Plane ticket for 2yo ?

[surfgirl]

My ds will turn 2 in the middle of our trip next year... I would be happy to purchase a ticket, except there are no more ff seats available on that flight (we could get 4 on a great flight, not 5).

1) Has anyone travelled with a borderline 2yo ?

2) Has anyone been questioned about age ? How did you prove under 2 if that was case ?

3) How many carry a birth certificate with them ? Is it needed ?

4) Can I risk it and not buy a ticket for him ? Should I buy a ow ? Should I just accept defeat and pay cash for a rt ticket ? (and be happy the rest of us are flying for free...)

TIA for input!
surfgirl .... now surfmom

 

[pooh4evr]

When we went in May my DD was 23 mos old but she weighs 30 lbs and is 36 inches! S we did get her a seat. We did not bring her carseat though- we stayed at a DTD hotel so we rode shuttles everywhere and did not need one. It was nice for her to have a seat because she could have the tray down to color and eat sacks, play, and we both had room. On the way home the people in front of us had their seats back all the way the entire flight so having her on my lap for that would not have been fun, well there is not much room anyway (we flew Southwest). If the rest of your family is flying free I would consider getting her a seat for safety and your sanity! We also had her birth certificate with us because she doesn't look like a two year old much less 1 at the time! We never had to show it nor were we ever asked about her age on the plane, at Disney or during any character meal. Just my opinion!

 

[clori]

Jet Blue requires a birth certificate for all lap children. I don't know if they enforce it but it is listed as required.

 

[mommyrom]

Just flew with Delta Song, with DH, myself, DS 7, DD 3 and DS 20 months (28 lbs.). Bought seats for everyone and had plenty of room (row 5 on way there, row 6 on way home). We took carseat for youngest and he was fine until he got tired...I held him for half of our 2 1/2 hour flight while he slept in my lap and they let me hold him throughout landing. No one ever questioned us for birth certs. for the kids. And, by the way, Delta Song was AWESOME when it came to boarding in the first group in order to install the carseat and get settled early! And, the satellite TV/radio was a wonderful entertainment tool for all on both flights!!!

 

[long4disney]

Definately bring a birth certificate. My dd was almost 2 at the time we traveled but was as big as a 3 year old. She is very tall for her age. We flew Southwest, but we bought a seat for her. It would have been too uncomfortable to have her on our lap the entire trip. Her legs are just too long. Plus she would have been kicking the seat in front of us the entire trip. I know that many people have had issues with Southwest asking them for proof of age for a child that is under 2, that looks older. One parent told us that they had to fax a copy of their child's birth certificate to prove to them that she was under 2. Could you imagine having to call the hospital records dept. and having them look up and fax your child's birth certificate to the airport. What a mess. We always bring a copy with us. We actually had a Disney employee question us about our dd's age getting into the park, since we didn't have a ticket for her. Under 3 is free, but again she looks like she is 3 years old. I just pulled out her birth certificate and there were no questions asked. They said that so many people try to get away with not paying for their 3 year olds in the parks. I wasn't affended. They are just doing their jobs.

When in doubt, bring the birth certificate!!!

 

[J and R's mom]

We just flew with our 23.5 month old daughter (22lbs) and our 6 month old daughter on Southwest. We did not buy them separate seats nor did we bring car seats. We did bring a birth certificate for our oldest, though, since she was two weeks away from being 2yrs old. Southwest did say that they would also accept shot records from Dr.'s office as proof of age. On the way to our destination we were not asked to show proof. On the way back, we were asked for proof on BOTH of them (I had to show the shot record for 6 month old b/c I don't have a copy of her birth certificate yet).

Because the flights weren't full, we were able to use the middle seat between DH and me for our oldest to sit in, but that was just luck. You never know if it's going to be a full flight or not. I must admit, the extra seat was VERY nice. I'm not sure what we would have done if we couldn't have had one to put her in. We just lucked out that we didn't have to pay for it.

I will be purchasing seats for BOTH of them when we go to WDW later this year, though. That trip taught me that the extra seat is necessary (at least for my two) and worth the money. And since most flights from HOU to MCO are full, we probably won't have a spare seat so I'm not going to chance it.

Good luck and bring plenty of things for your little one to play with.

 

[CEDmom]

If you DS looks like your average 2 yo the airline will probably ask for his birth certificate. They'll also see your return date and know he'll be beyond lap baby age. You'll have to then purchase at least a oneway ticket for him. Personally it wouldn't be worth taking a chance and I'd just buy him a seat. We had DD as a lap baby when she was 10 months old but I couldn't imagine doing that with a 2 yo and my child is very small for her age.

 

[tjmw2727]

I think your going to need to buy at least the one way ticket for the return flight.

You should have no problem on the outgoing leg but definately bring his birth certificate. Most if not all airlines will ask to see proof for under 2 to be a lap child unless they are an infant and its obvious. My sil flew with my neice who is tiny and were asked on Jet Blue to verify her age to fly as a lap child. Luckily she read the website and was prepared.

Honestly, unless you are very lucky you will be asked on at least one, if not both of the legs, for proof of age.

The problem will be if you are forced to purchase a ticket on return trip. "If" the airline has seats available they will probably be pricey and you will be stuck. If they have no seats available for the flight you are on, then what will you do? The airlines do have the right to not allow you to fly your son for free as a lap baby if you can't prove he qualifies.

