# Air travel with a 9 year old **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918 "2010-04-04T16:51:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/1 "2010-04-04T16:51:27Z")
I’m going to be taking a trip next month and I’m bringing my 9 year old son along. I haven’t bought the tickets yet, but I have a couple of questions and I’m not sure who to address these questions to. Maybe someone here has experience with this. I’ll be taking my 9 year old son along. I’m divorced, so his mother won’t be along for the trip. What do I need to bring along for the Security people, since he doesn’t have a driver’s license to show? Do I bring his birth certificate? Will I need some sort of notarized affidavit from my ex-wife? I’m not sure if JetBlue’s national customer service will be able to tell me what they’ll require at security at MSY or JFK airport. Secondly, on a slightly different topic, I searched flights with JetBlue and the tickets cost $118 going and $128 coming back plus taxes and fees. There will be 3 people traveling with a total cost of $800 for the tickets. I have points on one of my credit cards that will cover one round trip ticket, but not two. I’m wondering if I can buy three one-way tickets with the free credit card points and then pay for three one-way tickets back. JetBlue doesn’t seem to differentiate between a round-trip ticket and two one-way tickets. I know I can get that answer from JetBlue’s customer service, and I’m going to call them in the morning, but I figured I’d ask while I’m here. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/2 "2010-04-04T16:58:14Z")
“free” seats for use with miles are severely limited on any one flight. There may be only 1 or 2 seats on any given flight for use with miles. Once they are booked, you are SOL. So the chance of you finding 3 one ways on the same flight are one heck of a lot slimmer than finding one RT ticket. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/3 "2010-04-04T17:17:55Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > “free” seats for use with miles are severely limited on any one flight. There may be only 1 or 2 seats on any given flight for use with miles. Once they are booked, you are SOL. > So the chance of you finding 3 one ways on the same flight are one heck of a lot slimmer than finding one RT ticket. This isn’t miles, it’s reward points with no restrictions. They spend like cash. They’re not specific to air travel. (Capital One No Hassle Rewards) When I went on a trip last year, I called JetBlue to confirm and the customer service rep thought I had booked through a travel agent based on the type of confirmation number I had. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/4 "2010-04-04T17:29:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Effective June 21, 2008, adult passengers (18 and over) are required to show a U.S. federal or state-issued photo ID that contains the following: name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature in order to be allowed to go through the checkpoint and onto their flight. [http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/acceptable\_documents.shtm](http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/acceptable_documents.shtm) Also see [http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm](http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm) As for the tickets, contact the airline. Be aware that one-way tickets may raise suspicion. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/5 "2010-04-04T20:01:37Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > What do I need to bring along for the Security people, since he doesn’t have a driver’s license to show? If this is international travel, he’ll need a passport; if it isn’t why don’t you get him a passport anyway? ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/6 "2010-04-04T20:17:47Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > As for the tickets, contact the airline. Be aware that one-way tickets may raise suspicion. People buy one-way tickets all the time and are not subject to more extensive screening. Even if you were to received the dreaded _SSSS_ on your boarding pass, it only adds about 90 seconds to the check-in process. Certainly, there’s no reason to avoid purchasing one way tickets if it somehow saves you money just to avoid one-way ticketing. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/7 "2010-04-05T15:57:32Z")
If this is domestic travel, your nine year old son does not need any form of identification. The TSA agents may ask him his name and how old he is, that’s all. You don’t need any affidavit from his mother. If this is an international trip (which I doubt, since I don’t believe that JetBlue has any international flights) your son would be required to have a passport. Passports aren’t free and they do require both parents to be present when the application is completed. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/8 "2010-04-05T22:42:38Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > If this is international travel, he’ll need a passport; if it isn’t why don’t you get him a passport anyway? It would be easier and cheaper to get a state photo ID card. In California you can apply for one at the Department of Motor Vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/9 "2010-04-05T22:46:07Z")
You don’t necessarily need it for domestic travel, but for international travel which ever party out of my ex-wife or I takes my son overseas always carries a letter from the other party granting permission for the child to be taken out of the country. I don’t know if this is a requirement, but it might be. I know when she took him on a cruise, the cruise line required it. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/10 "2010-04-06T01:54:34Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > If this is international travel, he’ll need a passport; if it isn’t why don’t you get him a passport anyway? Never thought about that, but there’s not enough time between now and the trip to get a passport. It’s not international though. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/11 "2010-04-06T01:56:48Z")
> [@threemae](#): > > People buy one-way tickets all the time and are not subject to more extensive screening. Even if you were to received the dreaded _SSSS_ on your boarding pass, it only adds about 90 seconds to the check-in process. Certainly, there’s no reason to avoid purchasing one way tickets if it somehow saves you money just to avoid one-way ticketing. I’ve flown one way a number of times on car buying trips and never had an issue. What I thought the poster meant, and what concerned me about one-way tickets, is that I’m traveling with my son, and I’m divorced, and that the one-way tickets might around suspicion of kidnapping. However, it’s easy enough to show the one-way return tickets. The SSS isn’t a big deal either. I was traveling with a friend several years ago who had SSS on his boarding pass and it just involved a lot of extra stuff, but only delayed him about 5 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/12 "2010-04-06T02:00:48Z")
