My Experience with AZ's Byzantine Infant Policy in J
Jul 10, 2016, 2:40 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Skymiles, SPG
Posts: 13
My Experience with AZ's Byzantine Infant Policy in J
I recently flew with my ALMOST 2 year old daughter from JFK-MXP-JFK in Business (Magnifica) class. Thanks to her grandfather's largesse, she had her own seat.
I'm posting this because there was a copious amount of conflicting/misinformation around the internet regarding Alitalia's supposedly militant and backwards policies on infant travel, and most of it was at least two years out of date. For instance, several websites said that Alitalia didn't even ALLOW the booking of seats for under-two year olds, yet also apparently required them without exception (if in J) to be placed in EU/FAA approved car-seats. Alitalia's website seems to be sort of vague, saying that "the safest place" for children is in their car seats but not explicitly saying they're required.
As my daughter is just a month shy of her 2nd birthday and almost to the limit of being comfortable in her car seat, we were seriously hoping to get away with her NOT having to sit in a car seat the entire flight.
On our flight from JFK to MXP, we encountered zero resistance and zero questions. I gate checked both her car seat and stroller, plopped her down in the seat, and we were off. We did get one curious eyebrow raise from the purser after he asked if she was two (and we lied), but he didn't press the matter and didn't ask again. And best case scenario came to pass: she slept in her bed for 7 out of the 8 hours we were in the air.
Our flight back from MXP was a slightly different story. Upon check in, the desk agent told us that we would HAVE to bring the car seat on board, and even wrote on her boarding pass "Infant - car seat required." However, once on the plane, the crew seemed as if they couldn't care less. After takeoff, we stowed the car seat in the one empty seat in the cabin until landing.
Also: just to defend the oft-maligned Alitalia: our experience with the service and the new J cabins on the A330 was outstanding. The seats are quite comfortable (although the entertainment options pretty limited), the new navy/brown leather decor is striking, and the service was both warm and efficient. Even though I had failed to order any sort of special meal, the crew offered unasked to make my daughter a plate of plain pasta and tomato sauce (which she vacuumed up). And of course chocolate gelato for desert. So while no 5-star asian experience, it was still miles away from what I remembered of the old Alitalia (and was expecting).
I'm posting this because there was a copious amount of conflicting/misinformation around the internet regarding Alitalia's supposedly militant and backwards policies on infant travel, and most of it was at least two years out of date. For instance, several websites said that Alitalia didn't even ALLOW the booking of seats for under-two year olds, yet also apparently required them without exception (if in J) to be placed in EU/FAA approved car-seats. Alitalia's website seems to be sort of vague, saying that "the safest place" for children is in their car seats but not explicitly saying they're required.
As my daughter is just a month shy of her 2nd birthday and almost to the limit of being comfortable in her car seat, we were seriously hoping to get away with her NOT having to sit in a car seat the entire flight.
On our flight from JFK to MXP, we encountered zero resistance and zero questions. I gate checked both her car seat and stroller, plopped her down in the seat, and we were off. We did get one curious eyebrow raise from the purser after he asked if she was two (and we lied), but he didn't press the matter and didn't ask again. And best case scenario came to pass: she slept in her bed for 7 out of the 8 hours we were in the air.
Our flight back from MXP was a slightly different story. Upon check in, the desk agent told us that we would HAVE to bring the car seat on board, and even wrote on her boarding pass "Infant - car seat required." However, once on the plane, the crew seemed as if they couldn't care less. After takeoff, we stowed the car seat in the one empty seat in the cabin until landing.
Also: just to defend the oft-maligned Alitalia: our experience with the service and the new J cabins on the A330 was outstanding. The seats are quite comfortable (although the entertainment options pretty limited), the new navy/brown leather decor is striking, and the service was both warm and efficient. Even though I had failed to order any sort of special meal, the crew offered unasked to make my daughter a plate of plain pasta and tomato sauce (which she vacuumed up). And of course chocolate gelato for desert. So while no 5-star asian experience, it was still miles away from what I remembered of the old Alitalia (and was expecting).
Jul 15, 2016, 12:43 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: ±38,000 feet
Programs: LH HON, BA GGL, AF Plat, EK Plat
Posts: 6,428
Glad to hear your experience as well as the outcome was positive. One great thing about AZ is they use common sense and have empowered employees (unlike some other airlines). I agree the new J on A330 is fantastic -- now if they only got some longhaul Boeings 
