A family who recently traveled with American Airlines from Los Angeles to Philadelphia had the shock of their lives when they went to return to the airport and found out that they were going to be charged more than $800 for their two-year-old daughter being forced to pay for an extra seat, when she was permitted to travel on the lap of the parent on the outbound flight.
Lena Anthony, an influencer and actress, was traveling to Pennsylvania with her family, which includes four children aged six, four, two, and six months. On June 30, the family departed from 
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to 
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) with the oneworld carrier, where her two-year-old and six-month-old flew on their lap with no issue.
American Airlines Permitted Child To Sit On Parents’ Lap On Outbound Flight
After spending two weeks in Pennsylvania, the family returned to the airport to fly back to California and were told they would need to purchase an additional seat for their two-year-old daughter, Triumph. They were immediately confused, as they were able to travel from Los Angeles with no issue.
The family provided birth certificates in Los Angeles before departing for Philadelphia, and although the Federal Aviation Adminstration’s(FAA) regulations require children over 24 months to have their own seat, the airline unknowingly allowed the child to travel to Pennsylvania on a parent’s lap .
When the family questioned American’s request for their return trip home, the supervisor said there was no way the family was allowed to travel here with this type of reservation. The family tried to show photos of how they were allowed to do so; however, it did not change the airline’s mind.
FAA Regulations For Two-Year-Old Passengers
Wikimedia Commons, Simple Flying
According to PEOPLE, the Anthony family went back and forth with the airline managers at the airport for over half an hour, until the children were on the floor crying. Eventually, the airline employee gave the Anthonys an ultimatum, which was to pay for an extra ticket or ‘you don’t go home’, or get on the flight and leave the child behind.
The family ended up forking out an extra $871 for the one-way ticket back to Los Angeles, and the Anthonys thought that was the end of the drama. Once the family boarded the aircraft, they realized that the seat selection had placed Triumph on her own at the rear of the aircraft. They were able to negotiate with another passenger to swap seats.
Following the incident, the family has been emotionally distressed and has filed a complaint with the Fort Worth-based carrier; according to a video shared by Anthony, they have not received a response from the airline in over a week. Simple Flying reached out to American for comment; however, it could not immediately reach an airline spokesperson.
Why Do Two-Year-Olds Need Their Own Seat?
Aviation safety rules require any passenger over the age of two to occupy their own seat with a seatbelt fastened for take-off, turbulence, and landing, for several reasons including physical size, restraint rules, and impact force. Most airlines offer a child fare discount of around 75% of the adult fare, depending on the route.
As stipulated by the FAA, children under the age of two do not need to purchase their own seat; children ages two and older must have a separate ticket and seat, per airline commercial policy and industry standards. The FAA states that a lap child is not securely restrained during turbulence or sudden stops, which is why it urges purchasing a separate seat. Once a child turns two, commercial airlines must have the child occupy their own seat to support weight distribution and operational tracking.
