Southwest, Part 2!

As I mentioned in my previous post, my 7 month old was not allowed to board a southwest flight, as a lap child, because I didn't bring his birth certificate with him.  Southwest Airlines requires "proof of age document" to verify that your lap child is under 2.  (My "lap child" is a non-mobile 7 month old.) As a result, my family of 6 had to drive 1810 miles to get to my brother's funeral.

To read more about Southwest airlines "lap child" policy go HERE.

So, they clearly state online that you will need a birth certificate for a lap child, proving that they are under the age of 2.  I was unaware of this policy until I tried to check my 7 month old in last week.

I do understand their viewpoint.  I'm certain plenty of people have tried to fly for free with their 25 month old kids, and they are trying to prevent that.    That's not a terrible idea but as I'd said in my previous post, I have probably checked a lap child into a flight close to 40 times in the past 6.5 years and have never been asked for ID!

 I highly doubt I'm the only person to get to a Southwest ticket counter without a birth certificate for my lap child. I think it would be reasonable for Southwest Airlines to have a back up plan that meets the needs of both the costumer and the airline.

My ideas on how Southwest Airlines could be more family friendly are below.

If a family gets to the ticket counter with a lap child and fails to bring proper ID for the child you could....

1)  Give them a one time warning and document it on their record
2)  Fine them $100, but still allow them to board with the baby
3)  Give them 48 hours to fax a copy of their birth certificate/shot records and if they don't, then fine them
4) If the lap child is clearly less than 2, allow the gate agent to use common sense!

Since ID is only required for children who fly domestically, by one airline in one situation (lap child) it seems like there should be a little bit more flexibility for families who get to the ticket counter unprepared.