Help! Why did United Airlines charge me twice for my lap baby?

Adding a lap baby to an international award ticket can be complicated, especially if you’re redeeming points or miles through a partner airline. TPG reader and points enthusiast Moses Gluck knows this all too well. He thought adding his 12-month-old son as a lap baby to his United Airlines reservation would be simple. 

Unfortunately, trying to include his baby on his United ticket morphed into a bizarrely difficult endeavor. Then, his baby’s ticket disappeared on each leg of his family’s round-trip journey from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Geneva Airport (GVA). In the end, Gluck said United mistakenly charged him twice to sit with his child on his lap on the flight home.

After several attempts to get a refund for the overpayment and having little luck with various United customer service agents, Gluck reached out to TPG for help.

He hoped TPG could find out what went wrong with this reservation so he could avoid repeating a similar experience. Of course, he also wanted United to process that refund he’d been pursuing since last summer. 

Here’s his frustrating tale.

Using points to book United Airlines Polaris seats to Europe

When Gluck and his wife started planning their trip to Europe last year, they intended to do some strategizing with their points and miles. Since their child would travel with them as a lap baby, they were looking for business-class redemption possibilities to optimize their comfort. 

First, Gluck snagged two one-way business-class seats on United Airlines via Air Canada for 60,000 Aeroplan points each. He temporarily held those award tickets while he transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points into his Air Canada Aeroplan account at a 1:1 redemption rate. 

But there was even better points redemption news for the couple.

“There was a special 20 percent bonus offer at the time, so I was able to transfer just 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to cover these tickets,” Gluck told me. 

After confirming the two award seats to Switzerland in United’s Polaris class, an Air Canada agent added the lap baby to the reservation.

“My son who would sit on my lap during the flight cost an additional 2,500 Aeroplan points,” Gluck said. “The two award seats were 162 Canadian dollars plus the 100,000 points.”

Feeling pleased with what he considered an excellent use of his Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Gluck thought the most challenging part of the booking was over. He intended to reserve the return flight directly with United Airlines.

Trying to add a lap baby to the return award ticket

Gluck had about 100,000 United miles left in his account and hoped for similar luck booking his family’s flights home from Europe. But it quickly became apparent that they wouldn’t be flying back in business-class seats. 

“The award availability kept fluctuating while I was attempting to book through UA’s website,” Gluck recalled. “I kept encountering issues, so I called United Airlines instead.”

Gluck assumed that a live agent at United could easily book the tickets and include the baby. But he immediately noticed that the agent seemed unsure about the process. 

“It seemed complicated [to the United Airlines agent],” Gluck explained. “Finally, after 50 minutes, she confirmed the two tickets and added my son to my ticket as a lap baby.”

The couple would fly home in the main cabin for 46,800 miles each, and the baby would cost just $85 to sit on a parent’s lap. Soon, Gluck received a confirmation from United Airlines confirming the two award tickets with seat assignments for the flights. 

Had he looked carefully at that confirmation, he would have noticed immediately that the reservation didn’t mention the baby. This omission made it clear that the United agent had not booked the lap baby properly. 

Every passenger on a flight must have a ticket — even lap babies. If your infant child doesn’t have a 13-digit ticket number, they won’t be cleared for takeoff. 

But Gluck wasn’t familiar with flying with a lap baby, so he didn’t know that what he had just confirmed didn’t include his son. Big problems were on the horizon for the family.

Heading to the airport, but the baby doesn’t have a ticket

On the day of their flight to Switzerland, the family arrived early at the airport to enjoy the United Club Lounge. It was a good thing they’d arrived early. As they approached the check-in counter and handed over their passports, the agent looked at them strangely. 

“She said my son didn’t have a ticket to travel with us,” Gluck said. “She went and got her supervisor.” 

For the next 30 minutes, Gluck and his wife wondered if the problem would prevent the family from making their flight. Finally, the agents were able to print a ticket for the baby without any additional charge. 

Happy to put the confusion at the check-in counter behind them, the family headed straight to the gate. They were soon on their way to Geneva, enjoying the comfy Polaris seats on the United Airlines aircraft.

Surprise! The baby doesn’t have a ticket home, either

Gluck says that for the next week, the family had a wonderful time without incident. They rented a car and drove through the countryside, including neighboring France. With the negative experience at Newark a distant memory, the couple had no inkling that more problems were coming. 

After struggling to find the correct location to return the vehicle at GVA, they were pressed for time when they showed up at the check-in counter. 

As was the case on the outbound portion of their flight, as soon as the couple handed over their passports, there was a clear problem.

“Unbelievably, this agent said our baby was not booked for the flight. I told her I had a receipt for the $85 that I had paid to United Airlines for the lap child ticket. But she said if I wanted our son to be included, we had to pay an additional $191,” Gluck said.

Of course, leaving their offspring behind in Switzerland wasn’t an option, so Gluck paid the fee. He figured he would straighten out the problem once he arrived home. The United agent quickly processed the payment and handed over three boarding passes, and the family flew home without any further problems. 

