Adding an Infant...
 

Trying to book some award flights (short-haul Club Europe) for next year. Mrs Ratypus is expecting our first child between now and then...


The BA website clearly allows to select "infant" for both cash and award bookings, BUT I cannot complete the booking online since we have neither a name nor a date of birth for said infant just yet...


I want to book the seats now as there are only 2 left on the flights we want.


What to do? Book them now for me and Mrs Ratypus, then call up later to add the infant to the booking? There will be a small Avios & tax cost for the infant (from what I see on the dummy booking), but since it doesn't need its own seat should be no availability issue, right?


Apologies if this is an obvious question - have never had to consider booking with kids before!

Exactly that .. you have it right... make a booking for the 2 adults and when infant turns up with a DoB and a name then you can add them .. simple enough, though always wise to checkin early after having done this as in my experience sometimes it can get a bit messy when they do this with a booking ( but with an infant you'll be turning up early anyway probably ! )

I thought I had heard before that even thought the infant doesnt need a seat, there had to be reward availability to book for them. This may have changed or I could just be completely wrong but I'm sure someone can confirm either way.

Ha ha - thanks very much. Just booked. Double checked with BA and they said the same so all good. Looks like "infant's" first flight will be LHR-HAM in Seat 1A...start as you mean to go on.


Thanks as ever for the FT wisdom...

BA confirmed there was no need for award availability for the infant - they just take 10% of the normal Avios plus a small taxes hit to add them to the booking.


Even when I tried the dummy booking with infant, the system showed only 2 CE seats available but let me proceed with 2 adults & 1 infant as the passengers (until it asked for a name and DOB for the baby). So seems no award availability required until the point the passenger actually needs a seat!

That's correct. The only thing that Ratypus Jnr will need is an e-ticket number.

Correct .. no reward availability is required for an infant , only for the adults travelling .. So in the scenario here 2 seats are required at the time the adults are booking and then when they call up to add the infant it doesn't matter what's available, or not.

"The only thing that Ratypus Jnr will need is an e-ticket number."


If only it were that simple!


Thanks all - conclusive answer for the record.

:D. I have the t-shirt on that one. Good luck to you and Mrs R.

I look forward to reading the TR entry from the handle Babyratypus:rolleyes:

Not if they class 1A as an exit seat!

Agree with this, and always bring the paperwork with the eticket number on it. I had three international itineraries like this, with three separate airlines (BA, NZ, QF) and the check-in agent couldn't see the infant booking at any of them, until I produced the eticket.

Thanks for the tips re: paperwork. Will definitely print everything for the airport.


Good point on seat selection - BA app has allocated the two (for now...) of us 1A/C on the way out and 1D/F on the way back. Both currently on a A319, though could equally be a A320 or A321 on the day depending on load.


1. Which of these seats are designated emergency exit seats? I imagine 1A/C are, but are 1D/F also?


2. If these are emergency exit seats, assume we will not be allowed to sit there with an infant on the lap? If so, I may as well re-select other seats now to avoid being moved with no choice later...


3. Aside from emergency exit seating, any view on whether Row 1 is OK for travel with an infant, or whether Row 2 (with seats in front of us) would be somehow better?


I have zero clue about air travel with a baby at this point, so anyone with any tip on seats please shout!

To find out try making a dummy seat res for you and a child.BA will soon throw up the exit row seat questionaire if it is an exit row.

Back in the day having taken young master rapidex aged 3 months on Concorde,you will find out travelling with the little bundle of joy is 1 expensive and 2 you will be unpopular.

And when they grow up they will use up all your avios/hotel points going off with their mates.Dont forget to add your new addition to your hha.

You need to be sat where there are 3 oxygen masks (the location of which I have no clue about since I was happily flying on *A when ours were that young)