Babies in First Lounges
Oct 29, 2017, 7:48 am
#31
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold (OW Emerald) & Jet Airways - Thank goodness i never got started.......most awful FF program
Posts: 2,385
My friend and I met up with friends at Gatwick the other day. Two of them plus their baby were in Galleries Club and we decided to move across to the First lounge.
As we moved across I asked the podium agent if it would be ok to guest them in, and he pulled a bit of a face and eventually said that the First lounge was "a quieter lounge" and that with the baby the Club lounge might be more suitable, but that "it's up to you". I'm not sure there's any way to avoid that being awkward, but he wasn't cool about it at all.
My friend holding the baby was clearly very uncomfortable. We went into F Lounge and the child didn't make a sound.
I thought it was unprofessional. These parents would have taken their child out of ANY lounge if she was making a disturbance. But regardless I'm not sure a Gold card or F seat means you have a greater claim on a public space than a Silver cardholder in J.
But really I'm wondering if the agent was enacting some unwritten BA policy here? In which case seems to me they should just change the rules. Or whether he was acting unilaterally? Thoughts welcome.
Thanks
As we moved across I asked the podium agent if it would be ok to guest them in, and he pulled a bit of a face and eventually said that the First lounge was "a quieter lounge" and that with the baby the Club lounge might be more suitable, but that "it's up to you". I'm not sure there's any way to avoid that being awkward, but he wasn't cool about it at all.
My friend holding the baby was clearly very uncomfortable. We went into F Lounge and the child didn't make a sound.
I thought it was unprofessional. These parents would have taken their child out of ANY lounge if she was making a disturbance. But regardless I'm not sure a Gold card or F seat means you have a greater claim on a public space than a Silver cardholder in J.
But really I'm wondering if the agent was enacting some unwritten BA policy here? In which case seems to me they should just change the rules. Or whether he was acting unilaterally? Thoughts welcome.
Thanks
(Reality is the wife and kid will probably join me once a year on the travels so I don’t really care if some jumped up snooty BA rep gives us the evil eye.....I will give them double the trouble back and so much grief that they wished they never set eyes on my boy).
Here is advance warning to others that come end of feb or early March, I intend to fly to BOM.
Oct 30, 2017, 4:45 am
#32
Join Date: Jun 2016
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,166
Very bizarre behaviour from the lounge agent - I've never had any problem or suggestion at LGW (or LHR) that we might like to avoid the First/Gold lounge with our baby...staff are generally very welcoming, and other passengers too as long as you're being sensible and making some effort to keep the little one quiet/entertained; in any event, no way would we want to settle for the Club lounge since at LGW we like the First dining pre-flight - much easier to pull up a high chair and eat together before boarding than trying to juggle meal service on board with a baby
Dec 23, 2017, 1:19 pm
#34
Join Date: Sep 2016
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 219
People who pay 5k+ for F tickets don't enjoy screaming babies. No one does. If it were up to me, I would ban them from flights all together.
Flights are extremely stressful on babies and parents who take them 1/3 to Lifetime Gold by the time they are 6 should be stripped of their parental rights.
Babies would be better off on the Queen Mary 2.
Flights are extremely stressful on babies and parents who take them 1/3 to Lifetime Gold by the time they are 6 should be stripped of their parental rights.
Babies would be better off on the Queen Mary 2.
Dec 23, 2017, 1:37 pm
#35
Join Date: May 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR/Lifetime Gold, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 562
People who pay 5k+ for F tickets don't enjoy screaming babies. No one does. If it were up to me, I would ban them from flights all together.
Flights are extremely stressful on babies and parents who take them 1/3 to Lifetime Gold by the time they are 6 should be stripped of their parental rights.
Babies would be better off on the Queen Mary 2.
Flights are extremely stressful on babies and parents who take them 1/3 to Lifetime Gold by the time they are 6 should be stripped of their parental rights.
Babies would be better off on the Queen Mary 2.
I'm not sure 6 or 7 return trips per year in F has been particularly stressful for my child between the ages of 2 and 6, so I am not sure what I am losing my parental rights for?
My daughter has been perfectly acceptably going to Michelin starred restaurants since the age of 3 - I think she has grasped how to behave in public.
Dec 23, 2017, 1:46 pm
#36
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cumbria
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 4,510
People who pay 5k+ for F tickets don't enjoy screaming babies. No one does. If it were up to me, I would ban them from flights all together.
Flights are extremely stressful on babies and parents who take them 1/3 to Lifetime Gold by the time they are 6 should be stripped of their parental rights.
Babies would be better off on the Queen Mary 2.
Flights are extremely stressful on babies and parents who take them 1/3 to Lifetime Gold by the time they are 6 should be stripped of their parental rights.
Babies would be better off on the Queen Mary 2.
Rather interesting that you choose to resurrect a thread from a few months ago but don’t have anything to add. Any personal experience you want to get off you chest?
If you don’t like the idea of traveling with babies I suggest you get yourself a private jet.
Dec 23, 2017, 2:01 pm
#37
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 629
People who pay 5k+ for F tickets don't enjoy screaming babies. No one does. If it were up to me, I would ban them from flights all together.
