Will a two year old have to buy an airline ticket?yeah. Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia and the airlines all say that if the child is 2 or older, he or she will need a ticket. yes, every passenger needs a seat yes yeh unfortunately as long as they take up a seat space on the plane they sure do Yes , and it sucks. yes...any child UNDER age two may fly for free if occupying your lap.
Federal Air Regulation mandated by the FAA, FAR 121.311 in part, reads:
Use of seat and safety belts for cabin occupants age 2 and older is required for aircraft movement on the surface, take-off and landing.
Therefore, a seat is mandatory, and seats require tickets. Will he need a seat? Pay it. I'm a former Flight Attendant and we were told in training that once a child has had his second birthday, he has to have his own ticket and occupy a seat.
These are FAA rules for U.S. companies. Some foreign companies are a bit more "liberal" with these rules. Most require two year old also to have a ticket but there is some leeway if the child turns two before returning.
They are strict about checking for this. It's up to the parent to prove the child is under 2 and if not, they could end up paying a full fare, one-way ticket for the toddler.
While it is never required to use a carseat, I highly recommend bringing yours' onboard and using it for your little one. Airline seatbelts are not designed for little toddlers and don't hold them very well.
Not to scare you but recently a family was offloaded because they couldn't control their 3 year old during taxi.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2...
Having the carseat has been a big help with that as two of mine are very active and at that age, didn't understand that they had to be strapped in. I've had to insist a couple of times and it was easier to comfort them as we landed, and not have to force them to stay in their seats.
This is also a tough age for travel. The seat means less annoying other passengers. It keeps their feet above the annoying soft zone in airline seats, that kids seem to instinctively kick...(Put your hands on either side of the bottom of your airline seatback and you'll feel what I mean).
I spent 10 years seeing and helping other parents fly with their kids before I had my own. I saw first hand how much calmer and quieter children were in their familiar car seats. Now, I've been doing this since my 8 year old was 4 months old. Almost all flights were with them in carseats. The only time I haven't was when I was prevented from doing so by foreign carriers.
By law, if you are flying a U.S. company, if the child has a seat and the seat is FAA approved, it's your right to use it.
Check the one you already have for a FAA "sticker" which now is usually simply on the side information bar. Usually there's a little airplane and it says "...has been approved for use on aircraft..." etc. Most U.S. carseats are FAA approved. If it's not, which is unlikely, consider borrowing (trading?) or simply buy another. Good ones go for as little as $40.
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_childr...
I recommend this option over using a CARES harness, which isn't as secure and can only be used inflight. At $75, it seems steep for such a one-purpose gizmo. Some are being rented and sold on Ebay already.
Having the carseat onboard also guarentees that the it wont be damaged or lost in baggage and you can use it right away when you leave the airport, assuming you'll be doing so by car. I had a bad experience with a car company rental seat and most Carseat techs don't recommend you use them (wish I had that bit of advice!) Also, on my last flight, three of our four bags didn't make it. I saw car seats in the lost luggage but I had no worries about our own because it was with us. My daughter was safe on the 2 hour drive home.
To get it through the airport, you have several options. There are carseat bags which you can wear like a backpack. These didn't appeal to me, since I usually fly alone with my three. There is also the pricey GogoKidz cart;
http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_k...
It doesn't fit all carseats and is expensive at $80-90.
I simply put my carseat on a all-metal luggage cart (a souvenir of the first airline I worked for) and strapped my rather heavy Radian on with extra bungee cords. Worked great and didn't cost anything, since I found the bungee cord but they certainly don't set you back much if you need to buy one.
So if I manage it on a long-haul international flight, alone with three kids, it shouldn't be a problem if you have more adults/fewer kids!
For tickets, search with the internet, discount sites as well as the airline sites themselves. I also get an agent and they often give me the best rates. Sometimes I get a discounted child fare for mine but often, if the price is low enough, we all pay the same amount but the total cost is less. Always do the math and search around for the best deal.
For more information about flying with children in general, I wrote an article about 8 years ago for a local expat newsletter. I expanded it and put it on a blog so that other parents could have access to what I learned both working onboard and on my own personal experiences.
Feel free to visit;
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
Have a good flight! Yes, children 2 and older are no longer considered lap children and should occupy thier own seats. |
