How will the airlines know if my daughter is over 2 years old?

Question

We're flying from KC to Atl in August and I have two daughters that will be 2 and 3 at the time of the flight. The two year old's 2nd birthday is like a week before the flight.

Do they ask for their Immunization Records or anything to fly because I REALLLY don't want to pay almost $300 for each child.

Answer 1

They can request proof of age and choose not to board you if you don't have it.  Since fuel prices are going sky-high, many airlines are cracking down on things that they might have been a bit more lax on in the past.

The question to weigh would be is it worth the risk of paying the cost of the full-fare ticket at the ticket counter at the time of the flight that you would have to purchase (or perhaps losing the value of the other nonrefundable tickets if you don't).

Good luck!

Answer 2

You will have to provide some proof of identification that has a birth date on it.  You might ask the airlines by sending e-mail or make a call.

Answer 3

I don't know about children, but when I flew last April, they asked for ID. So possibly they would ask for some type of identification document? I'm pretty sure you're going to need it to get through the TSA checkpoint anyways.

Answer 4

they will know by your passports with out that you can not go any where. a 2 and a 3 year old can fly but you need identifycation

Answer 5

The FAA clearly states that once a child passes their 2nd birthday, they have to have their own seat. The burden is on the parent to prove that their child has not yet turned 2. Usually they do this with a certified copy of a birth certificate.

I'm a former Flight Attendant and once we had a delay because a child was 2. The woman didn't speak English and had flown into the states before the baby's birthday. She was returning home and we felt sorry for her. They removed a company employee flying on a pass so were able to get an empty seat for the child so we could take off and not charge her the full one-way fare.

If you don't have a dramatic story like that, you are unlikely to garner similar sympathy and you will face paying far more or even having your family removed from the flight.

Lap children are allowed up to age 2 but it's highly recommended for both safety and comfort that the child have her own seat and that you bring a car seat on board and use it. Air travel is safe so lap babies are allowed but if something does go wrong, they are not protected.

Both the AAP and the FAA recomend the use of child restraints on board.

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi...

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_childr...

I also want to point out that if you need your car seats at your destination, using them on board the air craft means they wont be lost and/or damaged in the luggage hold. Last January, we arrived but three of four bags didn't but my daughter was safe on the 2 hour drive home since we had our seat with us and had used it on board.

I fly alone between Europe and California with three closely spaced children about twice a year and we always bring a seat.

For more information on flying in general, I wrote an article about 8 years ago for a local expat newletter. I expanded it and put it on a blog when I found that most information on the net on this subject were heavily commercial and/or written by people who never directly worked for the airlines.

Feel free to visit;

http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com

Air travel is expensive these days but a full fare one way ticket would be much more than $300.

Good luck!