Our little girl was just over 3 months old when we took her first flight, and took her most recent one at 6 months...and we've learned quite a few thing when it comes to taking a flight with a baby. Here are a few things we were glad we knew, or wish we would have known!
All airlines we searched said that a child under the age of 2 flies free, but that's assuming they sit on a lap and
don't take up a seat. So you would need one adult per every child under the age of 2. We found that some airlines have discounted tickets for babies if you want to pay for a seat.
You get a seat-less ticket at the Check-In counter for baby, so even if you aren't checking bags, you need to stop by the desk. Security will look for the ticket when you walk through.
I read that some airlines also allow you to carry-on a pump for free in addition to other carry-on bags since it is considered a medical item.
Research online what document you need for baby in order to get the baby on the flight. (read below for Southwest requirements) We saw that it was often a birth certificate needed but sometimes just an immunization record with the child's birthdate is enough.
No sitting in emergency exit rows with a baby. That being said, we found sometimes the window
helps because she loves to look out the window
Just as you prepare for temperature variations on planes, do the same
for them. Sometimes it's freezing sometimes it's warm. Dress them in layers and bring a blanket.
The airlines we looked at (which I'm guessing are most) have 4 oxygen masks per row. So if you have you 2 adults with 2 lap babies, you'll have to sit in different rows if there is a third seat in the traditional domestic planes with 3 seats on either side of an aisle.
The airlines we looked at (which I'm guessing are most) have 4 oxygen masks per row. So if you have you 2 adults with 2 lap babies, you'll have to sit in different rows if there is a third seat in the traditional domestic planes with 3 seats on either side of an aisle.
On our first flight we wished we had brought baby headphones to drown out the noise. You
never really how loud or how many times flight attendants come on the speakers.
She slept through some announcements, but some made her jump, and once you have a baby asleep after screaming a couple minutes....you really want them to stay that way. We got these headphones for our next flight, which were awesome since they are light (others we ordered were so heavy she couldn't keep her head up). The ear part is large enough to fit over my ears, so if we need them when she is older, I can just make a new headband part to help. We couldn't get her to fall asleep on this last one, so they weren't really needed. She will not go to sleep being held...which was our primary issue. She didn't even notice they were on.
We liked sitting near the back over the wing because it was loud, and if she did cry it was less noticeable. The noise drowned out the speakers a bit too, which helped her stay asleep. Plus a general rule of thumb is business people tend to sit near the front on Southwest (since they pay extra to board early), and people who are less likely to care about a crying baby are near the back. Also since we were gate-checking our stroller and carseat, we had to wait for it anyway so why hurry off the plane.
Sucking at takeoff and landing helps ears pop, and baby needs her ears to pop just like you. We couldn't
get her to wake up to nurse or suck as pacifier on the way up, but she did fine at 3 months.
Do your best, but in my opinion if they are sleeping leave the baby alone if
there is a chance of screaming. Now at 6 months she was able to suck on toys and things, not just a bottle.
One perk...if your baby likes movement, airplanes have a lot
of that. She slept great with the jostling plane at 3 months.
Security had one parent walk through the metal decorator instead of the scanner with the baby. One thing that is nice, is if the baby is in a carrier, she can stay in the carrier through security. It is a good thing to consider, because grabbing everything off the conveyor belt is tricking when you're holding a child.
All airlines we searched will gate-check a stroller and car seat for free. It's really just nice because you don't really want to pay to check, or even if free, have those things thrown around with the other bags. At
the gate, you have to get your stroller and car seat tagged at the counter. The desk should ask if you want it gate checked all the way
through to your destination, but we decided to pick it up on layovers because it
was so much easier than carrying her. If you choose to have it at your layover, you pick it up when you exit the
flight, and then have to go to the counter again on your next flight to get the
tag again and check it at the gate. It sounds like a hassle, but it really
isn't at all. It was better than having to maneuver a child around without one if
they don't want to be held/in a carrier. We have gate-checked bags before, and sometimes you have to wait a while for them to come. In our limited experience the car seat and stroller came off crazy fast compared to suitcases.
If you choose to check the stroller/carseat at the ticket counter, we found they came out at a different place and did not go on the conveyor belt (it was set in a similar location to the oversized luggage). That may not be true for all airports.
We most recently paid for TSA Precheck ($85 per person, valid for 5 years) children. It was totally worth it to get through the TSA line faster, plus with everything baby related you have with you it is great to not have to take off shoes, remove liquids, take off belts etc. The website recently stated that in June 2017, the wait time for TSA Precheckon average was 5 minutes are less (which is awesome). Also kids 12 and younger use the TSA Precheck lane when traveling with a parent that has TSA Precheck---score!
We also learned a lot about traveling with an infant that you are not the biological parent of. We contacted two airlines (frontier and southwest) and asked if we needed anything to prove we had the authority to travel with an infant that we were not the parent of. The answer is no. The lawyer in me was really bothered by that, so I did have a consent signed by my sister as well as the authority to make medical decisions in an emergency for my niece.
Southwest Airlines Specific:
The Southwest website says to bring the birth certificate along for the baby in order to allow the baby on the plane. It didn't give any other options or say you could have a copy rather than an original. We didn't even know if her passport would be allowed on her first flight. However, the check-in desk here in Omaha said anything with her birthday and name will work including immunization records or a copy of her birth certificate (rather than original). I can't say every desk will allow that. We just bring her passport now because it is easiest for us. (read more about baby passports here)
Families board on Southwest in between A and B groups. In that position you never had an issue finding seats together.
If you don't pay for a seat for baby, she won't get extra checked bags for free.
If you don't pay for a seat for the baby, you can ask at the check-in desk if the flight is full. I was told by a customer service rep from Southwest on the phone that if the flight isn't full, they will give you a free seat for the baby. It would be a nice option if your baby sleeps best in her carseat (like ours!) So far we have not been successful in that, as our flights have been full. But the check-in counter confirmed they do that.
In large airports that have the Southwest kiosks and bag drops (rather than a full service counter where you actually talk to someone), we found we could not use those with an infant. Rather, because we had a baby we had to go to a full-service counter. My guess is to check her ID and get her boarding pass.
When I talked to a customer service person from Southwest on the cost of the infant seat at discounted rate, they said they really aren't discounted much. The discounted seat for Lorelai was more than the advertised cheapest online at the time we called (so it was not actually at a discount). If you do pay for a seat for a child, you can register her for the rewards program and she can earn miles even as a baby!
Frontier Specific:
In our experience, Frontier did not check IDs for babies on local flights. No passport, birth certificate...anything. I would still always suggest bringing something showing the baby's ID just in case.
If you don't pay for a seat for the baby, you can ask at the check-in desk if the flight is full. I was told by a customer service rep from Southwest on the phone that if the flight isn't full, they will give you a free seat for the baby. It would be a nice option if your baby sleeps best in her carseat (like ours!) So far we have not been successful in that, as our flights have been full. But the check-in counter confirmed they do that.
In large airports that have the Southwest kiosks and bag drops (rather than a full service counter where you actually talk to someone), we found we could not use those with an infant. Rather, because we had a baby we had to go to a full-service counter. My guess is to check her ID and get her boarding pass.
When I talked to a customer service person from Southwest on the cost of the infant seat at discounted rate, they said they really aren't discounted much. The discounted seat for Lorelai was more than the advertised cheapest online at the time we called (so it was not actually at a discount). If you do pay for a seat for a child, you can register her for the rewards program and she can earn miles even as a baby!
Frontier Specific:
In our experience, Frontier did not check IDs for babies on local flights. No passport, birth certificate...anything. I would still always suggest bringing something showing the baby's ID just in case.
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