Infant on Plane Question

[GrammyJudy]

We are going in Jan 2009 via Jet Blue. We already booked our tickets. There will be an infant with us who will sit on his mother's lap. Do we need to tell the airline ahead of time? I know we can gate check the stroller but not sure about checking in at airport as I never traveled with an infant.

 

[design_mom]

You'll need to call JetBlue before your trip and give them the child's name and birth date. Here's the info from JetBlue's web site that explains. Good luck on your trip!

Lap Children Traveling Within the U.S.
Customers traveling with lap children are required to call 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583)
to provide JetBlue with the name and birthdate of the lap child.

A child between the ages of three days old until their second birthday is considered
a lap child and does not need to pay for a seat.

Once a child has their second birthday, they are no longer considered a lap child
and a seat must be purchased in order for them to travel. If the child has their
second birthday between the outbound and return flight, a seat will need to be
purchased for the return flight.

Customers traveling with a lap child could be asked for proof of age, such as a
passport, birth certificate (copies are acceptable for domestic travel) or an
immunization record when the infant's age is questionable.

Infants between three and 14 days old must also have, in the form of a letter,
their doctor's approval to travel.

Infants must be traveling with an adult customer at least 14 years or older, and
the infant must sit on the adult's lap during takeoff.

One lap child per adult is allowed. Due to the number of oxygen masks per row,
only one lap child is allowed per row of three seats. In cases of flights that are
extended over-water flights, due to the number of spare life vests, JetBlue may
have to limit the number of lap children on the flight

A lap child may bring one diaper bag and one stroller and car seat. They do not
qualify for the checked baggage allowance.

You can search by "infant" on their Help Search.

 

[dis-happy]

You absolutely need to tell them...it makes a difference on where your seat assignment is allowed to be (no children in exit rows). Just call the airline and let them know, also which passenger will be carrying the baby (they make a note on that person's ticket too).

Gate checking a stroller is a piece of cake. Just go to the gate, tell them what you want to do, and they'll give you a ticket to hang on the stroller along with a receipt for you. Drive the stroller down the gangway, fold it up and leave it at the end, and board the plane. All done. When you arrive just wait for the stroller to show up right outside the plane door---they'll be bringing it up from the belly of the plane for you. HTH.