lap baby on Southwest???

[paysensmom]

Do you need to bring a birth certificate?

 

[lady9]

If your baby is obviously under 2, I wouldn't worry about it. But if your baby is close to 2 or is a bigger baby, I'd bring it just in case they question the baby's age.

 

[sunlover13]

Call Southwest and ask. I just flew with a lap baby on Southwest about a year ago and can't remember.

I do remember that you can call and add the baby to your reservation. When you get to the airport, you need to go to full-service check in to get the baby's boarding pass.

Call and find out what you need to bring with you, if anything.

 

[christineangel]

Yes. They asked for one both ways when we flew in feb. I've heard that swa is more likely to ask than others, but they are legally required to ask you to show it. We just brought a scanned copy, not an official one.

 

[christineangel]

Also, there was no need to call but you do have to go through a line that says lap baby. We checked in online early and they just had to reprint my boarding pass.

 

[Benjo]

I would make a copy to bring, although we never had an issue.

 

[tjmw2727]

YES - all airlines can require a BC for a lap child but SWA is the most consistent in requiring them.

Per the website -
"If you are traveling on an Infant, Child, or Senior Fare, you must present the traveler's proof of age (i.e., birth certificate, driver's license, or another government-issued photo ID that indicates the traveler's date of birth) to a Customer Service Agent at the airport in order to check in for your flight. "

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/faqs.html?topic=age_verified

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

I was asked on SWA when my DD was obviously under 2, bring it!

 

[Alesia]

If you're asked to show a birth certificate and can't, they can require you to buy another seat for the baby - even if the baby is very obviously under 2. Bring it.

 

[Lewisc]

Do you need to bring a birth certificate?

Yes. They don't want to discuss why your child is clearly under 2 while asking for a BC from the parents behind you. Easier to ask every parent then having the GA decide who to ask then having debates.

 

[Disney Princess]

I would also call SWA and add the lap baby to your reservation. We flew with our son at 3 months and 5 months. He goes again next week at 10 months. "They" say that they can only have so many lap babies on each flight, so once your reservations are made, it doesn't hurt to give them a call and add the baby so they know you have one.

For each flight, we checked in online 24 hours in advance like normal, but didn't print our boarding passes. Once at the airport, we checked in with him, got our boarding passes and showed his birth certificate. They have asked each and every time. He was born at 5.5 pounds, so at 3 months I think he weighed 8-9 pounds. There was NO WAY he was close to two, but they still asked for the BC. I had it ready.

Enjoy your flight!

 

[djmeredith]

As a former flight attendant, I definitely recommend you call and add the lap child to your reservation. As previous poster said, there is a limit to lap children per flight. This is because only some rows are equipped with an extra oxygen mask.

 

[paysensmom]

Thanks everyone. I will have her bring a copy with her. My friend is coming to visit this fall!!!!

 

[Angela72181]

Wow...Guess I better call...I didn't know about limited Lap Children...we fly in July...hope there isn't a problem now..

 

[delmar411]

Wow...Guess I better call...I didn't know about limited Lap Children...we fly in July...hope there isn't a problem now..

There is a spot to add a lap child when you book your reservation and should have been added then. Why wouldn't you have done it when you booked??

 

[mickeymaker2003]

You need the birth certificate. I have seen parents of itty bitty infants (less than a month old) being asked for the birth certificate.

 

[dsneprincess]

Southwest ALWAYS asks for a birth certificate for a lap baby. I have never added the baby in advance on Southwest, though. JetBlue did ask at online booking, SW I always just added at the counter at airport. Happy Travels!

 

[Angela72181]

I looked online and didn't see one...no biggie I called and he's been added with no problems...she just said to bring a copy of his birth certificate

 

[christineangel]

There is a spot to add a lap child when you book your reservation and should have been added then. Why wouldn't you have done it when you booked??

When I flew AirTran, there was a spot to say you were flying with a lap child. When I flew southwest I looked and looked and saw nothing about adding a lap child other than having to add them at the desk. I assumed it didn't matter? I guess we got lucky (we don't fly high volume times or at a high volume airport) just seems like this should be online when you are buying your airfare. This was just back in dec.

 

[danygirl]

I never understood how folks can risk their child's life to save a few dollars. Lap babies become projectiles if their is excess turbulence. my child's life was worth enough that I always paid their fare to get their own seat, where they could sleep comfortably in their car seat. this may be the budget board, but the lap baby thing is just plain unsafe.