Flights are extremely stressful on babies and parents who take them 1/3 to Lifetime Gold by the time they are 6 should be stripped of their parental rights.
Babies would be better off on the Queen Mary 2.
Flights are extremely stressful on babies and parents who take them 1/3 to Lifetime Gold by the time they are 6 should be stripped of their parental rights.
Babies would be better off on the Queen Mary 2.
Dec 23, 2017, 2:23 pm
#38
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
Dec 23, 2017, 2:47 pm
#39
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Venice, Florida
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,607
It’s all about the parents and their attitude -it’s sad but i have seen incredibly well behaved babies, and have seen screaming banshees whose parents did not appear to care or do anything to minimize the disruption. And yes lol i have seen adults whose behavior was worse that anyone !!!
i do cringe a bit when i see a baby and i know it’s an unfair reflex.
i do cringe a bit when i see a baby and i know it’s an unfair reflex.
Dec 24, 2017, 1:08 am
#40
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Jakarta
Programs: BA GGL, GA PLAT, SQ Gold
Posts: 527
We flew last week with a 1 year old KUL-LHR , My daughter slept for the majority of the flight but I have to say the stark difference between BA and CX or GA is great , Cathay and Garuda go out of the way to help , by providing extra blanket or pillow and both provided the option of baby food , which we didnt use
On the other hand , BA although did nothing wrong , did not offer anything extra or when i asked about the possibility of an extra pillow , it was a definite no without going to look, to be fair i dont expect anything above the minimum from BA , so i had low expectations.
One thing to note Garuda does not allow infants in First Class , so BA would win on that by just being able to offer
Side note- Whilst in KUL Lounge , which was busy due to the satellite lounges being closed , when we first sat down the guy next to me "tutted" and rolled his eyes , i asked if we had disturbed (my daughter was sleeping in the push chair) and he mentioned lounges where not for children and they should be banned , i suggested that Planes where public transport he maybe better suited to a private jet, to be fair he did apologise before he left.
On the other hand , BA although did nothing wrong , did not offer anything extra or when i asked about the possibility of an extra pillow , it was a definite no without going to look, to be fair i dont expect anything above the minimum from BA , so i had low expectations.
One thing to note Garuda does not allow infants in First Class , so BA would win on that by just being able to offer
Side note- Whilst in KUL Lounge , which was busy due to the satellite lounges being closed , when we first sat down the guy next to me "tutted" and rolled his eyes , i asked if we had disturbed (my daughter was sleeping in the push chair) and he mentioned lounges where not for children and they should be banned , i suggested that Planes where public transport he maybe better suited to a private jet, to be fair he did apologise before he left.
Dec 24, 2017, 1:41 am
#41
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,575
We flew last week with a 1 year old KUL-LHR , My daughter slept for the majority of the flight but I have to say the stark difference between BA and CX or GA is great , Cathay and Garuda go out of the way to help , by providing extra blanket or pillow and both provided the option of baby food , which we didnt use
Dec 24, 2017, 3:44 am
#42
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Jakarta
Programs: BA GGL, GA PLAT, SQ Gold
Posts: 527
I agree since the change from WW the service has gone downhill, to be honest i enjoy some flights with MF but the KUL flight isn't one of them , maybe due to the length of flight and the number of days rest ?
Dec 24, 2017, 4:15 am
#43
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,535
Do you mean that infants cannot travel on GA F or that GA does not offer infant fares in F and parents therefore need to buy a full price ticket and seat for their infant if they want to take them along in F? I'm asking because the latter is AF's position. It does not prevent people from taking infants in F, but if that is what the parents want, then they need to be ready to pay for the infant as though it was an adult. There are also no child discounts in F. Where trying to keep the F experience exclusive, this is, perhaps, not an absurd compromise.
Last edited by orbitmic; Dec 24, 2017 at 3:40 pm
Dec 24, 2017, 4:41 am
#44
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
Do you mean that infants cannot travel on GA F or that GA does not offer infant fares in F and parents therefore need to buy a full price ticket and seat for their infant if they want to take them along in F? I'm asking because the latter is AF's position. It does not prevent people from taking infants in F, but if that is what the parents want, then they need to be ready to pay for the infant as though it was an adult. Thee are also no child discounts in F. Where trying to keep the F experience exclusive, this is, perhaps, not an absurd compromise.
Dec 24, 2017, 5:06 am
#45
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Jakarta
Programs: BA GGL, GA PLAT, SQ Gold
Posts: 527
Do you mean that infants cannot travel on GA F or that GA does not offer infant fares in F and parents therefore need to buy a full price ticket and seat for their infant if they want to take them along in F? I'm asking because the latter is AF's position. It does not prevent people from taking infants in F, but if that is what the parents want, then they need to be ready to pay for the infant as though it was an adult. Thee are also no child discounts in F. Where trying to keep the F experience exclusive, this is, perhaps, not an absurd compromise.
Even in the cheapest Y tickets extra pillows , cushions and baby food is provided