Look up “absurd” in the dictionary, and you ought to find Lily Poon’s incomprehensible ticketing experience with United Airlines. The carrier charged her just $60 for her ticket. But it wanted more than 20 times that amount for her infant son’s fare.
How did it come to that?
Poon redeemed frequent flier miles for two business class tickets from Denver to Hong Kong. The total cost to her was $60 per ticket. United wanted $1,285 — 10 percent of the business class fare — for the lap child.
The Infant will be sitting on my lap. Unless the flight attendant is going to change his diaper and the airline will provide him formula and baby food, there is no way they can justify charging me $1,285 for a flight. An economy ticket for an adult is $1,300.
I have asked the airline if I could buy him an economy ticket and let him fly in my lap in business, they said no. If they did let me do that, then I could at least check two more pieces of luggage. I have tried to contact customer service, I get routed back to India. I have sent an email, no response.
Now, Poon isn’t just some tourist. She’s been a United frequent flier for two decades. I suggested she contact someone at a higher level at United, which she did.
A United representative called her a day later and reiterated its “no.”
This is a policy they’ve had in place that they will charge 10 percent of whatever cabin that the parents are in. She is not willing to budge as this is “not negotiable” and it is what it is.
She did say that she agrees that this is strange but that the policy has been in effect for a very long time.
United offered Poon a $300 voucher to “offset the cost” of baby’s ticket. But that’s not enough for Poon.
You don’t need me to tell you that this pricing policy is a little ridiculous. At the very least, United could have offered the Poons an option of cashing in some miles to let baby fly.
As it stands now, Poon won’t travel with her son. It’s too expensive.
✓ Get the latest travel news, tips and commentary from Elliott’s E-Mail, the subversive newsletter from industry gadfly Christopher Elliott. You’ll travel like a pro. Sign up here. It’s free.
Sign up for my 
{ 3 trackbacks }
{ 77 comments… read them below or add one }
I thought the whole point of having the infant on your lap was so that you didn’t have to pay anything??? I’ve never heard of lap children being charged. Do all the airlines do this, or just United?
Just bring the baby to the airport, and don’t say anything. They would probably let you on, especially if you are nice to the people. Also maybe tipping a 100 bucks as a back could work
It’s quite common for lap infants to be charged the 10% of the fare on international routes. What I don’t understand is how she could have been surprised about it. Maybe she was expecting that she’d be charged the 10% of what she paid, which was just the taxes because she was on a frequent flyer ticket, but that’s not how it works.
Yes the airline could have offered to let her use some points for the infants fare. If she had enough she could have just bought the infant a seat in business class with points and would then have only had to pay the same $60 in taxes that she paid for her own seat. Or she and her husband could have flown economy class instead of business, used less FF miles for it and then either only paid the 10% of the economy fare for the infant or used miles to get a seat for the him. The infant fare was only so high because of the class of seat the parents were in.
I’m sorry but to me this isn’t a case of the airline doing something it shouldn’t have – this is a case of a person not liking the airline’s standard rule and wanting an exception made for her because she’s a frequent flyer.
I agree with John.
Airlines have long charged 10% of the applicable adult fare for infants when traveling internationally. If traveling in economy, 10% of that fare and 10% of the applicable business and first class fares if traveling in those cabins.
I would question the fact that since UA is part of the Star Alliance, are they not able to offer the same type of infant rewards that one of their partners, Air Canada Aeroplan does, which also offers rewards for infants using points or cash option.
http://www.aeroplan.com/use_your_miles/travel/flights/air_reward_chart.do#infant
Economy Class – $50 or 5,000 Aeroplan Miles
Business Class – $100 or 10,000 Aeroplan Miles
First Class – $125 or 12,500 Aeroplan Miles
Wow, That’s cold. Shame on United.
If possible, redeem miles for a third business class seat. I can’t imagine that if you show up at the airport with three people and three business class tickets in their respective names that it would be an issue.
Realisitically, I’d probably buy an economy seat and see what happens. Give the GA three tickets for three people, and he/she probably won’t care beyond that. The last thing they want to do is to delay a flight.
