Originally Posted by
crarmstrong
The proclaimed 2 year old (actually bigger and older according to my wife who knows about such things) sat on mom's lap until the aircraft door was secured. Then with the middle seat unoccupied, mom promptly deposited the child in the empty seat.
Wife was perturbed by the shenanigans of booking an aisle and window seat which usually leaves the middle seat open and then putting the kid there. I told her it was a creative solution but one that could quickly unravel if the plane is full.
First off does your your wife have the ability to tell the age of everyone around her by the way they look? My infant son who was 7 months old and still pretty small at the time of his first "lap" flight this past May was required by the airline to have his birth certificate which was verified by the agent when we checked in. I can tell you that nobody would think he is 2 years old yet. However due to airline regs and fees for everything nowdays, most are checking/requiring parents with lap kids to have birth certificates in hand upon check in and they are checking them to verify the child is under 2. So if the kid was a lap kid there is a very good chance the childs age was verified by the airline.
Now also, did your wife know for a fact the parents hadn't booked the middle seat for their child? Either way it seems your wife didn't like the idea of having a little kid in the aisle in front of her. Whether it's a lap child or a ticket was purchased for the kid, the child has just as much a right to be there as your wife, and the parents are free to choose whatever seats they like, including an aisle/window combo leaving the middle open. Nothing in the rules against it.