SW How to get seat for non-paying infant
- Thread starter Liltx
- Start date
beattyfamily
DIS Cast Member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2000
That's true about the fee and I never said online is better than a phone call so if you want to save $5 go ahead a make the call but some people pefer online rather than calling so I was just providing the information I know of first hand so everyone knows their options.
I'd rather buy online than on the phone...personal perference.
Sorry for the confusion. I am flying SW but was wondering about AA because I paid the regular fare when flying with her the first time. It was a cheap fare anyway so problably wouldn't have made much difference.
Yes, we know we are getting robbed but wanted to fly non-stop in the afternoon. The cheap flights are very early or arrive very late and make stops. Her ears bother her enough with one take off and landing.
I called and it is $256 for her to have a seat so we will probably do that. I had no idea they have discounts for babies! So I guess some good has come out of this mess.
Monica
Yes, we know we are getting robbed but wanted to fly non-stop in the afternoon. The cheap flights are very early or arrive very late and make stops. Her ears bother her enough with one take off and landing.
I called and it is $256 for her to have a seat so we will probably do that. I had no idea they have discounts for babies! So I guess some good has come out of this mess.
Monica
Oh, yeah! Didn't think about that! Blonde moment!You can go to your local drug store and purchase Children's "EarPlanes", it is like a little ear plug specially designed that relieves inflight ear discomfort. They are wonderful and good for those 1 year and older, also, a pacifier, a bottle, or a sucker work well for landings and take offs. There are alternatives, I've got that t-shirt.
If there is not a seat available the agents will gate check your car seat, they do not allow them to just block the aisle and most do not fit in overheads as was suggested earlier.
Another FYI, I never preboard with my daughter, that exposes you to another 30 minutes cooped up on the plane. Also, reserving seats that are separated will not help, what the flight attendant will do once everyone is on board is ask for someone to switch seats so that the three of you can be together or if possible use your car seat. My DD (now 5) and I were seperated by 10 rows from the DH on our last flight and the attendant was able to get us all together ASAP.
Lu
Hi, Everyone.
I know that most people have strong feelings one way or the other on this subject, but I feel the need to post somewhat of a defense of the people who do not purchase seats for their child.
Shortly before my son was born, my mother who lived across the country was diagnosed with cancer. In order to be with her and help my parents while the chemotherapy and radiation was going on required monthly visits to them via airtravel. I took my son with me as soon as he was allowed to fly.
My family is in no way wealthy, but being with my mother to help was not a choice. It was a necessity. There was no way that we could afford 2 tickets every time we went. Especially since we could not 'pre-plan' and often had to take those $300+ tickets just to get there.
In addition, I was blessed with a child who HATES car seats. When he was very small, we would avoid going out anywhere because he would scream so much and there was no comforting him. We live pretty far out in the country and I could only count on him napping one way. I used to be so jealous of those people who could take their infant out even to go to the grocery. I would just stare in disbelief when people told tales of lulling their baby to sleep by putting them in a car seat and driving around! This left out the option of traveling by car (which was also excluded due to time constraints of a 2+ day travel one way). It also could have made other passengers very uncomfortable having to listen to him for a 2&1/2 hour flight. Let me also mention that I am a pharmacist so there was NO WAY I was going to drug my baby with Benadryl or alcohol to get him to sleep through a flight.
After saying all that, let me also mention that once my mother passed away we only traveled for vacations when it was possible to save up. I always purchase a seat for my kids and my second son (who loved his carseat-- YAY--) has never been held on a flight.
I know that we usually form opinions of things based on our limited experience. But we should try to remember that things may not always be the way they seem to us with our simple answers.
I know that most people have strong feelings one way or the other on this subject, but I feel the need to post somewhat of a defense of the people who do not purchase seats for their child.
Shortly before my son was born, my mother who lived across the country was diagnosed with cancer. In order to be with her and help my parents while the chemotherapy and radiation was going on required monthly visits to them via airtravel. I took my son with me as soon as he was allowed to fly.
My family is in no way wealthy, but being with my mother to help was not a choice. It was a necessity. There was no way that we could afford 2 tickets every time we went. Especially since we could not 'pre-plan' and often had to take those $300+ tickets just to get there.
In addition, I was blessed with a child who HATES car seats. When he was very small, we would avoid going out anywhere because he would scream so much and there was no comforting him. We live pretty far out in the country and I could only count on him napping one way. I used to be so jealous of those people who could take their infant out even to go to the grocery. I would just stare in disbelief when people told tales of lulling their baby to sleep by putting them in a car seat and driving around! This left out the option of traveling by car (which was also excluded due to time constraints of a 2+ day travel one way). It also could have made other passengers very uncomfortable having to listen to him for a 2&1/2 hour flight. Let me also mention that I am a pharmacist so there was NO WAY I was going to drug my baby with Benadryl or alcohol to get him to sleep through a flight.
