US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Transatlantic with infant - buy seat or not?

Hi, with some recent topics about infant travel, I feel emboldened to ask a related question. We are traveling to Germany in August, and currently, my wife (GP) and I (CP) have seats in coach, with a request for a bassinette in the record for our 2 month old son. I plan to upgrade us using Transatlantic Space Available coupons, and based on prior experience, I feel reasonably comfortable about clearing on the day of departure (knock on wood).

Scenario 1: Status Quo, if upgrades are successful both ways, we will have to pay 10% of the full RT Envoy fare (about $640) for our son. He will have no seat, but hopefully a bassinette.

Scenario 2: We buy a seat for him ($840 for coach) and try to use another set of Transatlantic Space Availables for him. In that scenario, I would make my son my CP companion and my wife would go as a GP.

What would you advise we do?

your little darling had better be quiet on the night flight

I would opt for the seat as:
1) The baby, I would expect, is significantly safer in his/her carseat than in a bassinet...or on a lap (My wife and I had dinner with an FA one time who was less than complimentary concerning the bassinets. I think she called it a launch pad).
2) The baby will get miles and with a miles promotion might be close to an SP after the trip...and can then 'lend' you miles...

That said, it may be easier to get two seats rather than three.

M

I held my children a lot when they were infants (and even today), yet I wouldn't want to have to hold my kids for the entire duration of a transatlantic trip - hard to enjoy the front cabin when holding a baby. No bassinette would make for a miserable flight for the parents, IMO.

And that doesn't even touch the safety angle.

$640 for a lap child?

Buy the seat and upgrade it. :)

your little darling had better be quiet on the night flight
That's what we're hoping.

I held my children a lot when they were infants (and even today), yet I wouldn't want to have to hold my kids for the entire duration of a transatlantic trip - hard to enjoy the front cabin when holding a baby. No bassinette would make for a miserable flight for the parents, IMO.

And that doesn't even touch the safety angle.

$640 for a lap child?

Buy the seat and upgrade it. :)

Have you ever held an infant on an airplane? If not, try it. It's very easy. It's just like holding a baby at home! Amazing but true!

Holding a squirmy 18 month old -- now that would be tough to do on a long flight.

I would suggest holding the child and sitting in coach. Both the $640 and $840 choices for sitting in Envoy make for what is essentially an very expensive meal.

You'll have plenty of chances to sit in Envoy once your child reaches the age of two.

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Chris
US Airways Moderator

Quote Removed. See above post. Chris/US Airways Moderator

If you don't have anything of value to contribute, please, don't post. I find your post extremely rude.

sorry I missed the inflammatory quote.

Btw - something might be amiss in the logic above. I have upgraded infant before and not had to pay 10% of RT Envoy fare - just the 10% of RT coach fare that we bought.

Upgrading with lap child was a non-issue.

Contrast that with what United did to my sister earlier this year on a trip to Europe: they had messed up her record and NOT had her 18 month old son correctly on the record. They got to the airport and were charged $2000 to get him on the plane as it was a full flight and told she had to buy him a seat. Since the only seats left were in F that is the deal she was given.

As they had already paid for many of their European expenses, they couldnt eat those costs and had no choice but to pay the $2k.

Btw - something might be amiss in the logic above. I have upgraded infant before and not had to pay 10% of RT Envoy fare - just the 10% of RT coach fare that we bought. Upgrading with lap child was a non-issue.

hscottm, what kind of upgrade currency did you use? Upgraded before, during or after check-in? Plus, I'd be interested to know how old your child was and whether you used a bassinette. Thanks!

hscottm, what kind of upgrade currency did you use? Upgraded before, during or after check-in? Plus, I'd be interested to know how old your child was and whether you used a bassinette. Thanks!

have used swus and miles with same results.

been upgraded in advance and at check-in

I think the first time we flew with him in Envoy, he was about 9 months old. most recent he had just turned 2.

the first time we flew we used the bassinette. note our infant was small at birth (not premature) and still small at the time of flight - but the bassinette barely fit. it cant be all that comfortable.

Have you ever held an infant on an airplane? If not, try it. It's very easy. It's just like holding a baby at home! Amazing but true!

Holding a squirmy 18 month old -- now that would be tough to do on a long flight.

I would suggest holding the child and sitting in coach. Both the $640 and $840 choices for sitting in Envoy make for what is essentially an very expensive meal.

You'll have plenty of chances to sit in Envoy once your child reaches the age of two.

Ahh, JS "I'd never buy my kid a seat if I didn't have to" is present and accounted for. :)

If, as you say, "you'll have plenty of chances to sit in Envoy once your child reaches the age of two," then why not sit there when your child is two months old? What's the difference? Child doesn't know better, but parents get much more space to relax on a very long flight.

The $840 choice for sitting in Envoy yields far more than an expensive meal - it means the parents get to sit in Envoy, and not be cramped in coach. Cheap upgrade, if you ask me, even with the use of certs.

The $640 choice is rather expensive, if you ask me, since the parents might have to hold their infant for the entire flight (if the bassinette isn't available). That would suck, in my view.

Yep, I've held my kids when they were infants on airplanes (usually in J or F) to feed them or burp them or change them or amuse them, and then they went right back in their seats where they tended to sleep peacefully until they were hungry again. Then, I'd eat two or three premium meals and maybe read a book or magazine. Just like I do when I travel without them. Traveling with kids need not mean riding in the back of the bus.

Companion upgrades, mileage upgrades, 500 mile stickers/certs/electronic upgrades, whatever, all make sitting up front easy for very frequent flyers. So that's where this frequent flyer sits, no matter who accompanies me, be they infants, toddlers, little kids (mine are now 7) or old parents.