rs2

Hi all,
we will be travelling with our 20 month old in September from LAX to DC after arriving from MEL to LAX at 7am. Would really appreciate some advice or best options on the following:
a) which airline would you recommend for flying on to DC with an infant?
b) which would be better: business class or 3 x economy seats?
c) if we purchase 3 x economy, will this be possible if we don't have an 'approved child seat' for our son? Or would we purchase an infant ticket as well as the 3rd economy seat? I'm a bit confused about how this all works.

Many thanks.

Eclipsepearl

It's always better to have a seat for your tot, especially at this big age. I find this to be a tricky age for travel and IMHO, the advantages of sitting up in business are kind of negated. You won't be able to relax and enjoy the perks up there because you'll be busy with your son. It's also safer for him to have his own seat.

Just to clarify, I assume you don't need a car seat for your child on the trip? Never check a car seat as luggage! If you will have it with you, bring it on board and use it for your flight. If you aren't bringing the car seat on this trip, look into a CARES harness, which can be purchased or rented.

http://kidsflysafe.com

As far as which airline is "best", it really a toss-up. When it comes to flights, there are so many other criteria. How "child friendly" they are will boil down to how full the flight is and the crew on board. Price, timing, frequent flyer mileage, etc. should weigh in heavier.

Are these two separate itineraries?

6rugrats

A 20 month old is a toddler, not an infant.

a. Doesn't really make any difference; most legacy carriers are pretty much the same. Choose an airline in your preferred alliance, or one in which you can get a little extra legroom by purchasing E+, Economy Comfort, etc. seats. I am not sure what "child friendly" for a US airline means. I don't think most of them allow preboarding for families anymore, and you will receive no help from most flight attendants.

b. Three economy seats

c. Yes. You simply purchase your child a seat. Most carriers charge the same for a child or adult seats for this routing; I am not sure what you mean by "infant ticket". Your child has to be confined in a restraint for take off, landing and if there is turbulence. Bring a child seat for them.

lost*in*cyberspace

^

A Cares harness won't work for a lot of 20 month old kids.

Will your son have a seat on the MEL-LAX flight? If so, just bring his car seat on the LAX to DC (which airport?) flight, buying him his own seat. Or he can travel as a lap baby for free on that leg. You'll have to show his passport for proof of age.

I wouldn't call any US airline child friendly. I agree with 6rugrats on how to chose an airline.

swise

WRT what some might consider "child friendly"...

Jet Blue and Southwest do family pre-boarding, usually after those with disabilities and elites.

Jet Blue and Virgin America have in-seat entertainment, which can help to keep a toddler content during a flight (especially if screens are limited at home and then free rein when you really need it, like on a long flight ).

Southwest pre-boards and doesn't pre-assign seats, which means it's generally easier for families to get multiple seats together. We have found when booking with other airlines online that there often are no seats left that are together, and we have to pull strings with the elite line or the Admiral's Club to get us together. Worst case, we have to beg fellow passengers, which is a drag.

Southwest has free wifi for its own streaming video, which ends up being its own version of in-seat entertainment -- just using your own device. There is usually a children's TV station, Disney or Nickelodeon, that we can watch, or maybe Animal Planet. Sometimes there might be something more novel to the kids than the movies we loaded up to watch.

I actually also like the way Southwest does the drink delivery. There's no noisy cart with ice banging, soda cans spurting, orders loudly being taken, etc. while my toddler is trying to nap. (Usually they have slept right through, but it is another stress point when I'm already sort of on edge making sure I do whatever I can to keep our kids quiet and content to not disturb anyone else.) Southwest uses a tray and goes back and forth with drinks prepared from the galley. Much more quiet. Keeps the aisles clear. etc.

Also, there are often more families on Southwest, so there will usually be some child fussing at some point that is not yours. And I suspect it's not just me who feels a sense of relief when some other kid screams, thinking, "phew! Now the pressure is off. That kid just performed the pterodactyl mating squawk, so if mine happens to make a little noise, he won't be the one everyone thinks is disruptive." I know there's no logic to this, but whenever we're in public, and this happens, I can't help but think it! :P

Oh- Also, AA restricts gate checked strollers to be foldable (not such a big thing, as I can't really think of a stroller that doesn't fold, beyond some very fancy jogging strollers) and, here's the kicker, weighs less than 20 lbs. Last I checked a couple of years ago, there was not a single double stroller on the market that weighed less than 20 lbs, so parents of two small ones were stuck lugging two strollers, if they opted to gate check them. Superlame.