I think for peace of mind I would at least purchase the one way ticket for the return flight. Check the website for your carrier as that is fast becoming the cheapest way to book tickets.

Good Luck
TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

For others that were asking, just to clairfy:

You only need a birth certificate or ID if your child is under two and flying free as a lap child. After that you need to purchase the seat and won't be asked for ID for your children.

TJ

 

[surfgirl]

Thanks everyone for the input and advice.... I like the idea of purchasing a 1/2 price infant ticket... then we've the seat and the extra space. I think that also solves the problem of the age check since all the gate agent will see is 5 tickets... she won't see how they were paid for (ff vs. cash and amt.) and we usually check in with skycaps! (who care about tips!!)

Good info and feedback!!!

 

[tjmw2727]

Thanks everyone for the input and advice.... I like the idea of purchasing a 1/2 price infant ticket... then we've the seat and the extra space. I think that also solves the problem of the age check since all the gate agent will see is 5 tickets... she won't see how they were paid for (ff vs. cash and amt.) and we usually check in with skycaps! (who care about tips!!)

Good info and feedback!!!

Actually, be careful and take your time with this!

First of all not all carriers offer 1/2 price tickets for infants and expect them to ask for proof of age to give you the discount.

In addition the gate agent (or skycap) dosen't care how you paid for the tickets. The do care about who is flying and they will verify each passenger against each ticket, by name. DH and I have to show photo ID and they have asked our children, one at a time, what their names are. They will do this again at security and until recently again at the gate - the final check at the gate has recently eased.

I would be preapered to show proof of age for the baby if you are purchasing the 1/2 price seat or flying him as a lap baby at no charge. The older children won't need id, only the lap or discount child.

In addition keep in mind that most of the time a discount online fare purchased online or via phone is cheaper than the 1/2 price infant fare because the 1/2 price fare is based on the airlines highest fare.

Personally, I would purchase the r/t ticket for my child but I have always purchased a seat and used a CRS on the aircraft with my kids even under 2yo.

The next best thing (price wise) would be to purchase the one way ticket for the flight home when he will be no longer able to ride free as a lap baby.

Good Luck
TJ

 

[justhat]

We always buy our daughter a seat (she's 15 months now and been flying since almost 3 months) and have gotten infant fares on American, USAirways, and Continental, but I don't think Continental is doing it anymore (we got the 1/2 price when she was 3 months old, but at 9 months they said there were no infant fares-not sure if it was our flights or all the time). American is the best, IMO, because they let you book the infant fare on their website, so no $5 surcharge like if you book over the phone on other airlines or on sites like expedia.

Other airlines we've taken her on (AirTran, Southwest, Independence Air) did not offer the discounted rate. Well Southwest kinda did, but only on some flights we've taken and often it was cheaper to buy a regular ticket. Southwest, however, did refund the full cost of my daughter's ticket on all flights we took that were not full. All their infant tickets are fully refundable (according to the agent we spoke with) so when we got to the airport we asked if the flight was full because if not we weren't going to check her in and just take her as a lap baby and use the empty seat for her carseat. The agent said that if the flight is not full, write a letter to Southwest and they'll refund your money for the baby's ticket. We did just that since the plane was only 2/3 full (every middle seat was empty, plus a few rows in the back) and got a refund on our credit card. We had to send them a copy of her birth certificate with the letter to prove she was under 2, but it wasn't a big deal. They also did the same for 2 other legs of flights we've taken with them, so remember this option if you fly Southwest.

What we did when we flew on miles though was buy her ticket with cash anyway. Her ticket was always under $100 so it seemed like a waste of FF miles.

Also, we have never been asked to show any proof of her age or anything like that when flying with her. Her tickets have always just had her name on them, not that she had an infant fare, so I don't see how they'd know we paid less for her ticket and why.

 

[EthansMom]

Southwest, however, did refund the full cost of my daughter's ticket on all flights we took that were not full. All their infant tickets are fully refundable (according to the agent we spoke with) so when we got to the airport we asked if the flight was full because if not we weren't going to check her in and just take her as a lap baby and use the empty seat for her carseat. The agent said that if the flight is not full, write a letter to Southwest and they'll refund your money for the baby's ticket. We did just that since the plane was only 2/3 full (every middle seat was empty, plus a few rows in the back) and got a refund on our credit card. We had to send them a copy of her birth certificate with the letter to prove she was under 2, but it wasn't a big deal. They also did the same for 2 other legs of flights we've taken with them, so remember this option if you fly Southwest.

Justthat,

Thanks for the tip! We're planning to fly on SWA for our Dec. trip and while I would prefer to purchase a ticket for our DD1, I don't want to pay for it if I don't have too!

 

[Sheaboys]

I only fly SWA to Tampa from CT. On one flight I forgot his birth certificate, SW almost made me buy a ticket for our first son, who at the time was a very articulate 18 month old. She said she would let us on with no seat, but we may have a problem coming back. We did not have a problem, but be sure to have that birth certificate in hand just in case. I did need it when I flew with my 3 boys alone, they were 5, 3 and 20 months. Our youngest is as tall as our middle son, and out weighs him, so they did question me for him, I was prepared that time. I would buy a ticket for the return trip just in case.