Lifestyle

6 Things Grandparents Should Check Before Booking a Flight With a Grandchild

By Erica Coleman · August 4, 2026

You booked the flights. You packed the snacks. You’re standing at TSA with a five-year-old. And nobody told you that you might need a notarized letter from the child’s parents.

Flying with grandchildren is one of the most common family travel scenarios in the country — and one of the least prepared for. Airlines and airports have rules that most grandparents don’t learn about until something goes wrong. Here’s what to check before you book.

You may need a notarized parental consent letter. If you’re flying domestically with a grandchild and neither parent is present, TSA doesn’t require documentation beyond a boarding pass. But airlines can ask questions, and if you’re flying internationally, many countries require a notarized letter from both parents authorizing the child’s travel. Customs and Border Protection recommends carrying one even for domestic flights as a precaution. The letter should include the child’s full name, the parents’ names and contact information, your name and relationship, travel dates, and destinations.

Lap children aren’t always free. Children under two can generally fly free on a parent’s or grandparent’s lap on domestic flights. But not on every airline, not on every route, and not internationally — where many carriers charge 10% to 75% of the adult fare for a lap infant. Once a child turns two, a purchased seat is required regardless of size.

You can’t always sit together without paying extra. Most airlines no longer guarantee adjacent seats without an upgrade. If you’re flying with a young grandchild and haven’t purchased seat assignments in advance, you may be placed in separate rows. The FAA doesn’t require airlines to seat families together. Some carriers have family seating policies that make reasonable efforts to accommodate young children — but “reasonable efforts” doesn’t mean “guaranteed.”

Car seats are allowed on planes — and sometimes required. The FAA recommends that children under 40 pounds use an approved child restraint system on the plane. If your grandchild has a purchased seat and you’re bringing a car seat, it must be FAA-approved — which is marked on the seat itself. Not all car seats qualify, and booster seats are generally not permitted for use during flight. If you’re renting a car at your destination, coordinating the car seat for both the flight and the rental saves money and hassle.

Medical information matters more than you think. If a grandchild has allergies, takes medication, or has a medical condition, carry documentation. Airlines need to know about severe allergies — particularly nut allergies — to make accommodations. If the child takes prescription medication, bring it in the original labeled bottle with the prescriber’s name. TSA allows liquid medications through security but may inspect them separately.

Unaccompanied minor rules don’t apply to you — but age cutoffs do. If you’re dropping a grandchild off at the gate for a solo flight, airlines have age minimums — typically 5 to 8 for nonstop flights and 8 to 12 for connecting flights. The unaccompanied minor service usually costs $100 to $150 each way and requires paperwork designating who will pick the child up at the destination. Some airlines don’t offer the service on certain routes or during certain hours.

The flight itself is the easy part. The preparation is where families get caught. A 10-minute checklist before booking — consent letters, seat policies, car seat compatibility, medical documentation — prevents the kind of surprises that turn a vacation into a logistics crisis.