I’m really confused, it is a well published requirement that lap children have tickets. You of all people should know this, you may not agree with it (which I don’t either) but it’s an almost universal policy (airline to airline).
http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1051,00.html
Infant not occupying a seat (lap child)
For travel within the U.S., between the U.S. and Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands and between the U.S. and Canada, infants are not required to occupy a seat. However, your reservation must be documented as having an infant in seat. If you decide to fly with an infant in your lap, book your reservation on united.com and then contact United Reservations at 1-800-UNITED-1 (864-8331) to advise that an infant will be traveling on your itinerary.
For international travel, an infant may be required to have a ticket to travel as a lap child. Contact United Reservations for details on how to purchase a ticket for your infant.
Maybe the policy is to make people think twice about bringing an infant in Business Class. Now I truly love children, but I would hate to be flying Business Class from Denver to Hong Kong with a crying infant — and good as some babies are, more often than not they cry in airplanes.
There are different rules for a domestic & international flight. Because she is traveling to Hong Kong, she has to pay 10% + fuel surcharges. My understanding this is normal for all airlines. NEVER NEVER NEVER just “show up” with an infant on an international flight. You’re just asking for trouble.
Wonder if she doesn’t HAVE the FF miles to cash in? My advice.. traveling with an infant? Buy 3 economy seats, bring your childs safety seat. Your arms will need a break, and the baby will have a safe place to sleep.
wow, that takes the cake. Where is the customer service in this situation? Amazing, let’s not let United get away with this.
Mindy raises a great point. Just showing up for an international flight with a baby is a sure ticket to an interrogation room with a couple of guys form ICE.
The best idea here is to try to trade the two FF business class seats in on three coach seats. If you are on a 747-400, there are three seats on the windows. The seats may not be as comfortable, but it sure beats 12 hours of a baby on your lap.
Should have bought the econo ticket and said it was for the husband.
While I don’t disagree that this infant pricing scheme is a little strange, this is the case with all airlines and has been the case for quite some time. They will all charge 10% of the full fare of the cabin. Just because the passenger was unaware of this prior to asking doens’t mean that she’s entitled to compensation. The policy is spelled out on the website and again, all airlines charge the same 10% as far as I know. What’s the big deal? How is this “absurd” if it’s an explicitly stated policy that has been in place for a long time?
Totally agree with Mindy. This is not a made-up rule on international travel. Usually 10% of the adult fare in the applicable cabin plus 100% of the fees, taxes, etc. The only thing that may change among carriers is if they charge 10% of the base fare or 10% of the base fare plus fees.
The 3 econo tix make a lot more sense. Holding a baby for a 15 hour flight will make none of you very happy upon arrival and I’m not even talking about the safety issues.
There are certainly two sides to this situation… on the one hand, 10% of the applicable fare does not seem out of the question, but that 10% does add up to an awful lot on such an expensive route. ($12k for a ticket! Yikes!) I think United should have put a cap on the baby surcharge…
SirWired
Upon reflection, I think I have a problem with the 10 percent fare. The kid is not getting a seat. Then why should the parent pay any more than a nominal fee for lap babies.
Just wanted to clarify
Infant fare policy has been inconsistent:
First time I called (to hold a reservation) was told my son’s ticket was $30-$40
2nd time – Price went up to $150 (confirmed reservation)
3rd time – Price $1285
I had them repeat their policy: an infant will be charged 10% of the lowest adult fare. The lowest adult fare is a little under $1000. 10% of that is $100. They refuse to let me use my miles to buy my son’s lapchild ticket.
Does it really matter if he’s sitting with me in economy/business/first? He’s not occupying a seat. My son also currently weighs 10lbs, how much fuel is spent on him vs a full grown adult sitting in economy. It’s not justifiable. If they left me buy an economy ticket, then at least we’ll get to bring extra luggage. Seriously, $1300 for him to sit in my lap?!?
Should I have spent my miles as I’ve earned them instead of treating myself to a little bit of luxury? Each ticket cost 90k miles. That’s a pretty significant amount of travel. I’ve also used another 250k miles for previous trips.
