my .02

If you are purchasing a seat for the baby he/she is not a lap child but a ticketed passenger. If you don't purchase a seat for the baby there is no fee and the baby will have to ride on your lap. As I said above the online fare will almost always be cheaper than an infant discount but again the only way to find out is to call.

SWA allows baby gear to be checked at no charge and since you will have a baby traveling with you I can't see any reason why they would charge you for the other carseat?

Hope this was more helpful...

 

[tjmw2727]

Just wanted to add that SWA allows two peices of checked luggage per ticketed passenger. So if any one of the ticketed passengers has only one bag then you can check the carseat as an additonal peice of luggage no child necessary !

eta -You can also rent a carseat with the rental car.

 

[goofy4tink]

A lap-baby is a lap-baby only if he/she is on a lap. BUT..if you choose to buy a seat for your 'infant' (SW's verbiage, not mine), then you can buy a seat at a lesser price than the usual fully refundable fare. As noted, it is more than likely cheaper to just buy the child one of the much cheaper non-refundable fares to begin with.
As far as the car seat being checked free....I'm just not sure. I know you can gate check one if you don't use it on the plane, but that is usually if there is a child in attendance. If it's someone bringing along an 'extra' car seat, for use upon arrival, by someone not on that plane, then you may have to check it as 'checked baggage'. I'm going to assume that there aren't going to be many people that have brought along a car seat, with no kids along. That would be a somewhat unusual situation. Most would assume that parents would bring along the 3 y/o's car seat, for the flights.

 

[bumbershoot]

I personally think they'll be fine with the second carseat, especially if baby has a seat. Especially if they check the seat at the checkin counter (not something I personally would suggest, having watched carseats come CRASHING down the belt at speeds that I've got to think would do something negative to the foam inside of it (if I saw a bike helmet hit something at that force, I'd replace the helmet, for instance), but just as an example), the gate people watching them take the infant's seat on the plane won't even know that the other seat exists. I'm sure if they really peered into it, they could find the info, but I've never seen a gate agent get THAT involved in things.

 

[Twende]

We just flew SW with our 20 month old Granddaughter. We had 4 adults flying and her. We looked into purchasing a ticket but it was double what we paid for our seats so we opted to lap seat her. We gate checked an umbrella stroller, car seat, and a Deuter Back Pack carrier for her. No questions were asked.

We chose gate checking because many car seats seem to get lost in baggage checking.

Southwest is a wonderful way to fly!

 

[DMRick]

Didn't realize it was a snark. You didn't seem to have had the experience, so I wanted to ask again, to someone who might have. I did search SW, but the answer wasn't clear. I fly SW often as well, but don't know the answer, since I've never done this. As I said, I guess I wan't explaining myself all that well. I guess I'm still not.

On the way down, we will not have any babies, lap or otherwise with us. We are meeting them in Orlando. They are flying to Orlando from overseas. We will need a second carseat for our rental car. I wondered if I could bring a carseat and not have it be our second luggage, if we had no baby (lap or otherwise). They are then flying with us from Orlando to our home. Then the baby (and the child) will have a paid seat. My second question was, I wondered if that was less expensive than an adult seat. I had found this in the quote, and to me, it indicated lap babies could have a seat for a less expensive price (SW called it an alternative to traveling with a lap child so yes, whoever said it was no longer a lap child, it would now become an infant fare..I wondered what an infant fare was..overseas on Aer Lingus it is a flat rate (I think it was $30):

Infant Fares

Southwest was the first carrier to offer a fare that would give parents a low-cost alternative to traveling with a lap child. Southwest's affordable infant fares are available for children less than 2 years old who occupy a seat (with an FAA-approved child restraint system) and who are accompanied by a Customer age 12 or older. Infant fares are offered on every Southwest flight. Be sure to present proof of the baby's age at check in.

Since they will have a lap child with them (sitting on their lap on the way over from Ireland..they actually got a bed for the baby on the plane) and a child in a carseat, they will only have one carseat with them. I am trying to save them the burden of carrying a second seat. So, besides asking about the price, I also wondered if I can bring a carseat without it being a piece of my luggage (which would mean I would limit myself to one piece of luggage). I wondered if anyone here had done that. I did reach SW and will be called back, since the person I reached also didn't know if it would be, since we would not be traveling with a baby on the way down.

Hope that is clearer.

