Flying with baby

[The TRUE Princess :)]

I'm so glad I discovered this today!

I went to get the kids' birth certificates out of the fire box today and discovered that we never ordered one for the baby after she was born. I went online and ordered it but what if I don't receive it in time? Has anyone actually had to show their child's bc when checking in at the airport? She's 10 months old and we're flying on Southwest. I've never flown on SW before or with a baby so I don't know the procedure.

TIA,
Krys

 

[snubie]

Did you buy the baby a seat? If not, you may have a problem. I have heard of instances when SW demands proof a child is under 2 if they are flying "free" as a lap child.

Good Luck.

 

[Sydrox]

We have flown 4x w/ our son who is only 1 and have never had a problem. Honestly I never thought about bringing the BC... Just make sure they know an infant is flying in advance if going to be sitting on your lap.. Have a great time.. Our sons 1st flight was his 1st trip to Disney)

 

[MinnieForMe]

We have flown 8 times with Southwest and anytime we have NOT purchased a seat we've had to show a birth certificate for a child under 2. I can't see them questioning a 10 month old but our daughter was 23 months last year and we did indeed have to show it both ways!

 

[rwdavis]

Children under the age of 16 are not required to show identification. So don't worry about it.
Bob

 

[wlwilliams9]

Our DD flew last year at 10 months on Northwest with no id and no problem. This year we bought her a seat (22 months) so maybe I should think about bringing her bc just in case. Thanks for the heads up, I wouldn't have thought about it!

 

[liz2d2]

We've flown almost every month with my daughter on a variety of airlines. The ONLY airline to consistently ask for her BC has been SW. Out of 6 or so trips with them, every time they've asked.

Did you get the application paperwork from the hospital? Maybe that would suffice since it has all of the same information as the BC...

 

[The TRUE Princess :)]

I was originally going to order the BC from the state at $54 but then discovered I could order it from the county for $13 and it would only take about 7-10 to recieve through regular mail. Not too bad I guess. Hopefully it gets here in time. She's sitting on my lap so I guess I'll definitely need it, huh?

Krys

 

[Ktharee]

I've never been asked to show ID for my daughter (4) on Jet Blue, Southwest, Hawaiian Air, Delta or Continental. Though she always had a ticket.

 

[stacy6552]

You won't need it. But please please please reconsider buying that precious baby a ticket and securing her in a seat.

 

[goldenears]

We usually only fly SW and have had to show a BC everytime we have brought our DD who is under 2. My SIL has flown other airlines though and doesn't bring her DDs BC with her. I would call SW and talk to someone if you are concerned about it. See if they will accept some other paperwork like the PP said.

 

[MouseFan71]

Airlines will not ask for a b/c if you've purchased a seat for your child. If you have not purchased a seat for your child and they have reason to believe he/she may be older than 24 months, they will ask for ID. At 10 months you should be ok, the worst outcome would be that you would need to fork over some extra cash for a seat.

 

[lindakmonty]

I took my ds a few times while he was free..and they never asked for it. when he was 18 mo old if you heard him talk, you'd think he was much older b/c his vocabulary..they still never questioned it. I had the bc b/c we were going on a cruise, but the airline never asked for it

 

[MommyBuzz909]

My son flew for the first time when he was 6 months old - they never asked me for his birth certificate. He's been on quite a few plane trips (he's 5 now) and not once did I get asked for his birth certificate.....

 

[Eganclan]

With Southwest it really seems to be a proof of age rather than ID. When DD was 10 months old I didn't realize until the night before our flight that her birth certificate was mis-placed. I called SW and they said no problem as long as she didn't look close to 2 years old. Going down to Tampa was no problem coming back agent was definitely on a power trip and wound up calling my daughter's pediatricians office to verify her age. She was so rude and was so sure that I was trying to cheat the system. Granted I should have had the document but I was also told that it would be OK. I'm sure that I just happened to have one over-zealous agent but be prepared just in case.

 

[my 3 princesses]

Yeah, SW seem to be sticklers about parents with a lap child presenting a birth certificate. I flew with my youngest DD as a lap child when she was 4 months old and they insisted I show them proof that she was under 2. Luckily I did have it on me as I know their drill, but 4 months?!

 

[mom2aandj]

Yeah, SW seem to be sticklers about parents with a lap child presenting a birth certificate. I flew with my youngest DD as a lap child when she was 4 months old and they insisted I show them proof that she was under 2. Luckily I did have it on me as I know their drill, but 4 months?!

wow that does seem like a bit much for them to demand a bc for a 4 month old!

 

[sarehm]

Southwest is the one airline who are sticklers with proving the baby's age if he/she is going to be a lap child (free). It's clearly posted on their web site and that's to just keep people from cheating the system. If the agent thinks the baby might be 2 or older they have the right to verify and if the childs age can not be proven they may require you to pay for a seat! So take the birth certificate if it's a lap child. Once they buy a seat Southwest doesn't care!

 

[The TRUE Princess :)]

I ended up ordering a BC from our county and it should be here in about a week AND it only cost me $13. I'd rather be safe than sorry. This trip is already costing me a fortune so I don't need to add an extra seat to the mix. I have the Baby B'Air vest so we should be ok on the flight. I feel that she'll be safe if we hit turbulence, etc. Thanks everyone! Only 29 more days!

Krys

 

[MommyBuzz909]

When my son was a baby, I use to fly Delta and even though he would be in my lap, they would always change my seat so that we could have 2 seats for the extra room. And of course, they would not charge me for that extra seat.....