I am not going to just show up at the airport with my son w/o a ticket. That’s a logistical nightmare. We are going to travel, rather use up my miles than to have them expire.
A fare is published as a tariff. Those tariffs are filed with the gov’t of the country they are flying to. The manifes is turned over to that country, the airline would have a lot of explaining to do when if a “free” infant showed up.
When you see an ad touting fares and there is a line “subject to gov’t approval”. It’s not the U.S. gov’t — it’s the gov’t of the country you are fiying to — if it’s not Open Skies”, they set how many times you can fly, what aircraft you can use and the price you can charge.
See did not “pay” $60 to fly DEN to HKG, the airline did not “charge” $60 for her to fly, they “collected” $60 in taxes for various gov’ts. She paid somewhere about 120,000 miles to purchase a seat with a Tariff value of $12, hence the $1200 infant fare.
I think United is crazy to charge a baby airfare for business class when they could offer the economy ticket and given the parents more luggage. At least the parents would see some benefits.
I mean, to get 2 business class tickets on an international flight means these people probably fly a lot and are LOYAL to United. I’m no business guy, but wouldn’t it make sense NOT to upset your loyal customers? For all we know, the parents could be flying to Hong Kong every month and racking up miles. And now, because of this, they might fly on an alternative airline.
I think United needs to re-examine their own policies. It’s because of crappy policies like these that alienate high value customers or fliers.
I’m with her on this and I wish her luck in getting this resolved….and start flying Continental or American Airlines.
And another thing…
10% of a business ticket from DEN–>HKG is about $9800.
They’re telling me it’s a $12k flight. hence the 10% charge of $1285.
If they’re really going to charge me the lowest price of the cabin, then how come I’m paying $1285 instead of $980.
I understand a rule is a rule, and I’m ok with it, but make it consistent and charge me what they tell me.
The taxes I paid for my ticket is US taxes. I’ve paid the same taxes when I purchase my domestic tickets using miles. And the $60 fee included a $25 per ticket charge to book with their agent.
We used 180k miles to book our tickets (not 120k)
Thanks for the info on infant fare using miles…i’m going to ask them again if they’ll allow us to do that (they’ve said no several times). I rather have my cash and ditch the miles.
I can certainly understand having to pay 10% plus taxes or fees. Even if the baby is in a lap, some additional fuel is used and most likely the restroom facilities will get used or the stewardess may be asked for some warm water or a host of other things. Everything costs money. -as a passenger, a baby or kid on a flight is a nightmare and I despise having to sit within 6 rows of any infant. The flight is bad enough as it is without hearing the crying. What they should really do is take that 10% and give it to the people immediately around you as compensation.
What I don’t understand is if the airline contract of carriage says you must pay 10% of the highest possible fare, or just 10% of the fare. If it’s not 10% of the highest fare, then it would be well within someone’s rights to find a lower priced ticket in that class and expect to pay 10% of that price.
I don’t think enough space has been given to the idea that perhaps United is discouraging infants in business class. And I would support that! I am a DAL flyer, but SERIOUSLY how many international flights have been pretty much ruined for me by a crying baby? Quite a few. And when that happens in business class, it truly seems more than unfortunate, it seems unfair. I pay a high price, in miles or cash, to fly business class (and coach sometimes for that matter). Why should my 12 hour flight be constantly interrupted by a crying child? And it’s BUSINESS class. Meaning I fly all night and start working in the am in Europe! A crying baby affects my ability to sleep, and hence work. So my company’s 12k for the tix is less than an effective use of funds.
So maybe the rules should be even more stringent. Of all the common indignities and inconveniences of modern airline travel, for me, the worst is children who disrupt a cabin.
I dont’ think anyone is troubled by United charging 10 percent of the prevailing fare. Its the 10 percent of the highest,walk-up fare which is so troubling, particularely for someone who doesn’t actually have a seat.
