My baby discovering the beach for the first time.
Back in July ’08, I asked for tips on traveling/flying with an infant. I researched, researched, researched and felt I had it ALL figured out. Here are some things I DIDN’T plan on.
Info:
Total flight time: around 4.5 hours
Total time in air & at airport: almost 9 hours
Airline: Southwest Airlines
What I experienced:
1. We arrived at the airport WAY too early. We arrived two hours in advance and it only took 30 minutes to check in & go through security. This is a tough issue because you don’t want to show up too late and rush around, but on the other hand, your baby/kids may get bored waiting. I still say the earlier, the better, even if you do have to wait around, but bring things to do for the baby/kiddos.
2. Some employees took the time to look at my son’s birth certificate, and some never asked.
3. This one is the biggest of all… Southwest, and maybe all airlines now, NO LONGER allow pre-boarding of children under four. They now have what is called “Family Boarding.” Family Boarding basically means that if your party has a child under four years you can board between groups A & B. (Southwest has A, B, & C groups) The only individuals who DO get to pre-board are those holding a blue boarding pass for approved medical conditions. People I witnessed with these “medical conditions” included a lady in a walking foot cast and a pregnant woman (she looked about 6-7 months pregnant). Needless to say, I was NOT happy learning this, especially since I was toting around a very squirmy 8 month-old, a stroller, blanket, purse and a VERY FULL diaper bag. It wouldn’t have been much of an issue in carrying it all if I could possibly pre-board and take my time, but when you are in line with “groups A & B,” you have to rush to get your stroller quickly folded at the door of the plane to avoid disruption of the line. Not easy. If my brother weren’t traveling with me I couldn’t have done it without annoying several others in line.
4. Not one person mentioned having a “stroller tag.” I was about to “Family Board” when the employee asked me, “Do you have your stroller tag?” “What?” I asked. She then said I needed to go to the counter and get one. I rushed to the counter and he very quickly got me one, but by this time group B was already boarding, which meant that by the time I got on the plane there was not two seats together for my brother and I. When I asked the Flight Attendant to help me find two seats together she basically told me I was SOL. Uh, what if I was with my husband and needed him to help with the baby? I was so annoyed, but just politely found a center seat (because you know people always leave that center seat for you) between two men, who, thank goodness, had children of their own and were very sweet to me. My brother sat in a center seat two rows back. I also learned that you need a stroller tag for every flight, even after changing planes. Oh, and on the rest of my flights to and back, there were employees asking me if I needed a stroller tag WAY before boarding. Of course, this didn’t happen the first time. =)
5. I had no idea my baby would be so good! He seriously was, which, at that point, I truly needed! He sat so still in my lap and when it was obvious he was ready for a nap, I simply put his head on my shoulder, rocked back and forth and he was out cold. He was awesome on the change of planes later that day and on the way back home. I was sooo thankful for this because my overall worst fear was that he would scream the entire way and not sleep.
6. Some planes, even on Southwest, DO have changing tables in the front lavatory. This was nice when I was stuck between the two men, but if you’re lucky enough to get an empty seat beside you, you can lay down a blanket or changing pad and change the diaper there. I did this on our two flights back and it was nice not having to lug everything up front.
After I figured all of this out, I pretty much had the system mastered. We would fold up the stroller and carry it as we were in line, to avoid holding up the line when we got to the door. Also, by having the stroller tag taken care of beforehand, we were able to “family board” at the right time, thus making it much easier to find two seats together.
The most important thing I learned was that it CAN be done. It actually went much smoother than I expected and the bumps I hit didn’t even involve my baby, but the airline rules and staff. If I would give any advice, I would say don’t be scared and don’t let your fears hold you back from having a great, family experience. I WILL say that it would be difficult to do it alone, mostly because of the sheer logistics of carrying everything on top of carrying the baby. I was so glad I did it and I would LOVE to hear your travel experiences with children! Good luck!
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genevieve le bel on 
Katy M on 
Those are good tips. It’s helpful to hear those things you don’t plan for! And that is an adorable picture – so sweet.
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I remember with my first getting there way too early with a baby… AND THEN the flight was delayed it was awful!
And southwest no longer pre-boarding… that is crazy!
-mommyzabs
http://www.doesmommyloveit.com
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Yes, the pre-boarding thing still gets to me. I don’t understand how that is supposed to help the process of boarding?
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I ran into the same problem when I traveled with my son, with the pre-board thing. So annoying. Luckily he was pretty good most of the flight and it was a long one. California to N. Carolina. When I traveled alone with my daughter (she was almost a year) she wanted to sit on the floor of the plan the entire flight. Looks like you lucked out.
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I hate Southwest and no longer travel with my child on them.
Check out:
http://www.StopSouthwestPreboard.com
Shaun
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lets see their was the flight that we did not get to sit together and i had to take both children because their was another baby in the row my husband was sitting in and the lady beside me would not switch with my husband and she was alone. and my favorite one was the trip to jamica where my 4 month old gave her lunch back to her father ( i didnt enjoy sitting by him) but it was funny until i got to jamacia to find out that the formala that i had packed busted open in the suitcase not only was it all over everyones clothing but now i had to find a market that had baby formala in a different country not so fun!!!
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Thanks for the tips! Our son is 14 months old and has been on 20 flights and takes number 21 on Sunday. I find as he gets older it gets more difficult to keep him happy while flying. 6 months and under were my favourite times! I have also noticed huge differences between airlines and airports. I have basically streamlined my travel bag and have an easy fold stroller so I can ensure smooth transitions. We flew Southwest of for the first time last week and I found the seats roomy compared to the flights from hell I took on United this summer. We had 3 flights over 13 hours going to and returning from Nova Scotia. The main United flights were very crowded with all the babies waaaaaaaay in back even though I requested window up front— I got middle seat in the back. I am still bitter! Oh well— we are giving Alaskan a whirl on Sunday so will let you know how it goes.
In regards to birth certificates— I travel out of country so need to bring a letter stating my husband is allowing me to fly out of the US with our son. We have it notarized at our bank for free and am glad we did as they asked for it everytime along with his passport.
Whoa- sorry for the excessive comments! Yikes I was on a roll.
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My wife and I are flying with our 14 month old son for the first time in 2 weeks. We are flying on Southwest from Baltimore to Tampa (approx 2.5 hours). We kept debating back and forth whether to get him his own seat and bring his car seat along. I think we are at the point where he have decided to get him his own seat (for safety reasons and he seems to like sitting his car seat rather than on one of our laps). As many people have stated in other posts I have read, Southwest offers baby fares but they are actually “anytime” fares at a slightly cheaper price. I am just curious if I can purchase a “wanna get away” ticket (for about half the price as a baby fare) for my son since he is under 2? Or do I have to call the airline to let them know that we are purchasing the ticket for a toddler and we will be bringing along his car seat? This may seem petty, but I just want to make sure before purchasing a non-refundable ticket. Any comments are appreciated.
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@brian
I don’t know if you’ve found the answer to your question yet by simply calling the airline and asking, but the simple answer is: buy the cheaper (wanna get away) fare.
I just had the same questions about the same scenario and the SWA CSR made it clear that I just needed a copy of my son’s birth certificate and his FAA approved seat. OK to web check-in 24 hours prior and no special notice to the airline is required with respect to the fact that you’re flying with a baby.
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