Taking my kids to North Carolina in a few days. My mother, the eternal worry wart, called SWA to check on ID requirements and was told that I need to have their birth certificates so that they can fly with me.

WTH? First I've ever heard of this. Can anyone verify or debunk this?

Thanks,

Lol I've never had anything like that happen.

My son flies SW ALL the time, both with me and unaccompanied. They don't ask for ID of the kid is obviously under 18. He is asked sometimes now because he is 17 and looks 21 (and he has a DL that he can show), but they never asked when he was younger.

SW won't check any ID at all - this would just be for TSA.

If you were flying internationally and their mother wasn't with you, the SW agent at check in might ask for a note from her indicating she knows you are taking them out if the country. But that's a note from her, not a BC.

The only time I've ever been asked by an airline to show a BC is when you want to fly with a lap infant.

We've flown with our kids as young as 5 months, and have never been asked to show any kind of documentation or ID for them.

i take a copy, as we've been asked before. However, its the exception more than the rule. I'd rather have it than to not and have to deal with potentially not being able to get on the flight.

edit: i have never been asked on SW. Two times I can remember were Delta and United.

You know what, there may have been ONE (out of dozens of flights over 10 years) time a SW ticketing agent asked for a BC. It was back when my son flew as an unaccompanied minor (and you can't print your boarding pass at home). He asked for it when we went to get the BP and I looked at him like he was nuts, so he said nevermind.

If you have your boarding passes, you don't even have to talk to a SW ticketing agent. Just proceed to security. The gate agent won't ask you to show any ID.

my kids are young, so we have to take car seats and all that crap, which means we typically have to talk to an agent to check that stuff. That increases the likelihood that they might ask for a BC. With older kids, you are spot-on.

If you all have the same last name (on the tickets), it won't be an issue. Your ID will extend to them.

This is straight from the TSA:

Will minors need to have a driver's license or state ID to fly domestically?

TSA does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling with a companion within the United States. The companion will need acceptable identification.

We flew recently and they asked our 11 year old what her name is and how old she is. We've coached her to answer firmly and with conviction.

I've been asked on southwest. Ironically not on others. I've always carried birth certificates with me. Now I just have his passport.

My kids are 15 and 17 and on 2 different trips in June they were asked for ID going through security. This was the first time I ever remember this happening on domestic flights.

My daughter is 15 and was traveling between Houston and Huntsville, Alabama with her dad and she was asked for ID at both airports. My son is 17 and he was asked in both Houston and Orlando.

Only thing I can figure is that they both had their own boarding passes on their phones to show at security instead of me having mine and their boarding passes on my phone.

I do always travel with their birth certificates though just as proof that these are my children since it has my name and their names on one document.

SW asks when you are traveling with a kid as a lap baby for verification that they are under 2

We just flew SW with a 6yo, 4yo, and a 1yo. SW didn't care to check the 6yo and the 4yo. With the 1yo we were getting a lap child ticket so they checked. Security check didn't check either.