birth certificate for 6mo old for domestic travel?
May 13, 2008, 6:56 pm
#1
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birth certificate for 6mo old for domestic travel?
I know the airline's official policy is to require a birth certificate but it seems that most ppl are not asked to show one. I requested a birth certificate for our 6 month old son last month, they haven't begun processing it until this week(long story). We're flying to SFO on saturday. Should we be worried about not having the birth cert by then?
May 13, 2008, 6:59 pm
#2
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I know the airline's official policy is to require a birth certificate but it seems that most ppl are not asked to show one. I requested a birth certificate for our 6 month old son last month, they haven't begun processing it until this week(long story). We're flying to SFO on saturday. Should we be worried about not having the birth cert by then?
May 13, 2008, 7:14 pm
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Last edited by purpleskiesfly; May 13, 2008 at 7:24 pm
May 14, 2008, 11:48 am
#5
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Hope you caught the smiley...... My son was flying at about 2 months old, and has actually NEVER been asked for a birth certificate. We got an Ohio ID card for him at about 2yrs, but never used it.... Even now, at 13, he has never been asked for any ID, and he is on a plane 3x/year, most recent about 4 weeks ago..... Of course, he is with me or Mrs. INY when he travels...
May 14, 2008, 12:02 pm
#6
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For the OP, the b/c is only needed when traveling for free as a lap baby. In practice, nobody is going to harrass you about a 6 month old. But, if he's a big boy like ours, you might be asked about it when he's 18-months. That said, one of the particularly snarky airlines about this has been Southwest.
Children under 18 don't need ID to fly if they are flying with an adult companion.
Children under 18 traveling alone (or with other minors) must have their own photo ID.
Hope you caught the smiley...... My son was flying at about 2 months old, and has actually NEVER been asked for a birth certificate. We got an Ohio ID card for him at about 2yrs, but never used it.... Even now, at 13, he has never been asked for any ID, and he is on a plane 3x/year, most recent about 4 weeks ago..... Of course, he is with me or Mrs. INY when he travels...
Children under 18 traveling alone (or with other minors) must have their own photo ID.
May 14, 2008, 12:11 pm
#7
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I've never been asked for a BC for domestic travel for either of my sons, now 4 and 2. In fact, when I asked airline personnel about bringing a copy, they recommended against, presumably just to avoid the chance that I would lose it during my travels and be at risk for some form of identity theft.
May 14, 2008, 12:21 pm
#8
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For the OP, the b/c is only needed when traveling for free as a lap baby. In practice, nobody is going to harrass you about a 6 month old. But, if he's a big boy like ours, you might be asked about it when he's 18-months. That said, one of the particularly snarky airlines about this has been Southwest.
Children under 18 don't need ID to fly if they are flying with an adult companion.
Children under 18 traveling alone (or with other minors) must have their own photo ID.
Children under 18 don't need ID to fly if they are flying with an adult companion.
Children under 18 traveling alone (or with other minors) must have their own photo ID.
True about Southwest; they usually won't let you do OLCI with a lap child. You need to show up at the airport and present that birth certificate.
My under 18 year old children and stepchild travel alone frequently. At their ages, they are not required to have picture ID.
May 14, 2008, 12:28 pm
#9
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May 14, 2008, 3:59 pm
#10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonesing
Children under 18 traveling alone (or with other minors) must have their own photo ID.
Right... this doesn't pass the giggle test. If the rest of us don't need ID to fly, why would such a requirement be applied to UM's ? 
Originally Posted by jonesing
Children under 18 traveling alone (or with other minors) must have their own photo ID.
May 14, 2008, 4:30 pm
#11
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although I guess it doesn't really matter, because you'll get to preboard anyways.
incorrect. i recently took my cousin to the airport (she's 12), and the only ID needed by TSA was mine, to use the gate pass.
May 14, 2008, 5:01 pm
#12
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As many have said, he doesn't need a birth certificate to fly. But the airline can in principle require a birth certificate to fly for free as a lap child. That said, it's highly unlikely anyone would ask to see that, especially for a 6-month old who is clearly under the age of 2.
May 14, 2008, 5:47 pm
#14
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Actually, although I'm on Skyteam airlines most of the time, that is exactly how it works..... They make an annoucement (or on the screen) that if you are traveling with a lap infant to let them know, I assumed so that they would have the correct number of "souls on board"... I suppose if the "infant" was of questionable size, they could press further, but as others have mentioned only Southwest seems to be real anal about that. Anyway, if you don't declare him/her, and it isn't listed on the BP, I assume they simply direct you back to the GA.
May 14, 2008, 6:10 pm
#15
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Moreover, they have to make sure they put you somewhere on the plane that has four (4) oxygen masks for three (3) seats.