wailing, unattended infants in EF
Mar 12, 2013, 11:01 am
#16
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: YQB
Programs: AC*SE/2.1MM, Flying Blue Explorer, BA Executive Club Blue, AAdvantage Basic, ANA MC
Posts: 2,550
I also hope that you will choose better language when you write your complaint letter.
"The thing", "it" ? Seriously ? You can probably do better than that.......
Mar 12, 2013, 11:06 am
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YYC
Posts: 23,804
That would be a very clear cut case for a complaint. Even likely against TC rules.
Mar 12, 2013, 11:22 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: YWG
Programs: Free Agent
Posts: 1,478
now I am getting confused- so not only is wailing unattended infant bad ton, it may be a TC issue? since there shouldn't have been an infant in EF at all?
Mar 12, 2013, 11:32 am
#19
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YYC
Posts: 23,804
"Whenever the seat belt sign is on:
An infant seated on a parent's lap must be held securely;
An infant for whom a seat is purchased must be properly secured in an approved child restraint device (see ‘Child restraint policy' below)."
and
"Child restraint devices are not permitted in the Executive First Suites at any time."
Which seems to leave the door open for a lap infant in EF. But you seemed to indicate all children had their own seat?
Mar 12, 2013, 11:40 am
#20
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: YOW
Posts: 1,024
That has got to against some sort of transport rule/law. A child in a car must be restrained, but not in a plane?
Mar 12, 2013, 11:46 am
#22
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YYC
Posts: 23,804
Infant in own seat not allowed in Exec First apparently. Not with seat, not without. Possibly on parent's lap yes, not sure.
Mar 12, 2013, 11:56 am
#23
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: YOW
Posts: 1,024
This should have been addressed before the family even made it on to the plane.
Last edited by mromalley; Mar 12, 2013 at 12:38 pm Reason: Spelling
Mar 12, 2013, 12:21 pm
#24
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: YUL
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 2,103
Infant (as defined as child under two years old) can't ever be left alone in an EF seat because an infant must be seated either on an adult or in a approved child restraint. Approved child restraints are not permitted in EF suites because of the airbag on the seatbelt.
If the OP is correct, leaving an infant, alone in a EF seat is a violation of AC policy and TC rules as well.
The other rules worth noting is in EF, a child age 2 to 5 must be seated directly in front of the accompanying adult.
Mar 12, 2013, 12:36 pm
#25
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: AC SE, SPG Lifetime Plat, ACMM
Posts: 3,535
I am surprised at the OP's experience--how could AC allow infants to occupy J seats without child restraints? Do parents have no responsibility for their child's discomfort ( usually why infants cry)? I have had to spend 80% of a flight in the bathroom holding and comforting my child as I did not want other passengers to be disturbed. ( yes that was years ago and in Y class!!)
I have come across parents who think an 8 year old kicking my seat back is a great sport until I got up, faced the child and told him to stop it. My voice was loud enough so it worked and others heard ( FA was not doing anything). Parents were quiet during the interaction. So passengers still have a role to play but perhaps only after the FAs have tried to intervene.
I have come across parents who think an 8 year old kicking my seat back is a great sport until I got up, faced the child and told him to stop it. My voice was loud enough so it worked and others heard ( FA was not doing anything). Parents were quiet during the interaction. So passengers still have a role to play but perhaps only after the FAs have tried to intervene.
Mar 12, 2013, 1:35 pm
#26
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: YYZ
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Unfortunately there isn't much the parents (or anyone else) can do about colic other than let it run its course. Having said that, as a parent, I could not imagine subjecting an intercontinental flight to a collicky baby (especially booking J).
Mar 12, 2013, 1:44 pm
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 12,068
On a recent YYZ/YVR flight, there was a single mother with an 18 month old travelling in J (pods). She held him in arms on take-off but laid him on a flat pod while he slept. The mother had her breakfast in empty pod behind me while the 18 month old slept. We were all happy that the little one went for an extended nap. The family had connected from an overnight flight from Brazil and the mom was exhausted.
Mar 12, 2013, 1:52 pm
#28
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 318
See the link to ac.com that someone posted in this thread, above.
"Whenever the seat belt sign is on:
An infant seated on a parent's lap must be held securely;
An infant for whom a seat is purchased must be properly secured in an approved child restraint device (see ‘Child restraint policy' below)."
and
"Child restraint devices are not permitted in the Executive First Suites at any time."
Which seems to leave the door open for a lap infant in EF. But you seemed to indicate all children had their own seat?
"Whenever the seat belt sign is on:
An infant seated on a parent's lap must be held securely;
An infant for whom a seat is purchased must be properly secured in an approved child restraint device (see ‘Child restraint policy' below)."
and
"Child restraint devices are not permitted in the Executive First Suites at any time."
Which seems to leave the door open for a lap infant in EF. But you seemed to indicate all children had their own seat?
Having said that, as a parent who has spent the whole of a YYC-LHR trip (except take off and landing) walking up and down with carrying a 9 month old to keep them quiet, the parents attitude sucks...
Mar 12, 2013, 9:12 pm
#29
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,005
I was part of a J cabin that worked together with a single parent so we could all get sleep/quiet on YYZ-HKG. We took turns walking the crying infant so that the father could rest while the preschooler slept. One of the passengers succeeded in getting the baby to sleep so settled into his suite, still holding the baby until the father awoke. (This was just one leg of a very long day for the father so he needed to rest and was obviously beyond being able to relax enough himself, to let the baby relax to go to sleep.) Three pax and crew worked together to help. You see, if the baby was crying, I knew I couldn't rest at all, so therefore, it was in my best interests to help the parent, rather than stew in my seat.
