BA Club Europe Middle Seat Tray
 

Hi All

Have a young co-worker who is looking to take wife & baby to Tenerife with BA Club Europe. The baby will be about 10 months old and he was looking at Club Europe as he thought the middle seat being free would give more space.

I have travelled there before but never considered if crew can or would remove middle tray/seat to assist a couple with a 10 month old.

Anyone on here have any experience or knowledge of this ??

Many Thanks.

I susepct the crew woukd be very symathetic to the request ... if asked at the right time! During boarding, perhaps less popular, but who knows how lucky one might be?

It can be removed and stowed, and I've seen crew offer to do it for this very scenario.

As a completely trivial aside, I didn't realise that on the ex-BMI LGW based A320s that only have Row 1A/C but no D/F, the tray must be removed from 1B and stowed for takeoff and landing. I would guess for safety reasons as there is no bulkhead between that row and the crew jump seats?

From personal experience, some crew are happy to remove the tray table and others are not. I’ve had crew proactively offer to do so, whereas others have specifically refused to.

Does not seem to be an official position on this so dry much luck of the draw.

That's interesting to know, thank you. I wonder why, and if any of the helpful CC who inhabit this forum could say if there is an official position on it?

TFS is a LGW route, if going direct.

If this is an exBMI aircraft, the middle seat table is easy to put away, it simply folds back into back of the seat on its lower hinge, underneath the table is the seat's padding used in the middle of the chair. If it's an G-GATx aircraft then it may need some crew assistance but I've often seen it stowed away (don't try to do it yourself, you risk crushing a finger or five) and I've never seen them decline to do it.

You can tell if it is exBMI, Lord Glendonbrook is a bit superstitious and so these aircraft have no row 13. G-GATx as indicated have no 1D / 1F.

BA also flies LHR to TFS direct, I do it regularly.

I don't think all crew know how to put them down. When the curtain was left too far back on a recent flight I figured out how to stow one that was preventing my neighbour getting into seat to free up aisle boarding space. Crew waited for ground team to do similar on other side of aisle. I do still have 5 fingers, but it was a heavier device than I anticipated to I'm pleased nothing got into the multiple scissor points as it descended.

I wonder if that is crew preference? I've sat there a couple of times to Malta and don't recall it being moved? Great seats for chatting to with the crew.

Yes, could well be that....

On one sector they did leave it in place for us as well. I admit I liked it being absent at take off, I could sit in 1B until boarding was complete - sitting in the allocated 1C seems hazardous to one's knees during boarding if you are first on.

It was actually written on the top of the table that it must be stowed, albeit in very faded lettering. The CSM on the outbound was also very clear it should be stowed, and was very practiced at it...

The couple plus toddler sitting behind us in 2A/C on yesterdays flight back from HEL asked the crew to do just this. Said toddler then watched Peppa Pig on an iPad at full volume and no headphones for the entire flight which was nice.

What happened when you asked them to turn the sound down?