Booking a 5 year a ticket seperate from parents
Apr 26, 2024, 12:11 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 599
Booking a 5 year a ticket seperate from parents
So long story short - trying to book a ticket for my 5 year old daughter. Mom and Dad (myself) each have enough points for ourselves, then will pay cash for daughter's tickets. The tickets are international, and I am pretty sure I can't just book the 5 year old's ticket online by itself - has anyone done this? Do we need to book via phone?
cheers
cheers
Apr 26, 2024, 12:20 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: USA
Programs: DL PM - IC RA - HHonors Gold - Hertz Gold - AA - US - CO - Choice Privileges
Posts: 1,679
So long story short - trying to book a ticket for my 5 year old daughter. Mom and Dad (myself) each have enough points for ourselves, then will pay cash for daughter's tickets. The tickets are international, and I am pretty sure I can't just book the 5 year old's ticket online by itself - has anyone done this? Do we need to book via phone?
cheers
cheers
Apr 26, 2024, 2:44 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,551
IME phone agents have the authority to waive a phone booking fee and are not that reluctant to do it if there's a logical reason.
Apr 26, 2024, 3:18 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 27
Yes, it's possible. A travel agent can do it or you can call AA directly. I doubt the website will let you do it, but essentially it's just a matter of setting up the paid reservation and then linking it iwith the award reservations on the backend so AA's automations don't flag your 5 year old as an unregistered unaccompanied minor.
Apr 26, 2024, 5:15 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 520
Cant speak for AA, but I do it all the time on the Southwest website. When you enter the minor's age when booking their ticket separately, it asks for the confirmation number of the adult who will be traveling with the minor. The minor's ticket is then linked to the adult. The adult cant alter their ticket online unless they cancel the minor's ticket first.
Apr 26, 2024, 6:09 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2023
Posts: 81
Since its international travel, it would be better to book one adult and the child together on the award ticket and the other adult on the revenue ticket. There are various reasons to keep the child pared with an adult on the PNR - easier to book, checkin, go thru TSA security, and removes any obstacles that other countries might present.
Apr 26, 2024, 7:25 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,077
So long story short - trying to book a ticket for my 5 year old daughter. Mom and Dad (myself) each have enough points for ourselves, then will pay cash for daughter's tickets. The tickets are international, and I am pretty sure I can't just book the 5 year old's ticket online by itself - has anyone done this? Do we need to book via phone?
Since its international travel, it would be better to book one adult and the child together on the award ticket and the other adult on the revenue ticket. There are various reasons to keep the child pared with an adult on the PNR - easier to book, checkin, go thru TSA security, and removes any obstacles that other countries might present.
The adult then could also earn ff miles ~ status where as the child may not. Pay cash for the ticket of adult where the ff miles will be the most benift in the future. But consider the status benefits, if any, the award or paying passenger may get on this trip.
AA thread --> FAQ: TCP, "Linking" / link / merge itineraries / PNR (master thread)
Apr 26, 2024, 7:50 pm
#10
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,677
Since its international travel, it would be better to book one adult and the child together on the award ticket and the other adult on the revenue ticket. There are various reasons to keep the child pared with an adult on the PNR - easier to book, checkin, go thru TSA security, and removes any obstacles that other countries might present.
Apr 27, 2024, 6:11 am
#11
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: The Stars At Night...
Programs: AAdvantage
Posts: 320
Yes, it won’t let you book a ticket for a 5 year-old with no adults online. You’ll need to book hers via phone and have the agent link your record locator with hers (but it’ll be a separate locator since award tix can’t be on the same locator as paid ones). We used to do this all the time when we travelled with our kids when they were younger, although we do the reverse: we book our kids on the award ticket and pay cash for ours, so we can accrue the miles for the paid ticket. You might want to consider doing it that way unless there’s a reason you want to let your daughter accrue the miles instead.
Apr 27, 2024, 12:50 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 599
Since its international travel, it would be better to book one adult and the child together on the award ticket and the other adult on the revenue ticket. There are various reasons to keep the child pared with an adult on the PNR - easier to book, checkin, go thru TSA security, and removes any obstacles that other countries might present.
P1 has enough miles for one pax
P2 had enough miles for one pax
third ticket = cash
There will be three different reservations regardless of how we do it.
I guess I could do P1 book P1 + child one way
p2 book p1 + child the other way
Then P2 pays cash