Booking an airplane seat for an infant under two years old shouldn’t be difficult… should it? Tiny Trailblazers investigates airline and booking website policies for infants to find out just how simple it is to buy a seat for your baby, and why you should do it.
Why would you buy a seat for an under-two-year-old?
Babies can get pretty heavy and wriggly on a long flight, making an extra seat a good move for everyone’s comfort. With their own seat, they have somewhere to sleep comfortably and do not have to be disturbed every time an adult gets up. More importantly, an infant can sit in a car seat or a CARES harness if they have their own seat, which is a lot safer than sitting in a lap. Turbulence can happen on any flight and can cause serious injury.
According to a spokesperson from the FAA, “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) strongly urges you to secure your child in a CRS or device for the duration of your flight. It’s the smart and right thing to do so that everyone in your family arrives safely at your destination.”
If you do buy an airplane seat for your baby and they are under 40lb, it is highly recommended they sit in either a FAA-approved car sear or wear a CARES harness (the ONLY child harness approved by the FAA for flight). If they can’t sit upright, they won’t be allowed to sit in their own seat without an appropriate restraint.
Check out our post about bringing an infant car seat onto a flight.
While it should be as easy to buy a seat for your baby as it is for yourself, it doesn’t always work out that way, as Jessen, Seattle mom of two, found out recently.
Jessen said: “At first we didn’t want an infant seat but accidentally booked it and were like, ‘Hey! This is probably a great mistake!’ We also got a seat with a bassinet so we thought she could sit or be in the bassinet and her brother (4) could sit or lay down for the long flight in the extra seat.
“We thought we were buying through Kayak but when the confirm page came up (post putting in credit card info into kayak) it was Kiwi.com. We bought six months in advance because the seats were just over $900 each for a round-trip, Seattle to Rhodes. Way cheap!”
Unfortunately, when Jessen called Norwegian Airlines, the airline they had booked through, there was a problem.
“We called Norwegian to get the bassinet seat and they only saw three with a lap infant,” Jessen said.
After calling Kiwi, Jessen said the online travel agency agreed to look into the issue but it was taking time.
At this point, Tiny Trailblazers contacted Kiwi to find out what was going on with the booking.
A spokesperson for Kiwi said: “Kayak had facilitated the booking where four seats were ordered and paid for at full price. Through this booking, Kiwi.com had automatically processed three seats plus an infant to sit on the adults lap, with the goal to provide the best possible price for the customer.
“Kiwi.com has now adjusted the booking and has manually added the additional seat.”
Kiwi explained that a time zone difference may have delayed communication and added they get over a million flight search queries daily. Jessen said she was happy with the outcome and the Kiwi agents she spoke to were “really nice”.
As Jessen discovered, it is a good idea to call the airline you are flying with before getting to the airport to understand the policy on flying with an infant – and if you definitely have all the seats you booked! I checked the booking policies of the most popular US airlines and some online travel booking portals to give you an idea of what to expect when booking an airplane seat for an infant.
Kayak
Kayak gives customers the option to check either “Seat infant under two” or “lap infant under two”.
Expedia
Expedia has a drop down menu where you can select “lap infant” or “own seat” for your under-two-year-old.
Skyscanner
Skyscanner does not allow you to choose lap infant but as it is a price comparison site, you will be directed to the airline or travel agent to book the flight on selecting a flight. At this point, you can specify whether you want to travel with a lap infant. Skyscanner includes any discounts available to children in its algorithm, which is ideal for families looking for the cheapest option for the whole family.
American Airlines
American Airlines gives you the option of buying a seat for your infant on its website. However, you must ensure your bring your FAA-approved seat if your child cannot sit upright on their own. If you want to bring your under two on your lap, you won’t have to pay the full price but you will still have to pay taxes, and possibly a percentage of the adult fare.
The website does not give you the option of booking a “lap infant”. If you want to carry your baby on your lap, you have to call the American Airlines reservation line.
United Airlines
The United Airlines website gives travelers the option to book a ticket for a lap infant or for a seat for a child under two. On domestic flights, a lap infant is free (but you still have to let United know you are traveling with a baby).
On international flights, expect to pay 10% of the adult fare if they are on your lap and full fare if you book them their own seat.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest’s website only gives fliers the option to book as an adult (over two) or a senior online, so no choice of lap infant or seated infant.
If you are traveling domestically and want to carry your child on your lap, you need to book your own ticket then go to the Southwest ticket desk on the day of travel with your child’s birth certificate. Once an agent has verified your child’s age, they give you a Boarding Verification Document for your baby, which is the equivalent of a boarding pass. This is free of charge.
If you want to book your under two a seat and can bring your car seat or CARES harness, Southwest offer discounted infant fares. You will need to call the reservation line to take advantage of this offer on 1 (800) 435-9792 as these fares are not available through the website. Don’t forget your child’s birth certificate if you book an infant fare, as the ticket desk agent will need to see it at check-in.
If you are traveling internationally with a lap infant, you will need to pay the taxes and fees, either when you get to the airport or by calling the reservation line.
Hawaiian Airlines
When booking online, Hawaiian Airlines only offers the option of adult or child (2-11) so if you want to travel with your infant, you need to call the reservation line.
Lap infants fly free domestically, and pay 10% of the adult fare, plus taxes and fees, when flying internationally.
If you want to buy a seat for your infant, Hawaiian Airlines charges full adult fare for domestic flights but offers a discount of 75% for international flights for children under the age of two.
This special fare is not available online, you will need to call the reservations line to buy a ticket.
Delta
Delta only gives the option of booking as a “passenger” on their website. However, as you are paying full fare for a child under two in their own seat anyway, you can simply book their ticket online. If you want to take an under two as a lap infant, you will need to call Delta on 800-221-1212 after booking your seat so your child’s name can be added to the ticket.
There is no extra charge for flying domestically with a lap infant but expect to pay 10% of the adult fare plus taxes and fees if you are flying internationally. Again, you will need to call Delta to pay the fees or pay at the check-in counter.
Frontier Airlines
Frontier allow you to book a lap infant or children under 15 directly on its website. Lap infants fly free but Frontier recommends you bring their birth certificate in case their is any doubt about their age. Frontier has a “kids fly free” offer on some flights but you have to be part of their membership club, which has an annual fee of $59.
Spirit Airlines
The website for Spirit has the option to book seats for adults and for children but there is no lap infant option, so if you want to carry your under-two-year-old, call the reservation line when booking. Domestically, lap infants are free – Spirit recommends bringing their birth certificate to the airport for check-in as proof they are not older than 24 months – while taxes and fees apply to international flights.
Alaska Air
There is an option to include a lap infant on Alaska Air’s website but not book a seat for an under-two-year-old, so you can call the reservation line in this case. Lap infants travel free in the US but have to pay fees and taxes internationally. According to Alaska Air, there may also be a charge based on a percentage of the adult fare but it is not clear what this would be.
Great information! We found that before our son was six months old it was easy to have him on our laps (and save the money of an extra fare). But it got much harder the closer he got to two years old. We would sometimes book the aisle and window seat and hope that the middle seat would remain unsold. Unless the flight was completely full it would usually work in our favor.
Yes! That’s a great tip about the middle seat. We always end up on oversold flights these days but you never know.