> [@villa](#): > > You don’t necessarily need it for domestic travel, but for international travel which ever party out of my ex-wife or I takes my son overseas always carries a letter from the other party granting permission for the child to be taken out of the country. > > I don’t know if this is a requirement, but it might be. I know when she took him on a cruise, the cruise line required it. I’m pretty sure this is the case for any travel involving an international border crossing. That’s where I got the idea about the affidavit. As for the free points to pay for the trip, it seems that I can pay for a ticket with my credit card and then redeem my points for a credit to the account and then just pay the rest of the trip off. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/13 "2010-04-06T15:11:11Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > I’ve flown one way a number of times on car buying trips and never had an issue. What I thought the poster meant, and what concerned me about one-way tickets, is that I’m traveling with my son, and I’m divorced, and that the one-way tickets might around suspicion of kidnapping. However, it’s easy enough to show the one-way return tickets. You are correct. I wasn’t clear in my previous post. As for travel internationally as a single, divorced parent, the [International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act](http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00001204----000-.html) (IPKCA) will apply. If you decide to seek a passport for your child, even if it’s just for ID purposes traveling domestically, be aware of this: > [@](#): > > U.S. law requires the signature of both parents, or the child’s legal guardians, prior to issuance of a U.S. passport to children under the age of 16. To obtain a U.S. passport for a child under the age of 16, both parents (or the child’s legal guardians) must execute the child’s passport application and provide documentary evidence demonstrating that they are the parents or guardians. If this cannot be done, the person executing the passport application must provide documentary evidence that he or she has sole custody of the child, has the consent of the other parent to the issuance of the passport, or is acting in place of the parents and has the consent of both parents (or of a parent/legal guardian with sole custody over the child to the issuance of the passport). [404 - Page Not Found](http://travel.state.gov/family/abduction/prevention/prevention_560.html) ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/14 "2010-04-06T15:17:15Z")
Back about 10 years ago, my then 13-year-old son got a passport in Australia while I was living in the U.S. (His mother and I were not divorced or legally separated – I’d moved to the U.S. for a job, and they were about to follow me, which is why he was getting a passport). The Australian passport people checked that he had my consent to getting a passport by having the Australian consulate in New York ring me and check on my bonafides. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/15 "2010-04-06T15:46:48Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > If this is international travel, he’ll need a passport; if it isn’t why don’t you get him a passport anyway? That’s a silly suggestion. Kids’ passports cost the same as one for an adult and involve at least a minimal bureaucratic hassle. It also might raise the hackles of mom when she finds out. And they’re only good for five years if you’re under 18, so given that he’s only now traveling with him for the first time, it’s not likely to be used again later. I’ve never been asked for IDs for my children when traveling, either with their mom or just with two of us. Maybe if the kid looked like he was under duress. The TSA’s job is to keep travel safe, not monitor for parents abducting their kids. ---
**Author:** ![uncle\_squeegee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b5e925/32.png) [@uncle\_squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uncle_squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/16 "2010-04-08T04:48:15Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > If this is domestic travel, your nine year old son does not need any form of identification. The TSA agents may ask him his name and how old he is, that’s all. You don’t need any affidavit from his mother. > > If this is an international trip (which I doubt, since I don’t believe that JetBlue has any international flights) your son would be required to have a passport. Passports aren’t free and they do require both parents to be present when the application is completed. FYI, JetBlue does have a few international destinations. See their [map](http://www.jetblue.com/wherewejet/). ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/17 "2010-04-11T15:01:22Z")
Okay, just to let everybody know how this turned out…I booked the trip and was able to get one round-trip fare for free through the credit card points. I used the free points for a friend who’s traveling with us. Then I booked my ticket and my son’s tickets together (and still only paid $267 per round trip ticket from MSY to JFK with less than 2 weeks notice). JetBlue’s customer service suggested that I needed no ID whatsoever for my son. I might bring his birth certificate along just in case. Can anyone else suggest anything I might be forgetting? This is my son’s first time on an airliner and his first trip to NYC. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/18 "2010-04-11T16:03:07Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > Can anyone else suggest anything I might be forgetting? This is my son’s first time on an airliner and his first trip to NYC. Bring something to occupy him on the flight - book, video games, puzzle book, something. Flights can get pretty boring for a kid. Or try to use the time to talk to him; he’s not a teen yet, it might work. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/19 "2010-04-11T17:24:48Z")
Are you bringing your son’s birth certificate or a copy of it? I wouldn’t bring the original…things get lost. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918/20 "2010-04-12T04:22:38Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Are you bringing your son’s birth certificate or a copy of it? I wouldn’t bring the original…things get lost. A certified copy from the courthouse. I’m sure the original was lost years ago. My ex-wife isn’t good at hanging on to that sort of thing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-travel-with-a-9-year-old/534918.md?page=2)