Passenger Lindsay Gottlieb detailed a troubling encounter with an employee of the airline on Twitter, writing, “I’m appalled that after approx 50 times flying with my 1 year old son, ticket counter personnel told me I had to ‘prove’ that he was my son, despite having his passport.”
Southwest has since issued an apology to the family. “We have reached out to Ms. Gottlieb directly to address her concerns and will utilize the situation as a coaching opportunity for our Employee. We apologize if our interaction made this family uncomfortable — that is never our intention,” the airline said in a statement, according to theAssociated Press.
“Airlines have asked this of me, too, with my daughter,”tweeted Teigen, who shares Luna, 2, and Miles, 2 weeks, with husband John Legend. “Once I learned it’s a precaution for the very real threat of child trafficking, I stopped being exasperated with it. Now I’m kind of worried when they don’t ask.” She also notes that she now carries a “file folder of papers” when she travels with her kids.
Teigen is doing it right, according to Tracy Stewart, an air travel expert and editor atAirfare Watchdog.
Here’s what he says should have happened and why.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP/REX/Shutterstock
Still, he allows, “it’s definitely unusual for an airline employee to ask a passenger to provide social media profiles, even as an additional means of identification. This is something that’s even off limits to TSA and Customs and Border Protection agents.”
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So what should the parent of a young child have with them when flying?
“Even if your airline requires a birth certificate, it wouldn’t hurt to bring along additional documentation such as a passport, immunization records, or, for older children and teens, school IDs, report cards, or a social security card,” says Stewart.
Still, uncomfortable encounters like Gottlieb’s are bound to happen.
“As travelers, we often trust airline employees to be more knowledgeable than us when it comes to company policy and federal regulations, but anyone who reads the news knows this isn’t always the reality,” he says. “Travelers are often left feeling powerless when things go wrong. Check individual airline requirements online before heading to the airport. And, if at any point you feel an airline employee oversteps their role, definitely report it to the airline after the fact.”
source: people.com
