Southwest Airlines infant fares not always cheapest
Since I’ll be flying between Los Angeles (either BUR or LAX) and the San Francisco Bay Area (either OAK or SFO) frequently to visit my newborn son’s grandparents (a.k.a. “the shareholders”), I’ve been following the debates over Southwest Airlines’ new boarding policies and procedures closely.
My wife and I met while working for a travel publishing company and share the same travel-fanatic philosophy: We expect our son to evolve into a globe-stomping travel aficionado … and we want him to see as much of the world as possible before he turns 2 and we have to start paying full fare.
So, I was intrigued by a small “Baby on Board” text link on one of Southwest’s online booking screens. Hmm, better click that! Three boldface FAQs down, just below the scroll, I was excited to read:
“Does Southwest Offer Infant Fares?”
“Southwest Airlines offers very affordable Infant Fares for children under two years of age that enable you to reserve a seat for your little traveler to fly along safely and comfortably in his or her approved CRD [child restraint device]. We’ll even board you early so you’ll have plenty of time to buckle up your baby. Infant Fares are not available for purchase on southwest.com. [boldface + emphasis is mine] Please contact Reservations at 1-800-435-9792 for more information.”
So, I called. What did I discover? It turns out that the “very affordable Infant Fares” are unrestricted and fully refundable tickets, and thus run around twice as much as the lowest Web-only “Wanna Get Away” fares.
Online, the fine print continues: “Southwest Airlines Infant Fares have no restrictions, are fully refundable, and are offered on every Southwest Airlines flight (although seats are limited). Not only will you have the security of knowing that your baby is flying safely at a very reasonable price, you’ll also have a convenient way to bring along his or her CRD so it will be available for ground travel when you reach your destination.
“Although not recommended, if your child is under age two and you would prefer to hold him or her on your lap when traveling, you may do so on Southwest Airlines without charge, and we’ll be glad to check your CRD for use at your destination. FAA regulation requires any child who has reached his or her second birthday to occupy his or her own seat during takeoff and landing. Please keep in mind that Southwest personnel must ensure compliance with this regulation, so be sure to bring along a copy of your baby’s birth certificate for age verification.”
Here is some other very handy info for first-time Southwest parent-flyers:
“Does an infant stroller or infant or child safety seat count as baggage? One (1) infant stroller and one (1) infant or child safety seat may be checked in substitution of one of the three (3) piece free baggage allowance for each fare-paying passenger at no charge on a one-for-one basis.”
“Are strollers or infant carriers permitted beyond Security? You may choose to bring your infant to the departure gate in a stroller or infant carrier.
“Most infant carriers are designed simply to provide convenience in carrying babies. With the exception of a few recently manufactured automobile safety seats that convert to carriers, they do not provide sufficient protection to qualify as CRDs. While you may carry your baby on and off the aircraft in an infant carrier (provided it does not exceed the size limitations for carry-on items), it must be properly stowed either underneath a seat or in an overhead bin for taxi, takeoff, and landing.
“If the stroller or infant carrier exceeds the size limitations for carry-on items, the customer service agent will “gate-check” the item (at no additional charge) to your final destination, and the item will be placed in the cargo hold for transportation. When you reach your destination the item will be returned to you at the arrival gate.”
So much to learn, so little time, and our son is growing up so fast. Which is why I was glad to find the following FAQ tip at the bottom of the page:
“Want to know more?
For a list of FAA safety recommendations for air travel with children, call the agency’s consumer information hotline at 1-800-322-7873 (1-800-FAA-SURE).”
Which airline — domestic or international — caters best to families with infants?
— Andrew D. Nystrom
Senior Editor/Producer, Los Angeles Times Travel
5 Comments on “Southwest Airlines infant fares not always cheapest”
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January 29th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
As a parent of 2 who has flown with both kids I find pretty much all airline policies for infants to be terribly unfair, especially when compared to overweight passenger policies. For example, Southwest requires overweight passengers who occupy 2 seats to pay for 2 seats. So far so good, but if there is even one empty seat on the plane the overweight passenger gets the 2′nd seat fare refunded. You could take a chance that there will be an open seat and carry your infant on board, however if you do the responsible thing and book him a seat you pay for it regardless of how full the flight is. Shouldn’t you get the infant’s fare refunded if there is an empty seat? After all, you would have gotten to use the seat for free had it been available and you had not booked a ticket for the infant.
Not really faulting Southwest so much as the airline industry. After all, Southwest is better than most (and yes, the “infant fare” is decidedly misleading as you mentioned).
January 29th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Can’t infants just be checked as luggage?
April 26th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Recently had family reunion Denver/Orlando/Denver, large family traveling w/two infants, very obviously infants + others leaving from many other locations. Nothing said upon check-in about needing birth certificates. However, on return check-in agent asked for birth certificates for proof of age or you’ll buy full fare tkt. This cost each infant’s family over $200. Agent told us “no big deal just pay it & you will get your money backin Denve”. If you need the birth certificate one way why not each way? Still waiting on the “you will get your money back in Denver” part. Would be interested to hear from you. Carolyn
July 31st, 2008 at 3:54 am
We encountered the same policy that Carolyn encountered when flying out of Orlando. My family had purchased 4 tickets for my wife and 3 children over the age of 2. We did not purchase a ticket for our toddler (20 months). When we checked in they required that we purchase the seat for the infant b/c we were not carrying our birth certificate to prove her age. She is clearly not 2 years old yet. It felt as if we were held hostage b/c of this policy. I wonder if it is just Orlando or if it applies to other airports as well. Regardless, it had left a very bad taste in my mouth. It is my first bad experience with Southwest.
February 27th, 2009 at 9:01 am
I traveled to chicago in Dec 2008 with a 7 month old and it cleary states on Southwest website that you must bring a birth certificate, immunization card, or some sort of legal document with age. I believe you just need to show them once, because on our return flight they already had him in the system and did not need any documentation.