Planning is essential when flying with a baby on Southwest Airlines, particularly when it comes to documents, seats, and specific equipment. Southwest has an open seating policy, which affects how families reserve their seats, especially when utilizing car seats, in contrast to many other major airlines.
This is a thorough guide that covers all the facts and rules you need to know while traveling with a baby on Southwest Airlines. Also, flying with babies as young as under two years old on this airline requires following the Southwest Airlines lap infant policy.
What Is Southwest Airlines Infant Policy?
Since Southwest demands proof of age (such as a birth certificate) for any lap children under two, even for domestic flights, you must check the airline infant policy for lap infants to confirm the child's age and make sure you can present it at check-in. Because only one lap child is allowed per adult, the regulation also requires you to notify Southwest about the lap infant and make sure you can provide an authorized child restraint device if you buy a seat for the baby.
Why Southwest Airlines Lap Infant Policy Matters:
- Age Verification: To prove that your child is younger than two years old, you will require a document such as a passport or birth certificate. On domestic flights, Southwest is very stringent about this.
- Regulation Adherence: The policy guarantees adherence to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) infant-carrying criteria, including safety requirements in the event that a seat is acquired.
- Protection: In the event of unexpected turbulence, a seat and a child restraint system provide increased protection for the youngster.
- Number of Lap Children Allowed: To make sure you don't go overboard, you need to be aware that Southwest only allows one lap child per adult.
- Avoiding Penalties: According to Southwest Airlines lap infant policy, if you don't show evidence of age, you might have to pay full price for your ticket at the airport.
The Age Requirements and Lap Child Policy
According to Southwest Airlines, a baby who is older than 14 days and younger than two (2) years old and does not have a separate seat is qualified to travel as a lap child.
- Eligibility: The child must be younger than two years old for the whole journey, including the flight return trip. Once a child turns two and can no longer fly as a lap infant, they require their own seat and if they're traveling without an adult companion, parents should review Southwest's child travelling alone policy to understand the age rules, supervision requirements, and fees that apply."
- Lap Child Requirement: Only one lap child may accompany each adult traveler (those 12 years of age or older). A seat for the second infant must be purchased if an adult is traveling with another child under the age of two.
- Cost (Domestic Travel): A lap child travels for free on flights within the United States.
- Cost (overseas Travel): The adult traveling must pay any necessary taxes and fees levied by the government, and a seat for the infant must still be reserved for overseas itineraries. Regardless of age, the lap child will receive a physical ticket on overseas flights.
- Infants Under 14 Days Old: For any infant under 14 days old, Southwest requires a medical release from a doctor before they can travel. This is an essential requirement for Southwest flying with infant.
- Partner Itineraries: If your flight contains a Southwest partner airline segment, you will need to buy a seat for any child under two (2) years old and fourteen (14) days old.
Edqour Tips: If you face issues while adding a lap infant at the airport or during check-in, it’s possible to miss your scheduled departure, so knowing Southwest’s missed connecting flight policy can be helpful.
Documentation requirements and airport protocols
For all lap children, strict evidence of age is required for Southwest Airlines traveling with infant. The airline agents must use legitimate government-issued documentation to confirm an infant's age, even if they appear to be younger than two.
Required Age Verification Documents:
- Originals or copies of a certified birth certificate;
- Originals or copies of a passport;
- Originals or copies of a government-issued identification card.
Unacceptable Documentation: Southwest specifically prohibits the use of electronic screenshots, phone images, or immunization records as proof of age. Only physical documents (or clear physical photocopies) are accepted.
Boarding Verification Document (BVD): A lap child does not need a boarding permit, but in order to be added to the flight manifest and board the aircraft lawfully, they must have a BVD. This document attests to the child's age being confirmed.
How to Get Your Boarding Verification Document On Southwest Airlines?
On the day of your trip, you have to take up your BVD at the airport. Customers should stop by the self-service kiosk or the airport ticket desk to get the BVD and provide the necessary government-issued proof of age. Lap children should arrive earlier than usual because this process takes longer than usual before security. Parents traveling with an infant who also have a mobility need should factor in additional time to add wheelchair assistance to their Southwest reservation — arranging this in advance ensures both the infant BVD process and accessibility support are coordinated without delays at the airport.
Car seats and other child restraint devices
When flying, Southwest Airlines, in agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), strongly advises that infants and children under 40 pounds should be strapped up in a suitable car seat or Child Restraint System (CRS).
Seating a CRS: The only method to ensure that a CRS will be used on board is to purchase a ticket and a seat for an infant. If you are traveling without a ticket, you may use a car seat only if there is an open seat available after boarding is complete. To ensure you can select a suitable window or centre seat for the car seat at the time of booking rather than waiting for check-in, consider a Southwest seat upgrade to Choice Preferred. It includes seat selection from the moment of booking, giving families with CRS requirements more control over placement.
Rules for Seat Assignment (Strict FAA Compliance): Certain seating constraints are applicable to CRSs due to federal rules and aircraft configurations:
- Aisle seats are never suitable for CRSs.
- Window seats are the ideal location for CRSs.
- A CRS can only be positioned in the center seat if the neighboring window seat is still empty, regardless of whether the window seat is occupied or not.
- Exit rows and the rows immediately in front of or behind an exit row are off-limits to CRSs. When two children are traveling, only the center and window seats may be used in CRSs.
Booking and Changes On Southwest Airlines
Traveling with a lap child is easy, but depending on the payment method, there are measures you must follow.
- Online Booking: A lap child may be added at the "Who's Flying" stage of the online booking process for both domestic and international itineraries that are paid for with cash rather than Rapid Rewards points.
- Booking using Rapid Rewards: Passengers must contact Southwest Airlines directly or talk with a customer service agent at the airport if they want to add a lap child to an existing reservation after making the original reservation or if they bought the reservation using Rapid Rewards points.
- Reservation Modifications: After adding a lap child to a reservation, you will need to contact the airline or go to an airport agent to make any further itinerary modifications. If plans change entirely and you need to cancel the booking, parents can handle it through Southwest Airlines ticket cancellation online. Lap infant additions do not affect the standard cancellation process, and any eligible fare refund applies to the full reservation
Note: While adding an infant to your reservation, it is important to ensure that all passenger details are accurate. If there are any errors in your ticket, you can review the Southwest Airlines name change policy to correct them before your trip.