After saying all that, let me also mention that once my mother passed away we only traveled for vacations when it was possible to save up. I always purchase a seat for my kids and my second son (who loved his carseat-- YAY--) has never been held on a flight.
I know that we usually form opinions of things based on our limited experience. But we should try to remember that things may not always be the way they seem to us with our simple answers.
justhat
<font color=teal>DC DISer<br><font color=red>pick
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2002
I'm sorry to hear about your mother. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago and is luckily cancer-free at this point. I too lived out of state during her treatments and had to travel back and forth a lot, though luckily for me I was able to take a train and also did nor have any kids then. Traveling to see your mother was a great thing, and I'm sure she loved seeing your son. In that case, it is understandable that you got one ticket and held your son. The expense of 2 tickets every month could easily interfere with helping your family. Though safety is important, sometimes things just have to be done. When going on vacation, without other extenuating circumstances, it's better to buy a child a seat. My daughter hates her carseat too and screams whenever she is in it, whether it's to go for a walk attached to her stroller or in the car for a drive. She never sleeps in the car either so I can understand your frustration as we really only go places where we can walk and carry her in a Bjorn (not too hard living in DC, but it makes the drives to my mom's house in NJ horrible). She'll be in a carseat in our vacations in May and June and I can only hope that she somehow falls asleep or everyone will have a miserable 2 hour flight.
Hi everyone,
I too was in a position of needing to frequently travel cross-country when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. There was no way that I could have afforded to buy my dd a ticket each time we flew, but it meant the world to my mother that she was able to see her granddaughter. That said, I NEVER planned on creating a problem(or just kidding about) so that someone wouldn't sit next to us. There were times when dd was fussy and would not have made a good "neighbor" but there were other times when she created a much needed diversion for those early post 9-11 flights. Most of the time people who sat next to us were happy to have a baby to play with during the flight. When travel for non-emergency trips we bought her tickets even before she was 2 years old.
I'm not passing judgement on the OP. Traveling with a young child is stressful, no matter what the method. I think that most people would chose NOT to sit by a crying child anyway, but I don't think it's right to try get something you didn't pay for at the expense of others. I see that the OP is trying to get an infant fare or reduced child fare - please try to do that. All the things that people said on the board are probably the things that people would be saying on the flight, under their breath and with evil stares.
Iheoma
I too was in a position of needing to frequently travel cross-country when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. There was no way that I could have afforded to buy my dd a ticket each time we flew, but it meant the world to my mother that she was able to see her granddaughter. That said, I NEVER planned on creating a problem(or just kidding about) so that someone wouldn't sit next to us. There were times when dd was fussy and would not have made a good "neighbor" but there were other times when she created a much needed diversion for those early post 9-11 flights. Most of the time people who sat next to us were happy to have a baby to play with during the flight. When travel for non-emergency trips we bought her tickets even before she was 2 years old.
I'm not passing judgement on the OP. Traveling with a young child is stressful, no matter what the method. I think that most people would chose NOT to sit by a crying child anyway, but I don't think it's right to try get something you didn't pay for at the expense of others. I see that the OP is trying to get an infant fare or reduced child fare - please try to do that. All the things that people said on the board are probably the things that people would be saying on the flight, under their breath and with evil stares.
Iheoma
GAIL HAYDEN
DVC Member since '92
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
Sorry, I have never seen JK used before.
I also do not find it funny, someone might take it seriously.
Yes, it is a personal decision, and it is none of my business for sure. Although, I don't see the difference between a 15 month old or a 2 year old. Are they worth more then?
palmtreegirl
Loving life in Florida
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2003
Originally posted by Beanie
My kids are 6 and 4 right now and I have always paid for a seat for them, except once. When my son was a newborn, I thought I would book a flight for DH and myself and told DH, "Well, no sense in paying for a seat, I can hold him". Bad Mistake!
The turbulance was really bad (we flew at night) and I thought my son was going to fly out of my arms at one point. I had DH hold on to him because I was a nervous wreck after that. That was the last time I flew without paying for a ticket for my kids.
I know this might be an extreme case, but it convinced me to purchase tickets from then on!
I do, however, hope you have a wonderful flight!! Southwest is so wonderful when you have a child (well they are to me anyway! LOL)
That's scary. I saw a TV show once on the Disncovery channel where 2 toddlers died during a crash landing, everyone else survived. It was horrifying, one the flight attendants on the flight now spends time lobbying in Washignton to make lap children illegal. I'll never forget that story, it was just so tragic and sad.
