Flying with Infants?

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Sir J

At the ticket counter and the gate, you need to tell them you have a lap baby. Bring proof of age for the child because if he is even remotely close to 2 they will want to see the birth certificate.

Ask for a bulkhead seat.

apuleuis

At my airline we don't ask for proof of age and you don't need to tell anyone before you check in. At check in though be sure to tell them. They will need your childs name on the name list. Bring proof of age just in case.

lotsaanswers

yes you definitely must call to tell them. they want a list of all passengers, even lap-sitting passengers. Here are my other tips: infant's ears bother them more than ours when planes ascend and descend. The best way to alleviate this is to plan to bottle feed the baby at those times so the sucking motion will alleviate ear pressure plus calm him. Additionally, bring antibacterial wipes in a little packet (you can buy them at airport) to use to clean your hands, wipe things down etc. A little toy or two that he likes....that can light up his eyes...will help!

Amanda S

YES! You NEED to call the airlines so they can add 'child in lap; or whatever the official name is. DON'T DELAY - I wouldn't want to think of what could happen if you show up and they don't have that info. since I'm sure this is your first trip with a little one (or you would have known this answer already), be sure to bring LOTS of snacks and quiet toys. I have three kids, so I speak from experience. GOOD LUCK!

Jem

when i was a travel agent I still had to enter into the system that an infant was traveling even though a parent was holding him/her in their lap. Maybe you should call the airline or the travel agency just so you don't run into any complications.

key715

You should tell the airline. We also are flying to SD this weekend and when we bought the tickets we told the airline that our 18 month old is coming with us and to sit on parent's lap.

sngcanary

I would call the airline and advise them. When I book an infant with parent I add the name and age of the baby to the reservation. Be sure to bring proof of age. I hope you have a great trip. Many babies do just find flying. If you can encourage him to sleep that would be good.

PS Dont put him through the security xray machine like that knucklehead in the news today did.

dcgirl

You really should reconsider taking the baby on your lap. If you purchase an infant fare for him (you usually get a pretty big discount for the infant) you can put him in his car-seat then buckle into the airplane seat. This is A LOT safer for the baby than travelling on your lap. If you have an emergency landing or a crash, your unrestrained child will have very low odds of surviving even if you do. Even if it's not a crash, and just rough air, he can get hurt because he's unrestrained. I've twice seen babies bounce from their parents' arms and hit the floor hard during rough air. It is simply not worth risking the baby's safety to save some money. You would never dream of taking him in a car in your lap--- why risk it when you are going 10 times as fast as a car, and at 30,000 feet high?

dontcry2me

Well tell the airline and let them now if he is small enough to sit with you and whatnot. Let someone know, that way you dont get there and have to go home because you weren't allowed onw ith your infant and not a seat.

Carolyn R

I always call the airline and let them know ahead of time. Most of them will leave a note with your boarding information and whenever you get to the ticket counter, they will have you maybe fill out an info card. They should issue the child pass or add the childs name to your ticket.

ssrc30

Yes!!!! You need to tell the airline staff the age of your child. If your child is between the ages of 0 to 18 years of age you must provide sufficient I.D. proving who the child is and that he/she is yours. I worked for the airlines and issues of this sort are always being raised by families who show up and cannot fly because they haven't the proper Identification for their children.

Ben D

Yeah, tell all the other passengers who you are going to impose on and aggrevate. STAY HOME!

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