As far as babies on planes, my suggestion, earplugs.
buy the $1300 coach ticket for the child or even better get the award ticket for the child nd buy the coach ticket for the parent that way the parent will earn miles for the trip and no one will stop them from bringing the baby to their business seat
I totally agree with Deborah about the crying babies/children making a long flight even longer for the passengers without kids. Parents take no responsibility for their crying offspring and have no shame whatsoever thinking it’s ok to just let their kids cry and scream at everyone else’s expense. It’s a bad situation on almost every flight these days, so making parents pay for their kids’ airfare is fair. At least they can’t let their kids fly, cry, and scream for free. And making parents pay airfare for their kids might make them think twice about air travel…..less noise pollution for the other travellers.
We already tried the option of buying the ticket for the parent in economy. They won’t let my husband go into Business =(
They will not let our son get into Business unless he has a paper ticket
As for parents not controlling their children. I’ve flown many times where there have been children (infants/toddlers)…I feel for the parent. They’re embarrassed, even more frustrated because the other passengers are annoyed, but there is only so much they can do.
I’ve flown with my dogs before and I’ve received the glares and the snarky comments that they’ll bark during the flight. As soon as they’re stowed in the space under the seat, they sleep. We bring toys/treats to keep them calm and blankets to keep them warm. We’ve received compliments that they’re well behaved.
As for my Son. It’ll be his first flight, we will take every precaution to keep him calm and relaxed. Do you think I want to hear my baby screaming for 14 hours? I don’t think so. That would drive me insane! He sleeps through the day, the louder the background noise, the longer/better he sleeps.
I’m not arguing with United on having to pay for his ticket. I’m upset with how much they’re trying to charge us, rates going from $30-$1285. For all I know the agent is making up prices. There is NO place on their website that it’s 10% of the cabin the parent is traveling on. It just states that a child ticket may be required.
I acknowledge that 10% of the “walk up” fare is a bit much, but a 10% charge is not unreasonable. And, I agree with Annette. If she wanted the baby to fly at the same FF rate, then she should have used FF Miles for a seat for the baby as well, at the time she booked the flight. I also agree with Deborah…what’s a baby doing in Business Class.
The difference between the fare and the total is INTERNATIONAL TAXES AND AIRPORT/SECURITY FEES. Just like every other ticket. Moron.
Rules are rules and everyone thinks THEY should be the exception.
You did not PAY $60 for your ticket. You have many options. Fly economy with 3 tickets, fly business with the infant ticket, or don’t go.
Infant tickets on international flights are NOT AN OPTION. They are mandated by law.
Whiners.
I’m surprised at the negative comments about children in the business class section. There seems to be a vibe that somehow the people up there are better than anyone else just because they paid more money for the seats. Most people I know upgrade to business or first class for the space and comfy seats. It’s certainly not because more “business” can be done from there. I can use my laptop in the same manner in the economy, business, or first class seats. Space is rarely an issue if you simply know how to pack correctly and are not selfish about having to spread your crap all around.
I’m getting off topic, but the point is that business class doesn’t mean it’s off limits to children. If she’s willing to pay the money for the extra space so there is room for the kid, so be it. There is no restriction on who can sit in those seats. I am willing to bet the disgruntled business class flyers are the ones without kids. When you have children, you learn how to adapt to any situation. That includes working on a plane. I am a student and I work on my papers during a flight while simultaneously keeping my son from kicking the seat in front of him and providing him snacks.
I think Lily was definitely being overcharged for the infant though. Especially when she recieved inconsistent costs. She said it started at $40 and jumped to more than $1200. That’s ridiculous. $40-$50 seems reasonable for a child that will not be taking up a seat or checking baggage. That being said, I always bought a seat for my son on all our flights while he was a baby. A child seat is always a safer alternative, plus is gives mom a break from holding him so both of us can sleep!
When a company’s policy results in something ridiculous, as it did here, there has to be someone at the company who can fix it. That’s the entire point of customer service. The airline completely failed in this case. Unless some law or regulation required their crazy behavior, they should have made an exception.
I’m all for United charging an arm and a leg for babies, because it will discourage people from bringing them on planes.