But later, when United Airlines refused to refund the extra fee he was made to pay on the spot at the airport in Geneva, Gluck was angry. No airline employee could explain why his child had not been booked properly on either flight, even though he used a live agent. 

Hoping for answers, he turned to TPG.

Asking TPG for help

When Gluck sent his request for help to TPG, I went through his paper trail and noticed immediately that his confirmation didn’t contain the necessary ticket information for his baby. As mentioned above and in a previous article on flying with a lap baby, your child doesn’t have a confirmed reservation if you don’t get a 13-digit ticket number in his or her name. 

In Gluck’s case, he had a credit card receipt showing that United had charged him $85 at the same time it had billed the couple for the taxes for their return flight. What was unclear was why a lap baby ticket hadn’t been issued — on either leg. On the outbound portion of the itinerary, the agents at Newark corrected the problem without any charge. So, why wasn’t United able to do the same in Geneva?

It was time to ask our executive contact at United Airlines. This is not a customer-facing person, but someone I can reach to get answers for the consumers who contact me as a travel ombudsman for help.  

Can United Airlines say what went wrong with this lap baby’s ticket?

I spoke to our contact at United Airlines, and it still wasn’t clear what had gone wrong with both legs of the Glucks’ trip. None of that should have happened since the couple used airline representatives for both bookings. 

However, after reviewing what happened, United agreed that the mistake was on their end and provided a refund for the lap baby fee charged at the airport in Geneva. 

“Hi Michelle – appreciate your patience on this one. Confirming our team has processed a refund for the $191.00 charge and the customer should see the refund back to their credit card in 5-7 business days,” a United spokesperson wrote in an email.

Gluck was pleased with the outcome, but it still didn’t answer his question about how he had become embroiled in this travel fiasco. 

Here’s exactly how to avoid this snafu.

How to make sure your lap baby actually is cleared for boarding

Most airlines offer passengers low-cost ways to fly with babies under 2 years old, but you must take steps to successfully take advantage of this offering — especially if you’re booking an award ticket.

Ensure that you can add your lap baby to your ticket

You must first check that adding a lap baby to your itinerary is possible, especially when booking award tickets with partner airlines since some don’t offer that. Also, remember that on international flights, there is nearly always a small fee based on the cost of your ticket to bring a lap baby with you.

Talk to a real person to book your award ticket and add your baby

Gluck was on the right track when he decided to call United Airlines directly to book his baby’s flight. It’s always a good idea to talk to a real person at the airline when booking an unusual ticket. Another option is to use a trusted travel adviser to confirm that your baby will fly with you.  

Be certain you receive a ticket number for your baby

Although your flight might be free or nearly free for your baby, you still need a ticket for your child. When you receive a confirmation for your own ticket (the one whose lap the baby will be occupying), you must see your child’s name with a 13-digit ticket number. If you don’t have that, something went wrong, and your child doesn’t have a ticket. Don’t wait until you get to the airport to attempt to fix this. 

Mind your baby’s date of birth

So, what happens if your child is under 24 months old when the journey begins but celebrates a birthday before your return flight? This is a super important point that I’ve seen time and again end in astronomical financial consequences for parents. Children can fly on their parents’ laps until their second birthday, with no exceptions. 

However, if your baby turns 2 during your trip abroad, he or she is no longer a baby in the eyes of the airlines or governing regulatory bodies. The child is no longer eligible to sit in your lap when he or she turns 2, and you must pay full price for them on your return flight. So, always keep that in mind when planning international trips as children approach their second birthdays. 

Safety first

Finally, no article about lap babies on airlines would be complete without a note about safety. There is no doubt that your baby is safest in his or her own seat — strapped into a Federal Aviation Administration-approved restraint system. Most airlines have disclaimers on their websites recommending passengers buy an additional seat for their child rather than put them on their lap. Remember, in turbulence, you may not be able to hold onto your baby, and the results of such a situation can be devastating. 

Always carefully consider the benefits against the risk when deciding whether to fly with your infant in your lap. 

Bottom line

Adding a lap baby to an award ticket is straightforward on United Airlines, so what went wrong in this case is unclear. However, the signs were all there that something had gone wrong long before this family headed to the airport. By then, with the clock ticking before the flight closed, Gluck had no choice but to pay the additional fee. 

Unfortunately, had Gluck not reached out to TPG, he likely would have been stuck paying the upcharge for his baby’s flight home. The good news is that he contacted TPG and wanted his story told so others could learn from his experience. 

Remember, fixing any mistakes within 24 hours of booking is always easier. That’s when tickets can be canceled without penalty and rebooked even if you’ve made a mistake. 

I’m happy we could help this family get the ticket they originally booked at the price they booked it at. If you have a similar problem, send your request for help to ombudsman@thepointsguy.com, and I’ll be happy to investigate and help you, too.