[kandyc]

My family and I went to Florida on the 11th of October. My daughter turned 2 on the 13th. I was forced to buy a full price ticket for her on the way back home. The ticket was 262$, that was uncalled for!!!,especially for a child!! I could see them charging me the price of my round trip ticket which was only 120$...This is not fair, what if I did not have the money to do that? I am very unpleased with southwest and don't know if I will fly with them ever again!! :evil: :cry: ops:

[Corbel]

not southwests fault. FAA says if the child is 2 years or older the child must have a seat. and you probably had to pay $262 because it was a last minute purchase. once again, this is not southwests fault, ITS A LAW!!!!

[Jetliner]

What he kandy said - per the FAA once the child has reached their second birthday they MUST have a seat the same as you, so this would have happened no matter what airline you flew on.

[rudybjr]

Southwest can be fined by the FAA if your 2 year old did not have a seat. You should've checked the rules and bought the ticket when yours was puchased. I worked for an airline and there were always parents trying to get away with not purchasing tickets for 2 and even 3 year olds.

[Jetsetter767]

You would have been better off purchasing the child a seat round trip when you purchased the tickets for the rest of the family. You paid more because it was last minute. As mentioned in all of the other replies, it is not Southwest's fault. The safety of your child should be priceless -- and the safest place for your child is in an FAA approved childseat, securely fastened into a passenger seat!

[azstar]

I see this every day when I travel. Parents travelling with four year olds claiming they are 23 months so they don't have to buy a seat. They never seem to have proof of the childs age when the toddler is walking and talking; they generally only carry proof when its obvious they are travelling with a tiny infant. The burden of proof is on the passenger, and if the child is 24 months or older they MUST purchase a seat. It's an FAA requirement and a huge safety issue.

[abutterfinger25]

The FAA and DOT also STRONGLY RECOMMENDS that ALL children, even those under 2, have their own seat and are secured in a child restraint system (CRS) during the flight. Sitting in the CRS is safer than in mommy or daddy's lap.

[jimworcs]

Frankly, I think that all children should be paid for and strapped in. The lapbelt is a death trap for the baby, but an unrestrained baby just becomes a missile in a high impact crash such as Sioux City. I gather that the FAA argument for not mandating this, is that it might encourage families with small children to drive instead and many more people would die as a result of this. However, you could make the same argument for all kids... I would buy a ticket, even for a child under 2. I have two kids and always bought a ticket, and then put the baby in the child seat. Admittedly we were flying long haul and part of our motive was not wanting to hold a baby for 8 hours without a break, but I think it is better all round.

[abutterfinger25]

I don't know what the FAA's rationale for not mandating that children under 2 need to purchase a ticket. I always did with my child.

[Jetliner]

When I worked the ticket counter, if I had a passenger traveling with a child under two who didn't have a ticket for the child, I would always give them a seat with an empty one next to them, and block the empty seat. That way the child could have their own seat. The parents were always happy, but unfortunately it was always because this meant they didn't have to hold the child for so long, not because the child was safer this way. Then again that is the same line of thought as the idiots who have a cast on or are in a wheelchair that want to sit in the exit row, and get mad when you inform them that they can't. All they are thinking about is the extra legroom, and no thought about if there is a need to evacuate that they would be putting others at risk.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by kandyc

My family and I went to Florida on the 11th of October. My daughter turned 2 on the 13th. I was forced to buy a full price ticket for her on the way back home. The ticket was 262$, that was uncalled for!!!,especially for a child!! I could see them charging me the price of my round trip ticket which was only 120$...This is not fair, what if I did not have the money to do that? I am very unpleased with southwest and don't know if I will fly with them ever again!! :evil: :cry: ops:

I guess you don't fly very often. Typical Southwest passenger.