Babies are not allowed in AF business class?
Dec 29, 2008, 11:58 am
#1
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Babies are not allowed in AF business class?
AF France just refused to issue a business class award ticket to me because there is a baby on the itinerary. They said babies are not allowed in business class. I've certainly seen babies in business class on plenty of flights. I pushed the agent to check with a supervisor and they were firm. No babies allowed.
So then I called AF in the US and they said babies are absolutely allowed in business class. Which is right? AF France or AF USA?
So then I called AF in the US and they said babies are absolutely allowed in business class. Which is right? AF France or AF USA?
Dec 29, 2008, 3:17 pm
#2
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Yes, some have done it, on AF. I have no reason to doubt them. Some fares don't allow infant/children discount though. Maybe that's what the AF ticketing was trying to tell you ?
Dec 29, 2008, 9:58 pm
#3
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Unless the rules have changed, the official policy is that infant tickets will not be sold in First Class (Premiere) in an attempt to maintain the integrity of the cabin. It is possible, but discouraged, to sell a seat at full cost for a baby in P although the 10% lap child ticket is not allowed.
In Business Class (Affaires) there is the possibility to purchase the 10% fare for the baby, although it is quite expensive. There are bassinet seats in the J cabin.
In Business Class (Affaires) there is the possibility to purchase the 10% fare for the baby, although it is quite expensive. There are bassinet seats in the J cabin.
Dec 30, 2008, 1:34 am
#4
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I remember reading somewhere that babies cannot be booked on AF award (eco or biz) and require a normal paid ticket to be issued in conjunction with the award. At 10% of an adult seat, that could be a hefty 500 EUR (no tax here I believe) on some routes for a one way C award...
Dec 30, 2008, 8:32 am
#5
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Stimpy: I don't have kids and have never traveled with an infant on Air France. However, I have seen infants in Business Class so often that I am just surprised at the response from AF France. It may be what ranskis is saying: your award itinerary can't include an infant, but I would sure like to see that rule ... maybe you are required, as he suggests, to pay for the infant, which isn't totally unreasonable. Pursue it, because babies are most definitely allowed in Business on AF, I see them all the time (they often put them in the first row of the second cabin, but not always). And the AF crew are invariably kind and often fawning with infants.
Dec 30, 2008, 9:08 am
#6
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Thanks for the discussion. AF USA priced the baby in lap fee as $128 in economy and $700-something in business class. They said I could buy this at anytime right up to the flight. I know it actually works roughly the same way on DL, so I hope I can get it to work with AF. I would like to wait a while to purchase the baby addition since I expect the AF fuel surcharge to move from complete rip-off prices to normal gouging any day now. 
Dec 30, 2008, 9:15 am
#7
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Stimpy, from the AF France Flying Blue T&C:
(The Centre de Service Clients mentioned above refers to Flying Blue, so your reservation needs to be made directly with an AF call center.)
3.5 Pour voyager avec un enfant âgé de moins de deux ans, l'adulte voyageant avec un Billet Prime devra effectuer auprès de la compagnie aérienne sur laquelle le Billet Prime est émis, une réservation pour le bébé, aux conditions tarifaires applicables de ladite compagnie. Cette réservation ne pourra pas être effectuée par le Centre de Service Clients.
Dec 30, 2008, 9:34 am
#8
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FB in France booked the original ticket, then said I had to call the service bebe to book the infant part. It was that line that said babies couldn't go in business class. But AF reservation center in the US didn't seem to have a problem with it.
Dec 30, 2008, 10:24 am
#9
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Thanks for the discussion. AF USA priced the baby in lap fee as $128 in economy and $700-something in business class. They said I could buy this at anytime right up to the flight. I know it actually works roughly the same way on DL, so I hope I can get it to work with AF. I would like to wait a while to purchase the baby addition since I expect the AF fuel surcharge to move from complete rip-off prices to normal gouging any day now.
Dec 30, 2008, 10:29 am
#10
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I'm fairly sure that babies are allowed in business on AF.
We flew AF CDG-SFO on 12/28. We were seated in the single row (row 7) business compartment on an A340-300. There were TWO infants in the compartment. The FAs mounted bassinets on the bulkhead for them and made their little beds.
Thank God for Ambien and Bose noise-cancelling headphones!