 

[DMRick]

Thank you..we won't have a child with us, so that makes it a bit more confusing. SW says they will call me back tomorrow with an answer. She thinks each of us can gate check one item..me a carseat, and my husband a stroller..however she said she has never been asked the question, if there is no baby with us LOL. I'm confused as to why the cost would be double..couldn't you just buy an adult seat the same cost as you paid for each adult? Or, if you buy a seat, did it have to be an infant seat, and those are more? Doesn't seem right.

We just flew SW with our 20 month old Granddaughter. We had 4 adults flying and her. We looked into purchasing a ticket but it was double what we paid for our seats so we opted to lap seat her. We gate checked an umbrella stroller, car seat, and a Deuter Back Pack carrier for her. No questions were asked.

We chose gate checking because many car seats seem to get lost in baggage checking.

Southwest is a wonderful way to fly!

 

[DMRick]

eta -You can also rent a carseat with the rental car.

Yes, and we considered that, but there was some question about the cleanliness (on another board someone ended up stopping and buying one, as the car rentals seat was not clean), and if it's the right type for the size child..so we will be bringing ours, just have to know if it's allowed on without being counted as luggage, so we come prepared.

 

[gmeh1]

Didn't realize it was a snark. You didn't seem to have had the experience, so I wanted to ask again, to someone who might have. I did search SW, but the answer wasn't clear. I fly SW often as well, but don't know the answer, since I've never done this. As I said, I guess I wan't explaining myself all that well. I guess I'm still not.

On the way down, we will not have any babies, lap or otherwise with us. We are meeting them in Orlando. They are flying to Orlando from overseas. We will need a second carseat for our rental car. I wondered if I could bring a carseat and not have it be our second luggage, if we had no baby (lap or otherwise). They are then flying with us from Orlando to our home. Then the baby (and the child) will have a paid seat. My second question was, I wondered if that was less expensive than an adult seat. I had found this in the quote, and to me, it indicated lap babies could have a seat for a less expensive price (SW called it an alternative to traveling with a lap child so yes, whoever said it was no longer a lap child, it would now become an infant fare..I wondered what an infant fare was..overseas on Aer Lingus it is a flat rate (I think it was $30):



Since they will have a lap child with them (sitting on their lap on the way over from Ireland..they actually got a bed for the baby on the plane) and a child in a carseat, they will only have one carseat with them. I am trying to save them the burden of carrying a second seat. So, besides asking about the price, I also wondered if I can bring a carseat without it being a piece of my luggage (which would mean I would limit myself to one piece of luggage). I wondered if anyone here had done that. I did reach SW and will be called back, since the person I reached also didn't know if it would be, since we would not be traveling with a baby on the way down.

Hope that is clearer.

Aer Lingus charges :

Infants - 6 months or under
If the infant is under 6 months the child must sit on the adults' knee and will be charged a flat rate of €20/£19* or equivalent on all shorthaul routes or 10% of the adult fare on flights to the USA.
Infants - between 6 months and 2 years
Passengers may choose to pay either:
€20/£19* or equivalent on all shorthaul routes or 10% of the adult fare on flights to the USA, where the infant will sit on the adults' knee.
or
Purchase a seat for the infant at the appropriate fare where the infant can sit in an approved, forward facing car seat provided by the passenger. The car seat must be restrained on the aircraft seat by the normal aircraft lap strap. Aer Lingus do not permit rearward facing car seats. The seat must be a purpose-designed children's car seat with a 5-point harness.
Should passengers make a booking for their unborn infant using the infant's surname and "TBA" (to be advised) as the "First name" there will be no charge to subsequently change the name to the correct infant's name after the birth. To change the name, you will have to contact our helpdesk on +353 818 365 044 or your local Aer Lingus Reservations Department. For contact details click here: Reservations Department
Note: One adult cannot be responsible for more than two infants. Where one adult is travelling with two infants at least one of the infants must be over 6 months old. The infant over 6 months must purchase a child fare. Where there is no child fare, the adult fare will apply. The infant over six months must travel in a car seat provided by the adult, as only one infant is permitted to sit on an adults lap.

Children under age of 12
On Transatlantic flights, Aer Lingus offer a 10% child discount for passengers between the ages of 2 and 11.
*Note: This flat fare rate excludes standard taxes & charges.


Not sure where you got the 30.00 amount, I would think that 10% would vary with the cost of the fare.

 

[gmeh1]

Thank you..we won't have a child with us, so that makes it a bit more confusing. SW says they will call me back tomorrow with an answer. She thinks each of us can gate check one item..me a carseat, and my husband a stroller..however she said she has never been asked the question, if there is no baby with us LOL. I'm confused as to why the cost would be double..couldn't you just buy an adult seat the same cost as you paid for each adult? Or, if you buy a seat, did it have to be an infant seat, and those are more? Doesn't seem right.

