Q. We'll soon be traveling by air for the first time with our baby. What costs and other factors should we be considering?
A. The number of families traveling together is rising. Parents preparing to fly with a baby or young child for the first time should expect to spend more time, as well as money, to make travel arrangements.
On U.S. domestic flights, a child younger than 2 flies for free provided he or she is held on an adult's lap. Many airlines would prefer infants to be in their own seats for safety reasons, but also to help the airlines' own profitability. To encourage more parents to buy seats for infants, many domestic carriers have begun pricing such tickets at half the adult fare. Once a child turns 2, they are required to pay full fare on domestic flights.
On international flights, children under 2 sitting in a lap pay about 10 percent of an adult's fare, primarily to cover taxes and departure fees. At age 2 and older, most international carriers still ticket them at a discount, usually about 75 percent of the fare paid by an accompanying adult.
Those are the rules of thumb. But with the multitude of fares, and circumstances that can vary considerably by carrier, flight and family, parents with young children need to pay special attention when booking air tickets, said David Lytle, editor of Frommers.com, the Web site run by the travel guide publisher.
He and other experts advise parents to check rules on children's travel, which many airlines post on their Web sites. Carriers vary, for example, on whether they'll allow an infant to fly on an e-ticket.
Airfares and travel restrictions are only part of what traveling families should keep in mind, travel experts say. It's also useful to ask questions, compare carriers and take other steps that make all the difference once the flight begins, travel experts say.
"You want to consider how to make it as easy as possible to travel with a child," Lytle said.
For example, it is often a good idea to speak with a reservation agent or travel agent even when infants don't require tickets of their own. That way, agents can make a notation on an adult's ticket that may help airline employees in seating families, said Kari Thomas, president of Will Travel, an agency in Langhorne, Pa.
In some cases, for example, a carrier may try to book such an adult-and-infant duo next to an empty seat on flights that are not full, giving them extra breathing space.
While there is little variation among carriers on ticket prices for young children, some offer special services that parents may find particularly helpful. British Airways, for example, offers especially designed seats for babies. Gulf Air, an airline based in Bahrain, has begun offering Sky Nanny child care services on some of its flights. Many airlines offer bassinets, which can be fitted to the bulkhead, on larger planes flying international routes. Others offer special children's meals, baby food, or travel kits with toys and games.
Once arrangements are made, it's important to show up at the airport prepared, Thomas said.
When traveling with an infant, it's best to bring a copy of a birth certificate or other document verifying the child's age. Remember that when traveling overseas, even the youngest children require their own passports. And when you arrive at the airport, make sure to allow more time - it takes longer to select seating for a larger group and check strollers through security.
"You definitely want to give yourself a little more time than you used to when you were running by yourself through the airport," Thomas said.
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