10% does seem to be standard in the industry, though I can’t find that figure on United’s website. However, it does state that lap children may still be required to buy a ticket. I understand why they wouldn’t allow you to purchase a seat in Economy for a single child under 2 – he is obviously not going to sit there by himself. I’m not saying that I agree with the $1200 price, but trying to get around the policy is not the answer (just unethical). United needs to create a policy that does not create an undue hardship on the customers who want to give it their repeat business.
Charging 10% is normal in this case, so what’s the big surprise? It seems that a lot of people with kids think they should be entitled to a lot of things just because they reproduced.
And honestly, kids + babies should not be allowed in business/first class. They cry, and it’s not their fault, it’s the air pressure.. but they still cry, and people that pay so much extra money to fly first class should not have to put up with a crying baby.
I wish there was a child-free airline, I would fly that every time, and pay extra for it!
I agree with a few other commenters. It’s miserable to be sitting next to someone with a baby. Anything that keeps babys off the plane is fine by me. I think people should have to pay the tickets of the people sitting next to them if they have a baby in their lap. Meh!
Monica, its called Business Class for a reason. We buy those seats so that we may concentrate on work or sleep so that we arrive prepared for a long day. Business Class is all about a comfortable seat and a quiet atmosphere. You are correct, anyone with a ticket can sit there. However, do you think its fair to subject people who have spent $10,000 to a crying child and dirty diapers?
I’m about to be a new mom and am a frequent traveler for both business and personal reasons. I fly coach almost exclusively due to price (I travel on too many different airlines to have elite status with any of them).
I am usually very tolerant of babies and kids on flights – after all, I’m going to be in those parents’ shoes in a few months’ time. I know that most parents are doing their best to keep the child happy and quiet (with some exceptions who ruin it for everyone).
That said, I have to agree that I have serious reservations about allowing a lap child in business or first class at all, especially on a long international flight. The passengers in those classes pay a premium to have a more comfortable flying experience. Often they have important business to tend to the next day, and need time to work or rest. Sitting next to a small child for 8-12 hours or more isn’t what they signed up for. It just seems to me that no infant or child is going to be well-behaved for that long of a period of time. Even with the best-behaved child, there are going to be serious externalities that are imposed on the occupants of the surrounding seats – noise, smell, getting kicked or jostled, etc. I know that obnoxious adults can impose these same externalities on others too, but at least you can reason with an adult (or rely on a flight attendant to deal with them).
My husband and I are definitely going to be traveling with our child overseas. We’ll be booking three seats in coach – most likely three that are separated from others by an aisle. We’ll save the lap baby experience for the one or two hour jaunts to nearby destinations. And we’ll save our miles for first class when we get to take that nice second honeymoon in a few years when the baby is old enough to stay home with someone else for a week.
I just flew round trip EWR – PDX in first class. On the first flight, there was one infant on board, sitting accross the aisle from me. On the second flight, there was and infant and a toddler. Yes, 5 1/2 – 6 hours isn’t such a long flight, but the children were sunny and quiet, except for some babbling. On one occasion, upon landing, one let out about 5 seconds of pained howl, then was quiet. There were adults that were far more annoying on those trips and they weren’t the mothers of the infants.
Stereotyping happens….sigh!
I, for one, am happy with this rule. If I paid big bucks to take business class, the LAST THING ON THE PLANET I want sitting beside me is some “I’m a mother so you have to respect me” woman and her whining child for hours and hours.
Why to people feel they’re entitled to special treatment just because they can copulate and squirt out a child?
@BabyHater, Grumpy and all those anti-children commenters- That is just not fair. Sure, there are those parents who have no control over their children and the airlines should make note of those families (just as they do other disruptive passengers). However, the majority of children on airplanes are so well-behaved that you don’t notice them! There is a difference between complying with a company policy (paying the stated fare for each given class) and giving parents a hard time just because they want to bring their children with them.
I have flown EWR – LAX several times with my son, both as a lap infant and a toddler in his own seat, and have had several FAs and passengers comment each time on how surprised they were to realize there was a baby on the flight because he was so quiet. I would never let my son howl and misbehave on the plane, but I have been tempted to after seeing some of the looks that people gave us at the beginning of the flight.
