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Before booking an overseas flight with your baby, read this
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The flight we almost missed, from SanFrancisco to Paris CDG. Photo by Shelly Rivoli.
A post at Elliot.org caught my attention this morning concerning a woman redeeming her United frequent flyer miles for an overseas flight and getting told her baby’s fare for riding on her lap on the flight would be $1,280. You can read Chris Elliot’s post with more details here.
Judging by the amount of confusion among those responding and general outrage at the sound of this, I thought it might be a good opportunity to cover some very important—and often misunderstood points on booking overseas flights with an infant.
Here are some important points you should know before booking your family’s tickets:
1) No one flies free overseas. Unlike domestic flights within the United States, where children under 24 months (before their 2nd birthdays) can fly for free on an adult’s lap, it is standard across the airlines to charge 10% of the accompanying adult’s ticket price for a “lap child’s” flight.
2) Paper, please. Babies flying overseas from the U.S. not only must have their own passports, but they must also have their own paper tickets—even when simply flying on your lap, even when you might be flying with an electronic/paperless ticket for yourself. I almost missed a flight to Paris learning this important lesson, in spite of my daughter being documented as a lap child on my electronic ticket and having already paid her fee (even travel agents aren’t always aware of this detail).
3) Use your mileage points wisely. When you redeem miles for a free flight with an airline, as in this case, a “lap child fare” will still apply. Again, for domestic flights within the U.S., your baby may ride free on your lap as there is no lap child fare. But for overseas flights, you will need to pay the standard 10%--in this case of the “going rate” for tickets on your flight. Naturally, business class tickets are significantly more expensive than coach seats, so consider the price difference for your family before using all your miles for roomier seats with a baby on your lap. You may all be more comfortable in coach with a purchased seat for your baby instead. Which brings me to the final point here…
4) Take a seat. Many airlines, especially for overseas flights, offer an “infant discount” for seats going to children under 2 years old. The discount is most often 50%, but it can vary by airline and also route. Whether you’re considering cashing in miles for your own ticket, or buying your ticket up front, it may be a good idea to find out what your infant fare would be for your flight. It could be well worth the additional cost for the extra elbow room, privacy for nursing, and insulation from your neighbors—especially when you consider the alternative of having your baby on your lap and adult neighbors at each side.
Also note that airlines vary widely in the extra perks and amenities they offer to parents flying with babies, from their infant discounts to onboard diapers, baby food, bassinets and more. If you’ve got a choice of airlines to fly overseas with your baby, be sure to check out the airlines comparison chart (covering Aeroflot through Virgin Atlantic) in Travels with Baby.
For more info: Learn more important details about flying overseas with infants, toddlers, and young children in Shelly's award-winning book Travels with Baby.
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