Do I need a birth certificate for DS for flying?

[Minnesota!]

And other questions -

Should I bring a car seat for the Magical Express? We are not renting a car. Can I wheel DS in his stroller from the gate to the plane and then check the stroller? What if we have a layover....will the stroller be available for me to use when we get off plane #1 for plane #2? Should I bring my umbrellla stroller or the big stroller with space underneath for "stuff"? What else am I forgetting?

Thank you!!

 

[akamom]

And other questions -

Should I bring a car seat for the Magical Express? We are not renting a car. Can I wheel DS in his stroller from the gate to the plane and then check the stroller? What if we have a layover....will the stroller be available for me to use when we get off plane #1 for plane #2? Should I bring my umbrellla stroller or the big stroller with space underneath for "stuff"? What else am I forgetting?

Thank you!!

You don't need a carseat on the DME. You can take your stroller to the gate and they will check it there. Make sure you tell them you want it available at the layover airport. I brought my Quattro Tour with me for the reclining option and the basket was very useful as well!

Opps, and you will need the birth certificate! Have fun!!

 

[txmom522]

Picked up on this thread...
Does it have to be the original? We are going with our 4 & 2 year olds in September.

I never have used a birth certificate for airline travel. Can't remember when we went last, brain is fried . But don't remember needing one.

I was bringing copies as a "just in case".

Thanks for your help!

Christine

 

[akamom]

Not sure if they have to be original or not. We flew Southwest and they wanted to see them as we went through security.

 

[Bob P]

I've never flown Southwest but I have never been asked for ID for my kids.

Now that my son is 18 he shows his driver's license but as long as they are with us we've never been asked to show ID, and we've flown many times since September 2001.

 

[princesspiglet]

WE flew on USAirways in December 2002 with our 13 month old and thay did not ask us for a birth certificate or any id for her. Not sure if it has changed since then. I would call the airline directly.

 

[txmom522]

Thanks! We've flown with daughter now 4 2 or 3 times and we never had a request for it. I am glad that they ask for it, however. Makes me feel a little better. Christine

 

[Alice's Mom]

And other questions -

Should I bring a car seat for the Magical Express? We are not renting a car. Can I wheel DS in his stroller from the gate to the plane and then check the stroller? What if we have a layover....will the stroller be available for me to use when we get off plane #1 for plane #2? Should I bring my umbrellla stroller or the big stroller with space underneath for "stuff"? What else am I forgetting?

Thank you!!

A carseat for magical express is not necessary, it is a large, luxury bus.

You can indeed wheel your stroller to the entrance of the plane and leave it, as long as you have a gate check tag, it will be waiting for you when you disembark for your layover, well sometimes you have to wait for it.

I would recommend the larger stroller as they are more comfortable to push around the parks than an umbrella stroller and you will appreciate the storage. When my daughter was under a year I used the large evenflo carriage for the carseat on the plane, but now that she is older and no carseat needed we use a Maclaren Quest.

I have flown Delta, Northwestern and United and all airlines have said no ID required for anyone under 18

Have a great trip!

 

[Stimpy]

In about 20 flights we've taken with children, we were only asked once by SWA for DD's birth certificate. She was only 14 months (June 2005) but they thought she was a lap child and asked for proof of age. Since I did buy her a seat on the plane, we didn't need an ID for her. I thought it was a little funny since DD is obviously under 2, she's very small for her age and is usually thought to be about 11 months old even now at 15 months.

Apparantly, the airlines are really starting to check the ages of lap children to make sure they are really under 2. For security, at both our home airport and MCO, only the adults needed to show ID and both adults & kids need to show boarding passes.

 

[pjynx]

We flew in June on Delta and we were NOT required to show any id or birth cert for dd (6 y.o.). I emailed Delta ahead of time to make sure any they confirmed it. It may vary by airline though.

 

[all4fun]

We have flown Delta four times with DS (prior to turning two) and have never been asked for ID either. We have always bought him a seat though.

We have gate checked our "big" Jeep stroller (pictured in my siggy) and our more compact Kidco stroller (umbrella fold) with no problems. My suggestion though if you take your bigger stroller is to remove anything that isn't screwed down otherwise it might get lost in transit. You can have them put the stroller straight thru to your destination if you want but we always request it be made available at the layover airport and it has always been brought out for us. Like the pp said, make sure it has a gate check tag and that the layover airport is listed on it (they have some way of marking it so they know - just ask the agent at the gate).

Another suggestion - put your carryon stuff in a backpack. It will make your life a little easier at the airport.

hth!

 

[holden]

AHH - i sure hope we don't need a birth certificate for our DD! She is not officially adopted yet (still in foster care with us), so we don't have a birth certificate, SS card or any documentation on her.

 

[rchristiansen]

I can't count how many times we have flown with my daughter. Probably 10-12 times. They don't require a birth certificate unless you leaving the country like Canada.

 

[Stimpy]

I really don't think you need a birth certificate, while traveling within the USA, unless you plan on bringing on a child as a lap child (under 2 yrs old). They aren't asking for security reasons, it's to prove your child is under the age limit for free passage.

If you are really worried about it, it couldn't hurt to bring a copy just in case

 

[Stimpy]

My suggestion though if you take your bigger stroller is to remove anything that isn't screwed down otherwise it might get lost in transit.

I agree with this too! We used to bring a screwdriver with us, when it was allowed, in order to take off the trays too. We started doing it when Delta broke the tray off 1 stroller. Since the new regulations about no screwdrivers etc. we haven't been able to remove them, we've gone through 2 more trays.

Also, if you have room in a carry-on take the removable seat pad out if you can. (or if it's not too uncomfortable without it pack it in your luggage) We usually forget and almost every time, we get the stroller back and the pad is soaked.

 

[DreadpiratK]

AHH - i sure hope we don't need a birth certificate for our DD! She is not officially adopted yet (still in foster care with us), so we don't have a birth certificate, SS card or any documentation on her.

Talk to your social worker, he/she can get you the documentation you need to travel with your foster child, at least we did this for our foster families here in CT, other states may be different. Better to have it and not need it....

When we traveled with our 6 month old on Southwest in February, they did ask for a birth certificate. Maybe it's specific to this airline? I think it was to verify her age, as the agent barely glanced at it, it was pretty easy to see she was not 2!

 

[casey49781]

i traveled at christmas time this past year 2004 ,,one of the busy times of the year,,,they never once asked for a birth cert...but you can bet i had copies of them and the soc card in my purse incase,,when i called ahead and asked if needed they told me you never know when away from home if someone will need them or not ,better to be safe than sorry,,,have a great trip

 

[beattyfamily]

I do not think any airline requires a birth certificate (or ID) UNLESS you have a child under 2, because then they want to confirm that your child is really under 2.

 

[PatricenPete]

I flew with DS in June and was never asked for his birth certificate. I did bring it with me though, just in case.

 

[Stimpy]

When we traveled with our 6 month old on Southwest in February, they did ask for a birth certificate. Maybe it's specific to this airline? I think it was to verify her age, as the agent barely glanced at it, it was pretty easy to see she was not 2!

Was she a a lap child? SWA does ask only if they are traveling as a lap child.

When we traveled with DD 14 months, we were asked for a certificate. As soon as I told the agent she had her own seat, she told me I didn't need it.