Family Fares

A child under the age of two travels for free. This usually applies to only one child per adult. If you have a second child under two, that child usually must pay a child's fare, which is about 80 percent of the economy coach adult fare. However, the child does not have to be traveling with a family member. So if there is another adult in your party or you can find a willing passenger (over 12 years old) who will officially "accompany" the child, you can save the extra fare and claim the child once you've boarded. The only problem is that there is no seat reserved for the child, who must sit on the lap of the adult, if all seats are booked.

This is the usual format for family fares: one adult pays full-fare Business or Economy; spouse and children travel on the same itinerary for substantially reduced rates. It ends up cheaper than if all family members travel Coach excursions, especially for a family of four or more. Also, family plan fares usually have fewer restrictions than Coach excursion fares. or economy class ticket.

"Kids fly free" promotions have also been popular in recent years. These are usually offered for a limited time during the summer and carry several restrictions, although the savings warrant the careful planning It's difficult to predict when airlines are going to offer these promotions, but when one announces such a program, you can be sure that the other major airlines will follow suit so as not to miss out on their share of summer travelers.