Many have, I imagine. In any event, being a MM flyer doesn't provide access to different fares than those who aren't MM flyers. :rolleyes:
Methinks it's best not to feed the trolls, but this one I found difficult to resist. My apologies to the rest of you. ;)

Best, Dave

What's wrong with UA charging for lapfares?

While they're light, they still add weight (strollers and other carryons).

They need to be fed.

They take up space.

They tend to bawl and annoy other passengers.

They require special equipment (bassinets, etc.) which is not free.

They tend to require more attention and service from FAs (as was mentioned by the OP).

They (and their parents) tend to slow down the boarding and deplaning process.

If you had a plane full of lapfares, it would be a disaster. Bedlam. Like many a Ted flight to MCO.

I'm offended that UA charges ONLY 10% of the fare. They should pay full fare like any other human being. Not less. And sit in a real seat.

10% may seem high, but so does the C class fare. So what?

I don't understand the logic of charging less for someone simply because of their age. I would think that charging only 10% should count as age discrimination to those who are not infants. Just as I think a "senior citizen discount" is age discriminatory.

And there are some lissome 21-year-olds whom I wouldn't mind bringing with me and having them sit on my lap for the entire flight, especially if it cost me only 10% of the full fare. Restricting lap fares to those under a certain age is discriminatory.

Not sure why there seems to be a reason for a complaint.
There's a published fare, and one can choose to accept the fare or not fly.
OP accepted the fare and flew.
End of story. Stop whining.

2 points...
1. I thought UA was not going to start serving FCO til April... are you sure you wern't on LH?
2. If you are close to MMF, are you 1K? If so... you should have just bought Y and then u/g to C w/ SWU

Wow the OP is really upset by the trip. Frankly though, if one does pay a fair amount for a ticket I can see how paying $1100 for an infant can feel pretty bad. After reading the complain though I can't seem to determine how UA did anything wrong and I'm actually surprised that you think you are entitled to a refund.

Overall, this area isn't very clear. I find that some airlines apply this differently. While UA and AA charge the 10% of Y(based on experience), I just bought a ticket on EK where I was charged 10% of the adult's fare.

Finally, if it is 10% of a full Y then there I bet there are cases where it may actually work out cheaper to get a discounted child fare and enjoy the seat. My son is going to be one soon so it may be something to think about for me. Any thoughts?

Now that would be an interesting bit of trivia regarding SWUs.

What would happen if someone bought a W fare, also paid 10% of a Y fare for a lapchild, and then got upgraded to business class with an SWU? Does one SWU upgrade both the passenger and a lapchild they may have with them? Or would they demand two SWUs? Or perhaps deny the upgrade altogether?

I don't have any infants in the family to put on my lap, but I can imagine that this might come up with regard to some grandchildren in the future.


To the original poster: Welcome to FlyerTalk. I didn't think your original post was out of line. You just expressed some frustration. When we do have United employees posting here, we usually express our gratitude for their insights. It's doubtful that the person you assumed to be a UA employee really was. Keep coming back if you'd like. The UA forum is among the most congenial and flame-free of the FT forums. But it doesn't sound like you will be doing much UA travel in the future (although I would counsel you to go ahead and get your Million Mile Flyer status since you are so close).

{Quote edited by moderator}

While I agree that the OP is out of line and disagree with his/her sense of entitlement, please let's not turn this into a "this is how you should raise your kids" thread. They belong in the travel forum (if they really belong anywhere...);)

:confused:

Im still confused. How did OP get SFO to FCO? connecting in ORD to what?

While I can't be certain, I've assumed throughout the thread that it was connection to LH/UA codeshare.

Best, Dave

Actually, I do EXACTLY this when flying C with a lap child. Purchase W fare in Y, upgrade with SWU or miles (any upgrade instrument confirmable at time of purchase). Pay 10% Y fare for lap child. Both sit in C. The only drawback is that because I purchase or get an award C seat for Mrs. jsgoldbe, we are on different PNRs.

Ditto to the above comments. Unfortunately some FT members see anything about a baby on a plane, much less in a premium cabin and they feel the need to puff out thier chest and make a statment. To the OP: please keep reading and posting. You will find out lots of interesting tips about flying on UA. ^

I would always pay for a real seat for any child. but that is just me I guess.

14 pound package or 14 pouind projectile?

as far as UA policies, it seems the CSRs did adhear to policies. you might want to write a diplomatic letter expressing your concerns to WHQ. perhaps they could have the rules made more conspicuous?

So that is

SFO ORD
ORD FRA
FRA FCO

I feel sorry for the parents and the kid.

There were a lot easier ways to get there.

My opinion is you got a good price all in, and the infant fare may be irrational. Sort of a necessary evil w/ the price you rec'd.

Couldn't disagree with you more. The two times my wife and I have flown with our infant son, we have taken him as a lap child. Given his age, we would have wound up holding him in our arms during most of the flight even if we had bought him a seat, so I saw no reason to shell out additional money for unnecessary additional real estate. Even if both trips were on $109 UA mistake fares. ;)

I, for one, agree with the original poster that charging 10 percent of a full fare for international travel with a lap child is often excessive. Contrary to what other posters have suggested, lap children do not consume many resources. Their weight is extremely nominal, meaning that any added fuel cost to the airline of carrying the infant is de minimis. They don't consume the catered meals. They don't offset a sizable portion of any ticket cost by drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Sure, the flight attendant might be asked to provide the family with some water or juice every few hours, but that's hardly a major imposition and certainly doesn't bring with it significant cost.

If I don't require a bassinet and am willing to suffer any misery associated with having my child on my lap throughout the flight, I don't think the airline should charge me anything for that "privilege." Furthermore, to the extent that UA insists upon charging 10 percent of the value of a full fare ticket in the cabin of travel, it should be willing to offer a discounted award at 10 percent of the regular miles for lap children. Otherwise, the value of using one's hard-earned miles for premium cabin travel can easily be erased by the hefty cost of transporting junior on a lap.

This still does not clear up how you flew SFO-FCO via ORD.

United does not fly ORD-FCO, or currently, to anywhere in Italy.

AA flies ORD-FCO, but it's pretty unlikely you have confused AA with UA for your entire trip.

Alitalia (AZ) flies ORD-MXP, but since AZ does not codeshare with UA, you could not have purchased the whole ticket through United.

You could have taken either UA or LH ORD-FRA/MUC, then continued to FCO from either of those 2 airports.

But, as someone with nearly one million miles under the belt, I can't understand why you would bring a baby on an itin like SFO-ORD-FRA/MUC-FCO, when you could easily have done the entire trip with one stop, especially given the fact that you bought two business-class tickets.

Am I the only one who is really :confused: ?

Ah, sorry, didn't read closely enough.

However, your Z fare doesn't allow discounts so the agents were still correct. The lowest business fare allowing an infant discount on that route is still C @ a 90% discount.