Getting home pronto
Jun 6, 2017, 5:33 am
#31
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: London
Programs: Mucci (Scirocco Sash), BAEC Gold, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 864
No specific advice to add to the OP's question, but it was certainly very interesting to me to see how cheaply one can fly (albeit in Y/Economy) at very short notice transatlantic - usual suspects of Norwegian and WOW, but also TAP is interesting to see.
I am sure there is some seasonality there, but certainly useful to know should something unexpected crop up when on the other side of the Atlantic.
I am sure there is some seasonality there, but certainly useful to know should something unexpected crop up when on the other side of the Atlantic.
Jun 6, 2017, 7:52 am
#32
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: London
Programs: BA LtG, Flying Blue Plat
Posts: 274
First of all many congratulations, it's always exciting welcoming a new edition!
Unfortunately, however, this happened to us! My husband was on a trip 5 weeks before my due date and the little nipper decided to come early (been trouble ever since might've known...) and he didn't make it back.
If the little one comes early honestly you probably won't make it - if there's a problem then they'll want the baby out quickly (or in my case just an impatient baby won't wait longer!). So the decision if it were me would be to go or not to go, even getting on the first available flight you will probably have at least 9 hours to wait...
Best of luck when the time comes!
Unfortunately, however, this happened to us! My husband was on a trip 5 weeks before my due date and the little nipper decided to come early (been trouble ever since might've known...) and he didn't make it back.
If the little one comes early honestly you probably won't make it - if there's a problem then they'll want the baby out quickly (or in my case just an impatient baby won't wait longer!). So the decision if it were me would be to go or not to go, even getting on the first available flight you will probably have at least 9 hours to wait...
Best of luck when the time comes!
Jun 6, 2017, 10:02 am
#33
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA CCR/GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,483
Many congrats to the OP - I was away from home a week before my first was due to be born, but at least it was only EDI so I had the option of dozens of trains and planes with a short flight time. Luckily she waited a while and had to be dragged out eventually 
. If I were you I'd have as many contingency plans in place as possible - as a Gold I can see 11 flights available for Avios for the remainder of today, and 15 for tomorrow. If the word comes, jump in a cab and book a ticket en-route to the airport - 13000 Avios + £ 128.10 for an Off-Peak.
I hope that Mr ShuttleRunner made it back - or is he still MIA? 
. If I were you I'd have as many contingency plans in place as possible - as a Gold I can see 11 flights available for Avios for the remainder of today, and 15 for tomorrow. If the word comes, jump in a cab and book a ticket en-route to the airport - 13000 Avios + £ 128.10 for an Off-Peak.
Jun 6, 2017, 10:10 am
#34
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Arizona
Programs: BA (GGL G4L), AA (Gold), HH (Diamond); Marriott (Gold)
Posts: 3,011
As others have said, even with the most flexible ticket, chances of making it home in time are not great.
Suppose you're in NYC, there are two banks of flights, two early morning (8am, 10:30am) to arrive in the evening in London, or the bank of evening flights (18:00-23:00) to arrive in London between 06:00 and 11:00.
Assuming you get the news that your wife's water has broken, you'll have between 1 and 48 hours before the birth, with 24 hours or less being most common. Best case scenario is you find out about 3 hours before a flight with availability, 7 hour flight, 2 hours to get from LHR through immigration and to your wife, so that's 12 hours in the best case scenario, so at this point you have about a 50% chance of making the birth. Worst case is you find out around 9am, and have to wait 9 hours for the next flight, or about 18 hours, so you have about a 33% chance of making the birth.
Just saying it's possible, but there's a good chance even with perfect flexibility that you won't make it in time.
Suppose you're in NYC, there are two banks of flights, two early morning (8am, 10:30am) to arrive in the evening in London, or the bank of evening flights (18:00-23:00) to arrive in London between 06:00 and 11:00.
Assuming you get the news that your wife's water has broken, you'll have between 1 and 48 hours before the birth, with 24 hours or less being most common. Best case scenario is you find out about 3 hours before a flight with availability, 7 hour flight, 2 hours to get from LHR through immigration and to your wife, so that's 12 hours in the best case scenario, so at this point you have about a 50% chance of making the birth. Worst case is you find out around 9am, and have to wait 9 hours for the next flight, or about 18 hours, so you have about a 33% chance of making the birth.
Just saying it's possible, but there's a good chance even with perfect flexibility that you won't make it in time.
Jun 6, 2017, 11:09 am
#35
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Brighton, UK
Programs: BA Gold, IC Ambassador, HH Gold, SPG Gold, Fairmont Platinum
Posts: 3,166
I know from personal experience that BA will offer no flexibility whatever on double avios rewards. I would forget that one - it isn't going to happen.
Jun 6, 2017, 11:18 am
#36
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: London
Programs: BA LtG, Flying Blue Plat
Posts: 274
Jun 6, 2017, 11:20 am
#37
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
As others have said, even with the most flexible ticket, chances of making it home in time are not great.
Suppose you're in NYC, there are two banks of flights, two early morning (8am, 10:30am) to arrive in the evening in London, or the bank of evening flights (18:00-23:00) to arrive in London between 06:00 and 11:00.
Assuming you get the news that your wife's water has broken, you'll have between 1 and 48 hours before the birth, with 24 hours or less being most common. Best case scenario is you find out about 3 hours before a flight with availability, 7 hour flight, 2 hours to get from LHR through immigration and to your wife, so that's 12 hours in the best case scenario, so at this point you have about a 50% chance of making the birth. Worst case is you find out around 9am, and have to wait 9 hours for the next flight, or about 18 hours, so you have about a 33% chance of making the birth.
Just saying it's possible, but there's a good chance even with perfect flexibility that you won't make it in time.
Suppose you're in NYC, there are two banks of flights, two early morning (8am, 10:30am) to arrive in the evening in London, or the bank of evening flights (18:00-23:00) to arrive in London between 06:00 and 11:00.
Assuming you get the news that your wife's water has broken, you'll have between 1 and 48 hours before the birth, with 24 hours or less being most common. Best case scenario is you find out about 3 hours before a flight with availability, 7 hour flight, 2 hours to get from LHR through immigration and to your wife, so that's 12 hours in the best case scenario, so at this point you have about a 50% chance of making the birth. Worst case is you find out around 9am, and have to wait 9 hours for the next flight, or about 18 hours, so you have about a 33% chance of making the birth.
Just saying it's possible, but there's a good chance even with perfect flexibility that you won't make it in time.
Jun 6, 2017, 11:57 am
#38
Join Date: May 2006
Location: 5 miles from EMA
Programs: BD, BAEC Pleb, VS Pleb, Accor Pleb, HHonors Gold, Big White Season Pass
Posts: 5,904
What assumptions are you making about the distribution of births in the period after the water breaks? If 24 hours is the most common time to birth (which really doesn't tell us very much), then someone arriving at 12 hours *should* have more than a 50-50 chance and someone arriving within 18 hours *should* beat the baby more than one third of the time unless it's a very strange distribution.
Its about an exact a science as due dates are I'm afraid.
Jun 6, 2017, 1:16 pm
#39
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: LGW.
Programs: Cunard WorldClub-Gold,Silverseas Venetian society,Alitalia Mille miglia,SPG,Fairmont,IHG.
Posts: 733
With no 1 , I went into labour just as other half touched down in LAX-BA company freq called him up and advised him to stay on acft (he was the skipper) and return home immediately. With No 2 he had just landed in HKG, same deal...so he missed the birth of both of ours...probably for the best...!