Tag Archives for lap infant.
What would you say if I told you that you could negotiate the price of a lap infant’s ticket on your next award? That if you don’t like the first fare you’re quoted just ask for a lower one?
A woman with her toddler came over and plopped themselves down in that middle seat. She explained that she didn’t have enough space in the middle seat she’d been in further back in the aircraft – so she self-upgraded to “economy plus” extra legroom seats.
That way, she said, she’d be “more comfortable” with her kid – while her husband remained in an aisle seat farther back.
The FAA has warned parents over holding lap infants on planes in light of the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 door plug incident. Had a parent been sitting near the hole that opened in the plane’s fuselage, the child could have been ripped from their arms. The MAX 9 debacle may be used in a push to ban lap infants, requiring parents to buy tickets for their children under two years of age, something that the head of the largest flight attendants union has been calling for for years.
And that’s a bit of a strange concern!
An American Airlines passenger bought a seat for her 18 month old child. A flight attendant refused to allow them to use it, saying children under two weren’t allowed in seats without a car seat. This was wrong. The passenger is suing, because American wouldn’t refund the seat they’d purchased but weren’t permitted to use. And One Mile at a Time reports that the airline is making two claims in response to the suit, They’re only required to transport a passenger, not to transport them in a seat. Since the toddler flew, they got the full value of their ticket. The flight attendant, who threatened to kick the passengers off the flight and who denied use of the seat all based on a misunderstanding of policy, was within their rights to do so even though…
Indian carrier and American Airlines partner IndiGo sends parents with small children to the back of the aircraft. If you’re a breastfeeding mom, they don’t want you in the extra legroom seats.
When something bad happens to a baby or a toddler, it’s horrible, and you want to do something about it. A child with their own seat and a car seat or CARES harness is the safest option, and many parents choose that. Should we force all parents to do so? I’m not so sure.
A couple arrived at the Tel Aviv airport for Ryanair 4710, the 12:55 p.m. flight to Brussels-Charleroi on Tuesday. They were traveling with their infant son, but hadn’t paid the airline’s €25 (US$27.14) fee for an infant in lap.
When parents travel with a child under two years old, the child doesn’t need their own seat. A so-called ‘lap infant’ travels free when flying domestically. In general for international travel the lap infant will need a ticket, and so the parents have to purchase an ‘infant fare’.
Fortunately as of April 23, 2021 American Airlines no longer requires customers to pay more for their infant ticket when they upgrade which can mean a savings of hundreds of dollars – and a lot of headaches since the process used to be confusing.
Bringing a child under two with you in your lap when you travel on international award tickets just got a whole lot cheaper in some cases.
United recently made a change to their award ticket policies that’s a real improvement and ahead of other U.S. frequent flyer programs – and oddly they haven’t even announced it.
Bringing a child under 2 years old on a plane with you is free for domestic flights if you don’t buy them a seat. However when you travel internationally an infant without a seat needs a ticket, and those can be expensive even when you’re redeeming miles for your own flight.
When you book an award and add a lap infant, some programs charge you 10% of a paid ticket. That’s standard for United, Delta and American. If you redeem miles for a $6000 business class ticket, the lap infant costs you $600 plus taxes.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
