A Lap Child may be carried free of charge domestically. For international travel, applicable government-imposed taxes and fees must be paid, and a ticket will be issued for each person, regardless of age.
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Although children who have not reached their second birthday are permitted to travel as lap children, the FAA strongly discourages this practice and recommends that you secure your child in an approved CRS in their own seat for the entire flight.
Travel Restrictions and Required DocumentationIs your child two years old? Or turning two years old en route? If yes, then a seat is required to be purchased for all flights in which your child is 2 years old.
The infant must be under 2 years of age for the duration of the trip. If they turn 2 during a trip, they will need their own seat for the remainder of the trip.
?Parents of children over the age of 2 are typically required to pay the full adult fare for their kids. ? Whereas kids fly free with an accompanying adult if they are sitting on the adult's lap and are under 2, they would then be considered a lap infant.
Child safety seats are not required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). However, both the FAA and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly encourage the use of a car seat or other child restraint system when flying with babies or young children.
Parents/guardians should remove infants and children from strollers and car seats and carry them in their arms through the walk-through metal detector. Infants may be carried in a sling/carrier through the walk-through metal detector. Children will not be separated from their parent/guardian.
Diaper bags, soft-sided cooler bags with breast milk, child safety seats, strollers and medical or mobility devices don't count toward your personal item or carry-on.
You can choose to keep your baby or toddler in your lap if she's under 2. But children 2 and older have to sit in their own seats. In that case, both the FAA and AAP strongly recommend using a car seat or approved harness (booster seats aren't allowed).
To prove your child's age to an airline, one of the following documents will suffice: Child's passport (how to get a U.S. passport for an infant and things to know about children's passports) Child's birth certificate. Child's immunization form or other medical records may also work domestically.
Although TSA does not require a baby to have identification documents when traveling with their parents, they may be asked by the airline at check-in to prove their child is, in fact, under 2. The easiest way to prove a child's age is by presenting their US birth certificate.
However, statistically speaking, a seat close to an exit in the front or rear, or a middle seat in the back third of the plane offers the lowest fatality rate. That said, flying is still the safest form of transport.
You can check your car seat at the airport baggage counter or wait and check it at your gate. If you plan to gate check a car seat, remember to check with the gate agent when you arrive at the gate. The agent will give you a checked bag tag to put on the car seat (or any bag you plan to put it in).
Infants under 2 years old can travel at no charge in the lap of their parent (any age), or an accompanying adult 16 years or older traveling in the same cabin. We welcome infants as young as 2 days old, but infants less than 7 days old require a 'Passenger Medical' form to be completed before your flight.