If your child is under 24 months old, United Airlines will allow you to fly with the baby on your lap free of charge. But what happens if your offspring celebrates a birthday mid-trip?
For one family, the answer was unbelievably expensive. Here’s their story.
When Leslie Hillandahl and her husband planned their dream vacation to Italy, they booked business-class seats on United Airlines. They added their 23-month-old baby to the reservation and paid a small fee for the ticket’s taxes. Their child would sit in business class on one of their laps throughout the flight.
But while the Hillandahls were enjoying the sights of Italy, trouble was brewing. During the trip, their son celebrated his second birthday. When the couple appeared at the check-in counter, ready to fly home, a United Airlines agent quickly let them know the bad news. Their baby was no longer a baby and he would need to have a ticket of his own – a $4,000 ticket of his own in business class.
Since abandoning their child in Italy, of course, wasn’t an option, the Hillandahls paid the fee under duress. But now they’re asking for a refund.
Are they entitled to one?
This case shines a light on the controversial topic of lap babies on flights and the monetary consequences that can arise when parents do not familiarize themselves with the policies that pertain to such children before they purchase their tickets.
Planning an adventurous vacation to Italy with a baby on United Airlines
“When purchasing our tickets to Italy, we told the agent that my infant son was going to be less than two years old when the trip began but turned two a few days before our return,” Hillandahl recalled. “I asked if he was going to need his own ticket. I was told multiple times that he would not.”
Hillandahl went on to explain that she and her husband purchased these tickets and then upgraded to business class using miles.
They did not purchase a ticket for their “infant” son — the infant that was about to turn two — and she intended to hold him on her lap the entire round-trip.
The family’s trouble began when they attempted to return home after their son turned two.
Upon arrival at the Florence airport, we went to check in with Lufthansa and were immediately told that we would be required to purchase a ticket for our infant son, despite the assurances of several United and Lufthansa representatives that it was not needed.
Because the family was flying in business class, the walk-up fare for this flight home was over $4,000. Given no other choice, the stunned parents paid the jumbo fare for their baby, and they all flew home.
But once they arrived back in the United States, Hillandahl began her campaign for a refund.
Asking United Airlines to refund the cost of the lap-baby’s ticket
“This was truly a nightmare to live through and I expect that United will cover the over $4,000 we had to pay to get my two-year-old son back to the United States with us,” she demanded.
Not surprisingly, United Airlines turned down her request. Both United and Lufthansa pointed Hillandahl back to their terms and conditions.
These terms are readily viewable online, and both airlines make it clear that it is only possible to carry a lap child on board until that child reaches their second birthday. Once a child reaches their second birthday, they no longer qualify to be a lap child.
Both airlines specifically address what will happen if a child turns two while traveling.
United Airlines lap child policy states:
Once infants turn two years old, they are required to have a purchased ticket and occupy a seat. Infants who reach their second birthday after their outbound flight must have a purchased ticket and occupy a seat for their return flight(s).
Lufthansa has very similar wording in its lap child policy: “Children who turn two years of age during the trip require their own seat. In this case the child fare will be charged for the entire trip.”
A quick check of other airlines shows that this is the policy across the board. Airlines across the globe define lap children as babies who have not yet reached 24 months of age.
Did a United Airlines employee misguide this passenger?
It is unclear where Hillandahl’s confusion about the lap baby policy arose. I know from experience that sometimes airline employees offer incorrect guidance. If you’re a regular reader of our site, then you might recall the case of Mikayla Shade, who recorded an American Airlines agent giving her incorrect guidance.
Unfortunately, I also know from experience that sometimes passengers misunderstand airline policies and fail to get absolute clarity. And there are others who disagree with various policies or refuse to believe the policy could apply to them. This can lead to expensive consequences. In this case, I found it difficult to believe that multiple airline employees — across two different carriers — could have offered erroneous information about such a widespread industry-standard policy.
I asked Hillandahl if she could provide me with the name of any employee who gave her this poor advice. I thought if we could identify at least one person who misguided this family, I could have a basis to successfully mediate her case with United Airlines.
But that is when she stopped responding to me.
I couldn’t help Hillandahl because the facts were not on her side. Her son did fly home from Italy in business class, and according to the policies of both airlines, this was the correct protocol.
Fact: Flying with your baby on your lap is unsafe
But no story about lap babies would be complete without pointing out that there is a push to ban this practice — because sitting on a parent’s lap does not provide any type of protection for the child.
As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) explains:
Although children who have not reached their second birthday are permitted to travel as lap children, the FAA strongly discourages this practice and recommends that you secure your child in an approved CRS [Child Restraint System] in their own seat for the entire flight.
Many children have been injured and even killed in airline incidents that were completely survivable — but not for a lap child.
So please consider all the available safety information when you book your child’s next flight. Because, though it may be legal for your child to fly unrestrained on your lap, it is not safe, and safety should be your primary consideration in your decision to purchase your child a seat or not. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Consumer Rescue)
Has the FAA tried telling airline employees this? In my experience, airline employees don’t seem to care about the safety of children onboard. A standard lap belt does nothing to secure a 2 year old child in the event of turbulence or worse but they don’t care.
I’ve been on a total 10 flights with my daughter (who is currently 3) and most of those flights I’ve been hassled by FAs about using either a car seat or an FFA approved CARES harness.
The worst was on a flight from EWR to LHR the gate agent blocked me from bringing a car seat on the plane altogether and forced me to gate check it even though the British Airways website says cars seats are allowed. On a Delta domestic flight the FA stopped me from using a CARES harness, which again the DL website says is allowed.
When my children were babies, I also had similar experiences where flight attendants required proof that the car seat I was bringing on the plane was FAA-approved. There should be a label on any FAA-approved devices. As long as you have that proof, you shouldn’t have a problem.
“despite the assurances of several United and Lufthansa representatives that it was not needed.”
I doubt it. The “but someone told me so” line, despite written policy otherwise – and especially when it includes the supposed assurances of “several” unnambed people instead of a specific time, date, place, and person – usually means a little fudging with the truth.
“Since abandoning their child in Italy, of course, wasn’t an option, ” – I have to admit I giggled at that line.
🙂
Sorry to say that I think this mother was not telling the truth. She thought she’d skate by this rule. It’s a shame. OTOH, travelling with a 2yrold sitting on your lap on a long international flight is ridiculous. I don’t think 2yrolds just lay there sleeping for hours on end. Even ignoring the safety issue, it has to be very uncomfortable for the parent holding the child.
Well, she must have known she was in the wrong to shut off contact with you. Sad.