Veteran actress Neena Gupta is known for being quite candid with her fans on Instagram. From sharing candid experience to cooking tips, Neena Gupta has an A-game on Instagram. Recently, Neena shared an anecdote recalling a rather inconvenient incident that happened at the airport when the family was travelling with Masaba and her 2.5-month-old-daughter Matara.
What happened with Neena Gupta's family
Sharing a video of herself which was titled 'Janhit Mein Jaari', Neena Gupta began, "We were travelling to Goa along with my granddaughter, Masaba’s daughter, who is 2.5 months old. Nowadays, you need to book a ticket for little kids below two years. You don’t get a seat but are charged a little with a proper ticket. You have to show documents like birth certificates, etc. On our way back, we flew a different airline — Air India. When we went to the counter, they told us, ‘Sorry ma’am, aapki choti bacchi nahi ja sakti‘ (Your granddaughter can’t travel). They said children below two years are called infants as per the system.”
The 'Badhaai Ho' actress added that despite the details such as the age, with the birth certificate, the airlines did not let them clear the security. They were made to wait before being told to cancel the ticket and book a fresh one that mentioned the 'infant'. "What is the problem? Who the hell knows infant in India? We say baccha na– chota ya bada (we say baccha, whether the kid is an infant or older). How many people would know this differentiation?” she further added.
“They made us wait for 15-20 minutes. We had to cancel the ticket and buy a new ticket with infant mentioned. That is when we could check in. This video is to just warn young mothers to be careful when travelling with a small kid which could be a problem,” she said.
For context, children above two and below 12 are given child tickets for air travel. A separate seat is also given to them. In some airlines, there is a discounted rate when it comes to flight tickets on the child ticket. However, a child ticket cannot be used for infants on flights because an infant is a baby under two who most likely travels on an adult's lap without a separate seat.