Digital Lap Child Booking and Boarding
I led the product team in creating a complete digital experience for families traveling with lap children, from booking to boarding.
Self-Service Booking
Booking Southwest travel for our smallest customers is now easier than ever. Customers can easily book with a lap child for domestic and international travel on dollar-based tickets directly at Southwest.com and in the Southwest app.
With this change, over a million customers who travel with a lap child each year no longer need to call in advance. They can:
- Add their lap child while making their digital booking
- At the airport, skip the lines and print a lap child boarding document at a self-service kiosk
Digital Boarding Passes
Each year millions of lap children fly on Southwest Airlines. Even when flying on a parent’s lap, we need to maintain documentation for eligibility and safety. Previously, this required:
- Stopping at a kiosk, OR
- Visiting the Airport Help Desk
Now, lap child boarding verification documents appear right in the Southwest app. Parents can:
- Skip the lobby if not checking bags
- Head straight to security with the digital pass
- Save a step and reduce paper waste
The Complete Experience
Together, these improvements mean families can:
- Book online with lap child included
- Check in digitally like any other passenger
- Access boarding documents in the app
- Skip kiosk stops and head straight through
Why It Matters
Traveling with children is already challenging enough. By digitizing the entire lap child journey from booking to boarding, we’ve removed multiple friction points for families.
Team Recognition
Special thanks to all the wonderful Cohearts who made this possible, from the booking team to the Service Modernization team.
Over a million customers who travel with lap children each year can now book and board entirely digitally—no phone calls needed.