The infant fare is often double the "I wanna get away" fare. so, it is less expensive to purchase the "I wanna get away fare" for the child rather than the infant fare which is usually less than the full adult fare. Make sense now?

 

[DMRick]

The infant fare is often double the "I wanna get away" fare. so, it is less expensive to purchase the "I wanna get away fare" for the child rather than the infant fare which is usually less than the full adult fare. Make sense now?

Which is why I asked the gal why she didn't just buy the same type of fare for the baby, that she bought for herself..since the baby fare was twice as much.

 

[DMRick]

Aer Lingus charges :
Passengers may choose to pay either:
€20/£19* or equivalent on all shorthaul routes or 10% of the adult fare on flights to the USA, where the infant will sit on the adults' knee.
.

You would have to ask Aer Lingus why the amount has been about $30 (rounded, I'm sure, since he would have paid in Euro's, which goes up and down). Guess my son has just been lucky, or his fare may always be about €200 before taxes. The amount really wasn't important..the point I was trying to make, was I wondered if SW also charged a fix rate. I get that they don't, but that was why I asked the question..I didn't know, since they didn't list on their site the charge. He's fine with what he pays Aer Lingus..makes it easy for him to visit with his child at that price. And, if you haven't flown on them, you may not know, the child doesn't actually have to sit on your knee..you can get a sturdy cardboard type 'bed' for them.

 

[tjmw2727]

Didn't realize it was a snark. You didn't seem to have had the experience, so I wanted to ask again, to someone who might have. I did search SW, but the answer wasn't clear. I fly SW often as well, but don't know the answer, since I've never done this. As I said, I guess I wan't explaining myself all that well. I guess I'm still not.>>

Snip - sorry if I took it the wrong way but when someone takes the time to type out a post in answer to a question and the response is something like you have no idea, I hope someone else can help me ...it is a bit hard to take.

And - Yes more details would have been helpful especialy since you indicated you were purchasing a seat for the baby but not that he/she wouldn't actually be flying with you!

I can't imagine many folks here will have had the experience of having transported baby equipment without a baby so I still say the only place for actual info will be SWA.

I have found the SWA phone reps very helpful in the past. Good luck, safe flights and I hope you have a great time with your family.

 

[DopeyDame]

Thank you..we won't have a child with us, so that makes it a bit more confusing. SW says they will call me back tomorrow with an answer. She thinks each of us can gate check one item..me a carseat, and my husband a stroller..however she said she has never been asked the question, if there is no baby with us LOL. I'm confused as to why the cost would be double..couldn't you just buy an adult seat the same cost as you paid for each adult? Or, if you buy a seat, did it have to be an infant seat, and those are more? Doesn't seem right.

I think some of the confusion is coming from your verbiage. The words you use for the child's seat when talking to the people from SW will matter, and the answer will change depending on the words you use, so hopefully this will help:
- A lap baby is a baby WITHOUT a seat on the plane. On domestic flights, they fly for free. On international flights, they are charged a small fee (usually a percentage of the accompanying adult). The "bed" they have reserved for the baby will just hook into the bulkhead wall in front of them - they still won't have a seat for the baby flying over. (Personally, I'd slit my wrists before flying with a lap baby internationally, even with the bulkhead bed, but that's just me...) With a lap baby, you don't bring the carseat into the actual plane cabin - it gets gate checked or checked at the counter. If you call southwest and ask about a lap baby, they will assume you are talking about a child under 2 who does not have a seat on the airplane, and will answer accordingly.
- From Orlando to your house, you will be buying the baby a ticket. The baby then becomes just any old ticketed passenger, for the most part. SW does offer "infant fares" as a courtesy, but, as a PP said, they aren't guaranteed to be cheaper than the cheapest available adult fare, as they are a discount off of a FULL FARE ticket - and those are usually hundreds of dollars more than the restricted fares. Assuming you buy the restricted, cheaper, fare, than southwest doesn't care one whit how old the person in the seat is. You can just bring the caresat for the baby onto the plane and gate check the 3 year olds seat and you wan't have any issues at all.

As for flying down with a carseat and without a baby... for us, on Korean Air, when we did that it did count as one of our pieces of luggage. That said, there have been many times when I've asked for a gate check tag for my stroller or carseat when DH and DS are off somewhere else and the kid isn't around. The gate agents usually need to see the actual item (stroller or carseat) but I haven't ever run into anyone asking to see the actual kid. I'm sure if you just don't mention it and bring the carseat to the gate you'll be fine.