Flight Question - What's needed for child?

[Jedi5]

Going to WDW in a few weeks. What will I need for my son in terms of paperwork for my son? My wife and I will our ID's but what would we need for our son?

Birth Certificate? Notorazied note of some sort?

thanks

 

[bumbershoot]

How old is he?

domestic travel

When DS was young enough to be a lap baby (one roundtrip flight and I realized the folly of not buying a seat for him!) the airline required a birth certificate to show that he was young enough to be a lap baby.

But now that we buy him a seat, he needs nothing.

We bring a birth certificate anyway, b/c strangers don't think DS and DH look at all alike and b/c DS calls me by my first name (I'm don't mind and he never heard anyone calling me anything but Molly), so with that combo, we figure that having proof just makes good sense.

At some point some sort of ID is required, but I don't know when.


international travel

passport even for a newborn.

 

[Nanu57v]

If you are in the US, nothing if you purchased the seat for the child, assuming they are under 16 or 18. If they are a lap baby you need to have a birth certificate to prove they are under 2.

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

Is there a place to check this for certain? My DH thinks the kids need a form of identification even if you bought a seat for them.

 

[lesliewitt]

I have flown with my children 2-4 times a year for the past 9 years, and we have never had to provide any paperwork for them if we fly domestically (other than their boarding pass, which we always print from home before we leave). If you are really concerned about it, you can bring his birth certificate or his passport, but you won't need it.

 

[jessica52877]

I would bring his birth certificate if you have it or anything with his picture and ID (school ID if old enough). I flew in Oct with my 4 year old and in Atlanta (where I live) the lady was not going to let us through, she kept asking for ID for him. I was like what kind of ID do you want me to have for a 4 year old! Our names match and all and he looks just like me!

 

[snugglepeas]

I have flown with my 18 month old daughter and with my 7 year old niece(without her parents) and noone ever asked us for any kind of id even with the fact my niece has a different last name from me.

 

[Jedi5]

Son is 2yrs old and this will be domestic flight. We heard from friends that we should just buy him his own seat so that's what we did.

Thanks everyone for the responses. We'll bring a copy of his BC but really that's all we have I guess.

 

[Melissa_E]

I don't like carrying around BCs, so I have a state issued ID for my daughter. It looks like a license, but it says, "State issued ID." It was only $10 in CT.

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

My girls will be 2 and 3 when we go - do I have to buy a seat for both of them?? Are all airlines the same? We were really hoping to only have to buy 3 seats for the 4 of us to save at least a few bucks.... is it possible?

 

[lesliewitt]

As long as they are under 2 they can be a lap baby. Based on an earlier thread on this topic, I will guarantee that you will hear a lot of opinions on this matter. I always had my kids on my lap when I traveled, and have never had a problem. There were times that were tougher than others (like the time that I traveled from Mpls to Phoenix with a 13 mo, 4 yo and 7 yo by myself on a PACKED flight), but it is only two -three hours out of your life. If you are on the Jersey shore, I would check into Spirit Airlines. Our family that lives out there have found tickets to Orlando for as cheap as $88.00 R/T.

Also, all airlines follow the same policy because of FAA regulations.

 

[Nanu57v]

I don't know if any airlines allow a 2yo to not have a seat. We've flown Southwest and United, and both require a seat for a 2yo.

 

[tjmw2727]

Children under 18 are not required to provide ID - here is the info from SWA;

Southwest Airlines' Customers will need valid state or federal government-issued picture identification1 to travel (passport, driver's license, state-issued identification card, or military identification are acceptable). Customers under 18 years of age are not required to show government-issued photo ID

(bold is mine)
Link for verification - http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/checkin.html

I don't know what airline your flying but a quick check of the website and or the TSA website will confirm.

I highly recommend checking the TSA website before a flight to keep up with the changing rules. Recent changes include prohibiting spare batteries in your checked luggage!
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/index.shtm

The exception with regards to ID for passengers under 18 is a "lap child" or a child under the age of two when traveling on a parents lap and flying for free. ID is required to prove they are eligible to fly without a ticket.

I have flown with my kids over 8 round trips just this year and never have been asked for ID. The TSA agent will often ask them their name to verify the BP but that's it. We even traveled with my neices this summer (and last) who have a different last name and differnt ethnic background.

TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

My girls will be 2 and 3 when we go - do I have to buy a seat for both of them?? Are all airlines the same? We were really hoping to only have to buy 3 seats for the 4 of us to save at least a few bucks.... is it possible?

Yes children over 2 are required to have a ticket and a seat, this is a federal regulation and not airline specific so all airlines require tickets. They also require a BC to verify the child is under 2 - again a federal requirement not an airline reqirement.

Here is the info - again from SWA but all airlines have similar wording:

""What Special Rules Apply to Infants and Children?
If you're traveling with an infant or small child, you should know that proper use of a child restraint device (CRD) enhances child safety on aircraft. For this reason, Southwest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) strongly recommend that infants and small children who weigh under 40 pounds be secured in an appropriate CRD when traveling by air. Full details.

Traveling with the infant on your lap:
One child over 14 days and under two (2) years of age, not occupying a seat, may be carried free when traveling with an adult (12 yrs of age or older).
Although a boarding pass is not required for the infant, you will need a Boarding Verification Document.
Traveling with the infant in an FAA approved car seat:
Affordable Infant Fares are available that enable a Customer to reserve a seat for an infant and use his/her FAA approved car seat.
A boarding pass is required.
Online checkin is available if the infant is traveling on an Infant Fare and is age verified.
A birth certificate is required to validate age of all infants under age two. "

Again bold is mine as it applies to specific questions asked on the thread.

Hope this helps,
TJ