Another thing to consider: Flying nonstop vs. flights with connections. This is perhaps the biggest deciding factor for us. It's a real pain to have to make a connection with kids. So if we can find a nonstop itinerary, even if we have to drive an extra hour to/from an airport that is farther away, it is worth it. Southwest, JetBlue (to the places we take them), and Virgin America win over the airlines that tend to use hubs more.

Another big decision point is the destination airport. If we are renting a car, and we have a more than one possible option for our destination airport, whether the car rental location is off-site or on-site and the logistics of getting to it is a huge factor. On-site car rental, where you can just walk straight from Baggage claim to the rental car, is the bomb. Having to wait for and then take a shuttle, train or clown car or camel 15 minutes away to get the rental is a major hassle.

One more: If you have lounge access (purchased or through an elite credit card), choosing an airline that is in the terminal with your club lounge might be a factor, particularly if the club has a kids' room where you can hang out. When we do have connections, it's nice to go to the kids' room to get some wiggles out, nurse a little one, let one play while another one gets a diaper changed (not in the lounge, preferably... although I admit to doing it before when we were the only ones in there, and my husband had stepped out, and I've seen others doing it. It doesn't bother me if they do it there, using a changing mat and hand sanitizer or whatever.)

We have nearly 4 MM on AA. Lots of miles socked away. But I have to say, these days, as you can see above, Southwest is winning our business a lot.

rs2

Thanks everyone for your replies. We won't have a car seat as he will be on our laps for MEL-LAX leg. Therefore: is it possible to purchase a 3rd E seat for him from lax-dc without an approved child restraint? (Ie. can he sit on our laps for take off/landing & then use extra seat while flying)?

jjakobv84

Yes I don't see why not. As you can hear, others will recommend you don't do that for safety reasons, but I don't see any reasons anyone can stop you. I personally find air travel so safe that I don't share the worries others here do about harnesses, but YMMV.

6rugrats

Family boarding for Southwest is between the A and the B group. And, they allow only one parent to board with the child who must be age four years or younger.

JetBlue only offers family preboarding to children under the age of two.

I don't see the logic in this statement. If you choose an airline that allows advance seat selection, it's very easy to get seats together, unless you are booking a last minute flight.


True, but not all flights will offer this service.

Eclipsepearl

Technically, you can purchase seats and leave them empty. I only saw this once while I was flying. A woman needed an extra seat to prop her leg up and purchased it, so no, the car seat wouldn't be required. You would have a lap baby and have purchased an extra seat.

rs2

Thanks again everyone. Really appreciate your replies.

swise

That hasn't been my experience. Our family has been permitted to board all at the same time, even when we only had one kid (both parents and one child). I can't find anything on Southwest's web site one way or the other.

We generally book a 3-4 weeks in advance when we book with AA and almost never can find 4 seats together. Not exactly last minute but not very far in advance, either.

It's an issue that comes up regularly in this forum, so I know we're not alone. I imagine there could be some locations where planes full up faster, and I wouldn't be surprised if our originating airport is one of those. We have over 100 people moving to Austin weekly, or something like that.

lost*in*cyberspace

It's right on the website:

https://www.southwest.com/html/gener...plane_faq.html

An adult traveling with a child four years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. If the child and the adult are both holding an “A” boarding pass, they should both board with the “A” boarding group.

Is the one adult rule always enforced? No. Keep in mind that family boarding on WN is sometimes suspended on flights with many children, such as flights to MCO.

VickiSoCal

If you board alone with your kid, sit in the aisle, plop him in the middle, no one's gonna fight you for that window seat and spouse can take it when they board.

6rugrats

I would take the aisle seat and place child in the window seat. No one ever wants the middle seat, so feel this is a safer option.

Anna Phor

FYI, one thing that it's good to know (and I haven't traveled domestically in Australia in years, so this may or may not be a surprise for you): US airlines no longer serve meals on domestic flights in economy class. Food is available for purchase; it's deeply awful. If you or your child will want a meal during the flight, I recommend buying something in the airport and bringing it on board.