We flew AF CDG-SFO on 12/28. We were seated in the single row (row 7) business compartment on an A340-300. There were TWO infants in the compartment. The FAs mounted bassinets on the bulkhead for them and made their little beds.
Thank God for Ambien and Bose noise-cancelling headphones!
Dec 30, 2008, 10:34 am
#11
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I'd be surprised if a decent travel agent couldn't just book you an infant J fare at 10% upon demand. The information you received was bogus.
Dec 30, 2008, 11:23 am
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You can definitely take infants in the C cabin on AF. Done it numerous times. Indeed you first book the award and then get put through to the "normal" reservations line where you book the infant. However, that infant booking must be tied to the adult reservation. Fare is always 10% of adult fare, but no taxes. You can't use miles to transport infants. However, beware of having to change your ticket. Air France being Air France they have made sure to make such a process as complex and messy as possible: calling FB will get you the adult's ticket changed, but not the infant's, "because it's a paid ticket". But the "normal" reservation line can't do it either, because being tied to the adult's award ticket for them it's an award reservation which they can't touch. No way out.
As for all those ridiculous posts ("children shouldn't fly, not good for them" - coming from people who don't have kids; "until 10 only on driving vacation" - nice for all provincial families, but silly suggestion in the case where kid's grand parents live on differnt continents; "parents are like friends these days" - silly generalization,coming from non-parents who obviously don't grasp that if at all such a "friend" attitude is taken with children older than 2 years) let me say this much: I fully agree that nuisances should be avoided, in all cabins, on all flights. In the case of kids is up to the parents to ensure that they don't bother other pax too much. However, banning infants from flights or particular cabins is idiotic, unless one would remove all pax that are a nuisance from flights: those that snore loudly, those seat neighbours that haven't showered, those that take off their shoes from their stinking feet, those that dress inappropriately, those that take too much space with their hand luggage, and so on... Infants aren't necessarily a nuisance, and adults can be a nuisance too. So take it easy.
You can definitely take infants in the C cabin on AF. Done it numerous times. Indeed you first book the award and then get put through to the "normal" reservations line where you book the infant. However, that infant booking must be tied to the adult reservation. Fare is always 10% of adult fare, but no taxes. You can't use miles to transport infants. However, beware of having to change your ticket. Air France being Air France they have made sure to make such a process as complex and messy as possible: calling FB will get you the adult's ticket changed, but not the infant's, "because it's a paid ticket". But the "normal" reservation line can't do it either, because being tied to the adult's award ticket for them it's an award reservation which they can't touch. No way out.
As for all those ridiculous posts ("children shouldn't fly, not good for them" - coming from people who don't have kids; "until 10 only on driving vacation" - nice for all provincial families, but silly suggestion in the case where kid's grand parents live on differnt continents; "parents are like friends these days" - silly generalization,coming from non-parents who obviously don't grasp that if at all such a "friend" attitude is taken with children older than 2 years) let me say this much: I fully agree that nuisances should be avoided, in all cabins, on all flights. In the case of kids is up to the parents to ensure that they don't bother other pax too much. However, banning infants from flights or particular cabins is idiotic, unless one would remove all pax that are a nuisance from flights: those that snore loudly, those seat neighbours that haven't showered, those that take off their shoes from their stinking feet, those that dress inappropriately, those that take too much space with their hand luggage, and so on... Infants aren't necessarily a nuisance, and adults can be a nuisance too. So take it easy.
Dec 30, 2008, 12:39 pm
#13
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Please keep this discussion on the specific topic of booking business class for infants on AF. Off topic comments have been and will be moved to a generic thread that will also be moved soon to the Flying with children forum.
Jouy31
AF/KL co-moderator
Jouy31
AF/KL co-moderator
Last edited by JOUY31; Dec 30, 2008 at 5:08 pm Reason: Please keep on topic
Dec 31, 2008, 10:56 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2006
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Unless the rules have changed, the official policy is that infant tickets will not be sold in First Class (Premiere) in an attempt to maintain the integrity of the cabin. It is possible, but discouraged, to sell a seat at full cost for a baby in P although the 10% lap child ticket is not allowed.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Air-F...-ER/1142631/L/
Did this policy also apply in R class when AF had it?