Please explain procedure with a lap baby for SW

[PA Princess]

I flew SW last summer from Philadelphia to Orlando round trip with dh, ds9, ds 8, dd4, dd 6 months and grandma. We were advised to have a copy of the birth certificate to varify the baby's age, but we did curbside check in each leg and we never had to show this to anyone. I would still advise you to bring for peace of mind, but just sharing our experience.

You do need to notify Southwest that you have a lap infant, so if you ordered tickets on line like we did and most do, you should call them and have baby added. Also, we were able to pre-board at both airports with our entire 7 member family. I was prepared for the fact that we might not be able to pre-board all of us, but it was a non issue for us. Not sure what you will experience, but this is what happened for us. Since we were able to pre-board, we did not have to stress about check in time and letter assigned.

You can gate check the stroller, but be prepared that when you go through security the stroller must be folded and placed on the conveyor belt with baby removed. I did not realize this until we were at that point and we had our hands full with dh having the older kids and me with the baby and stroller. I was thankful we had a lightweight, easy to fold stroller so I was physically able to do all of this, but it is always nice to be forewarned

 

[Eganclan]

My one and only bad Southwest experience was over a birth certificate. I didn't realize until the last minute that I had misplaced it from another flight. I called SW the day before and explained the situation and I was told that since the baby was no where near two that I could just bring another form of ID. Flying down to Tampa no problem at all. Coming home was a different story entirely. The girl that checked me in went WAY overboard even after I explained that I had called and what I had been told. She wound up calling my pediatricians office to verify my daughters age (10 mo.) and then proceeded to tell me that she would be making a note of this to the airline and that I would not be able to do this again. Granted I should have taken the time to find her birth certicicate but this girl clearly took things way beyond where it needed to be. Thank goodness she is not a representation of all the wonderful people that work for Southwest.

Have a great trip!!!,

 

[NotUrsula]

The baby won't need ID to get through security but the airline might require proof of age if the baby has an infant fare. SW generally requires proof of age for passengers using an age based fare.

Very true. I was specifically responding to 2P2P's query about getting through security. When SWA is the airline in question it never occurs to me to think that someone might have actually paid an "infant fare", since they invariably cost more than ordinary advance-purchase fares.

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

Thanks..we pd regular fare for him, no age-based discount (or rate hike ).

I just wanted to make sure we were ready for security...I hate holding up a line and I know I am going to already be doing that with the stroller, car seat, carry-ons at the x-ray machines.

 

[Lewisc]

2P2P is flying US Air not SW. AFAIK the deeply discounted fares most of us book most of the time on most airlines are cheaper than infant fares. 2P2P is using an adult fare but some people reading this thread might have an infant fare. Several posters found they could save around $10 with an infant fare with SW.

People who don't fly much might not realize that the airline may have different identification rules than the TSA. SW does ask to see a copy of the child's birth certificate if the child is a lap baby or is flying with a infant or youth fare.

Very true. I was specifically responding to 2P2P's query about getting through security. When SWA is the airline in question it never occurs to me to think that someone might have actually paid an "infant fare", since they invariably cost more than ordinary advance-purchase fares.

 

[kaytieeldr]

after the recent change, I checked the seating chart on expedia and the seat next to us is open for now, as are the 2 seats in the baby's row......I am wondering if I should give up the fight and just wait til we get on the plane and hopefully whoever is seated with the baby will switch with us.

I know I would

Instead of that, simply because you and your DH are seated in one row and your son in another doesn't mean you can't place your son in the seat next to one of you, and the other of you sit in the seat assigned to your son.

At any rate, unless you're flying in the next couple of hours, I wouldn't leave it to chance that the third seat in your row will be empty. Call USAirways and keep calling until you're satisfied. Go to a supervisor, manager, whatever. Make SURE you get the seats together that you need (officially, that's one window seat for the carseat and one middle seat for one adult; the other adult CAN be seated apart from you) and record all names. Still keep checking your seats online.

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

I did forget to mention that I will probably have a breakdown if I have to sit without my DH. I have a pretty serious anxiety disorder and flying is a HUGE undertaking for me. I usually take a small dose of tranquilizer before I fly, so I wouldn't want to be sitting with my DS alone, either. Even though usually my medicine just has a calming effect, in the event of an emergency, I would want my DH with his clear head with the baby.

I'll start calling USAir and hopefully manage to get 3 seats together. If not, we'll have to figure something out. I have been doing that fear of flying course that was recommended on the boards, and I have managed to stop feeling quite so anxious while doing it. The first night, I almost had a panic attack just from them talking about flying.

I have serious issues. But I may be able to handle sitting alone if necessary. I will try to get this resolved, but I also want to be prepared in case I don't.

Thanks!