Complicated question about ‘when’ a child turns 2 and the return journey.

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Travelling long haul with my sister and our children for 1wk next year to attend a wedding. It needs to obviously be that week and these flights. Date of return flight is the day before my neice’s birthday but due to time zones we would land 15minutes into her birthday. We don’t want to book and be caught out. So my question is, does it go on the date listed as your return date or the technical date of landing. I hope this makes sense. Thanks

Sorry just to clarify, it’s her 2bd birthday so obviously makes a dramatic difference to the price.

I think you need to talk to the airline. That's pretty specific, and each airline may treat it differently.

It will make a massive difference- if they treat her as a child on return, you may have to pay child rate for the whole journey.

Thanks Dunes. We looked on the website and it says, ‘the infant must not have reached the age of 2yrs either before or on the date of return’ So she would seem to be still classed as an infant as ‘date of return’ is date before her birthday and time if flight plus length of flight would still be day before if she wasn’t crossing the Atlantic. But we’re worried we’ll get to the airport and they’ll say we need to buy her a ticket and worse, say the plane is full as the earlier one already is.

Bump

She should be fine as when she boards the return flight she will not be 2.

But contact the airline directly. Easiest way is online chat.

Ask the airline. Don't ask here. Different airlines may have different policies.

Agree with pp...have an online chat with the airline if possible...and screenshot the chat contents to keep as a record. If only phone conversation available and they tell you it's ok...the child will be classed as infant...then I would ask them to confirm in writing.

On a long haul flight you will want to have your child in their own seat.

Thanks everyone. I didn’t realise it could vary from one airline to another. I’ll get online and ask them.

We did a return flight with dd turning 2 while we were away. The airline charged infant price for both legs of the journey but she was allocated a seat which she had to use for takeoff and landing for the return flight. You might find the airline say she needs to have a seat for the landing as she is 2 by then but i don't think they should charge you for it.

Thanks greensnail. She literally turns 2, 15mins before we would land. So maybe for the landing but in theory with a good wind we may even land by midnight. I’m going to speak to them.

Do confirm with the airline but I’m 99% sure she CAN travel as a lap infant because she won’t yet be 2 on the departure date. But seriously, only a sadist wouldn’t book a seat for an almost 2 year old on a long haul flight.