Award travel with lap infants

El Ingeniero

Level 2 Member
I am planning out MSP-PEK-BCN-MSP in J and/or F with my wife and kiddo to visit in-laws in China, and my cousin in Valencia, Spain for next April or May.

Have 126K AS, 380K UR (probably more like 600K by that time), 404K AA (and probably more by then).

What I don't understand is which airlines would take my kiddo (born February) as a lap infant on award tickets (I'd be willing to pay a nominal surcharge), and how to actually get that done. Don't want to show up at the airport and then not be able to board. It gets really tricky with awards where I fly on partner metal.

Can someone point me at some resources?
 

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
I am planning out MSP-PEK-BCN-MSP in J and/or F with my wife and kiddo to visit in-laws in China, and my cousin in Valencia, Spain for next April or May.

Have 126K AS, 380K UR (probably more like 600K by that time), 404K AA (and probably more by then).

What I don't understand is which airlines would take my kiddo (born February) as a lap infant on award tickets (I'd be willing to pay a nominal surcharge), and how to actually get that done. Don't want to show up at the airport and then not be able to board. It gets really tricky with awards where I fly on partner metal.

Can someone point me at some resources?
It varies by airline, but typically the number is 10%. The vast range comes into play when that 10% is of the adults full fare vs of an adults award ticket. I think there are some resources out there on it, maybe this will work to get you started: http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/17/infant-award-travel/

Just do the math on the F ticket (and to a lesser degree the J) for all those posts who say they got a $25K F experience for 140K AS miles... that's a $2.5K ticket for the infant.. might want to get them their own seat in that situation!
 

El Ingeniero

Level 2 Member
Well, crap. Those 126K AS miles are not going to do MSP-SEA-PEK in F/J on Alaska and Hainan + a lap infant, unless I can get Hainan to sell me a separate ticket for the kiddo, which should run $350 + taxes & fees.
 

redbirdsj

Level 2 Member
Not a lot of great options here. Typical advice is to use Aeroplan or BA for lap infant trips because of low copays. Agree with Matt, you just gotta do the math on a CPM basis.
 

satz

Level 2 Member
Be very careful with Aeroplan. Long story short, they cannot issue lap infant award tickets on Air China. I got burned by this.
 
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