To the OP.
On over 90% of the flights I have been on lateley EVERY seat has been full, this is especially true to Orlando.
Therefore, the flight attendant will come to you and tell you to put your crying baby in your lap (you might want to skip the pinching for this reason, LOL!)
So your plan won't work. They will have to crawl over you and take the seat in between you and your husband.
I would recommend you not under any circumstances take the bulkhead seat. Where do you plan to put the child's stuff? It will have to go in the overhead and that is going to be pain!
You have about a 20% chance of this working, but probalby not on both flights.
(One of the best fights I ever saw was on an SW flight where a family tried this. Mom then proceeded to CUSS out Dad for the entire flight because he was "too cheap" to buy a ticket for the 18 month old child. The flight was packed and Dad had to sit with the child on his lap the whole time. To add insult to injury, the diaper leaked on Dad!)
On over 90% of the flights I have been on lateley EVERY seat has been full, this is especially true to Orlando.
Therefore, the flight attendant will come to you and tell you to put your crying baby in your lap (you might want to skip the pinching for this reason, LOL!)
So your plan won't work. They will have to crawl over you and take the seat in between you and your husband.
I would recommend you not under any circumstances take the bulkhead seat. Where do you plan to put the child's stuff? It will have to go in the overhead and that is going to be pain!
You have about a 20% chance of this working, but probalby not on both flights.
(One of the best fights I ever saw was on an SW flight where a family tried this. Mom then proceeded to CUSS out Dad for the entire flight because he was "too cheap" to buy a ticket for the 18 month old child. The flight was packed and Dad had to sit with the child on his lap the whole time. To add insult to injury, the diaper leaked on Dad!)
bjakmom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2000
Adding my 2 cents here - since I have been in the 'rare' emergency situation with a lap child and lived to tell about it - I sure wished at the time that I had known what would/could happen to my child in case of severe turbulence or the emergency landing situation we faced.
From an earlier post where we were discussing buying seats for infants and using/not using car seats on the plane:
"Over here on the 'family' site looking for pointers now that I'm travelling with a 5 mo GrDD and have to comment on this one:
When DS was 5 mo we were travelling from Calif to Chicago - I had travelled many times with my older children on my lap - was doing the same with him. The landing gear developed a problem and we were all told to assume crash position !
Guess where your infant goes in this scenario?! Would you believe that you must place them on the floor between your feet!? You are not permitted to hold them because you could crush them on impact. When you place a squirming infant on the floor between your feet and you can barely reach them with your hands (try leaning forward far enough in those tight spaces and touching the floor!) you can understand why infants/toddlers in plane accidents end up where they do - there is no way to hold on to them!! Never mind the fact that you are being yelled at by the Stewardess to put your arms under your own head - they become a bit frantic and emphatic in an emergency!
I am not an alarmist and I travel several times a year with my children - this is the one and only time that I have ever been in this situation - but once was more than enough! - We made a safe though very rough and bumpy landing - I have never again traveled on a plane with a baby or toddler without a car seat - not worth the risk!"
From an earlier post where we were discussing buying seats for infants and using/not using car seats on the plane:
"Over here on the 'family' site looking for pointers now that I'm travelling with a 5 mo GrDD and have to comment on this one:
When DS was 5 mo we were travelling from Calif to Chicago - I had travelled many times with my older children on my lap - was doing the same with him. The landing gear developed a problem and we were all told to assume crash position !
Guess where your infant goes in this scenario?! Would you believe that you must place them on the floor between your feet!? You are not permitted to hold them because you could crush them on impact. When you place a squirming infant on the floor between your feet and you can barely reach them with your hands (try leaning forward far enough in those tight spaces and touching the floor!) you can understand why infants/toddlers in plane accidents end up where they do - there is no way to hold on to them!! Never mind the fact that you are being yelled at by the Stewardess to put your arms under your own head - they become a bit frantic and emphatic in an emergency!
I am not an alarmist and I travel several times a year with my children - this is the one and only time that I have ever been in this situation - but once was more than enough! - We made a safe though very rough and bumpy landing - I have never again traveled on a plane with a baby or toddler without a car seat - not worth the risk!"
Disneylvr
Always Disney Dreaming!
- Joined
- Aug 20, 1999
We bought our 13 month old DD her own seat on AA and it was 50% off the lowest fare. At the time we purchased our seats the fare was $200 for STL to MCO so DD's fare was $100. I saw the fare for the same dates go as low as $119 which would of meant the infant fare would of been about $59! A bargain!!!!
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