Children are just as entitled to transportation as you are and if you don’t like it, then you should drive yourself or charter a plane instead of taking public transportation.
To Deb and all the others whining about the odd crying baby… ear plugs, an eye mask, and a couple of gravol/dramamine… and quit yer bellyaching while you’re at it. It’s all part of flying. Whether you like it or not, a plane is a form of mass transit. And everything that comes with it!
Your “Lap Baby” screams and fusses just as loud in first and business class only it ticks off people who paid 10x more for the seats. Take your kid back to cargo and just deal with it. You’re not special. You’re little pooper isn’t special.
If you people are going to bring your stinkin cryin kids on a plane, at least drug them up with some Benadryl or something to shut em up so decent people, like me, can fly in peace.
Like many others, I agree this complaint has no leg to stand on. You’re talking about a business class ticket here.
Her ticket wasn’t just $60. It was $60 + HER FREQUENT FLIER MILES, and if my math serves me correct, her ticket would’ve cost $13k before her miles.
Letting the baby fly for only a mere $1.3k sounds like a bargain. Maybe next time she should accrue more miles which would COVER the baby too before deciding to go on a trip. Or just switch back to the economy seats if you want to save some money.
keep your damn kids at home
Just when I thought the financial bleeding had stopped, especially after the holidays, wouldn’t you know it; I have like a thousand birthdays coming up within the next two months – UGH! As I was complaining to my best friend over a cup of coffee, she told me about this site that she went to where she was “able to spend money she didn’t even know she had”. I know, I was scratching my head too. Actually what she was referring to was her frequent flyer miles. She found this site called milehighswap.com where people can swap their miles for things that they have up in the attic at home collecting dust. Aside from just “stuff”, you can also swap miles for services. Anyone need their taxes done? (hee hee) If you have more than one reward program that you belong to like me, I also found out that you can swap miles in one of your accounts with someone for miles in another. I guess the best way to describe it is that it’s like eBay, but instead of cash the currency is miles. I believe the site is in beta but it’s definitely worth checking out, especially if you have miles just sitting around waiting to expire.
You go Leslie. A very calm and resonable approach. More people should think like that. Good luck and congrats.
@Deborah
They have these ultra-high tech devices called earplugs nowadays.
Better still, some electronics companies make these incredibly comfortable devices called ‘head phones’. Some even reduce the ambient noise of an airplane to barely perceptible levels. Perhaps your company would be willing to shell out the $50-100 for a pair? The gains in productivity for an employee like yourself would be astronomical. You might even be able to get some sleep on those transatlantics.
I’m no fan of a crying baby in coach, business or first. But most people manage to suck it up and get stuff done despite it.
All the baby haters on this thread are ridiculous. If a parent can afford to pay for a seat for themselves and their kid, they have just as much right to sit in business as you do. Sorry that you’ve got work to do, but suck it up. You don’t get special privileges because you spent more money on a ticket.
I’ve been wrapping my head around it and I just cannot respect the position of the no babies crowd. Planes are open to the public. You don’t get to choose the person who is next to you. In public there are smelly people, fat people, ugly people, and yes, crying babies. Suck it up.
If you want to be separate from the public, the avail yourself of private transportation.
I’m even less inclined to respect the business/first class argument. People are in business class for a number of reasons. Biggest seats, better food, upgrades, and yes, some people (or their bosses) actually buy business class tickets. But once again, you are in a public place. Just because you want peace and quiet doesn’t mean that you’re entitled to have everyone else just shut up.
I recently took a first class flight where two self-important businessmen were jabbering about some stupid deal they were working on. I would have gladly taken the crying baby.
It seems to me that we are responsible for our own welfare. Ear plus, noise cancelling headsets, Ipods, In flight entertainment Systems seems like a very small price to pay to avoid stereotyping and discrimination.
And by the way, I am single and have no children.
I thought the point of business class is that you didn’t have children in it.