Children visiting cockpit before or after flight
Jun 24, 2018, 12:23 am
#31
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,596
In the good old days working for GOFLY, after BA had floated it we used to auction off sitting on the jumpseat for interesting landings like Naples or Bilbao. Our company charity was Macmillan cancer nurses, so if ops were normal the cabin crew would hold an inflight auction which required a cheque to be written on the spot for Macmillan.
Some of the passengers were exceptionally generous, and wrote cheques for many hundreds of pounds. I never heard of any issues with the cheques not being honoured. Of course 9/11 came along and put a stop to that and suppresed a decent revenue stream for the charity.
Some of the passengers were exceptionally generous, and wrote cheques for many hundreds of pounds. I never heard of any issues with the cheques not being honoured. Of course 9/11 came along and put a stop to that and suppresed a decent revenue stream for the charity.
Jun 24, 2018, 3:52 am
#32
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 198
I was flying BA1 A318 LCY-JFK via SNN. At SNN the air stairs were broken so we were slightly delayed on the ground. Was speaking with the flight attendants (only 9 pax on board so very personal service) and they let me in the cockpit. I got to sit in the F/O seat and had a tour of the cockpit, including the special 'Steep Approach' button on the A318 which raises the spoilers on final to LCY. Eventually we had manual stairs pull up on the right side of the aircraft so it was also novel seeing the EICAS DOORS page have indicators that weren't typical for the flight.
Just one of the many reasons BA1 has been the most enjoyable flight of my life.
Just one of the many reasons BA1 has been the most enjoyable flight of my life.
Jun 24, 2018, 8:48 am
#33
Join Date: Dec 2005
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 134
My family were all traveling short haul on different bookings, I got upgraded and gave the club seat to my 11 year old (who behaved impeccably). We disembarked and couldn't find him. We thought he had just made his way through the terminal. There followed a mad panic all the way to passport control, where we knew he could't get any further, checking every loo on the way. We retuned to find him in the cockpit wearing the pilot's hat!
Jun 24, 2018, 9:31 am
#34
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: 30,523
And to answer another query class of travel has no bearing on the little one;s (or your) chances of being allowed in though his/her/your enthusiasm might! In my experience, most pilots enjoy sharing their passion with people who are as enthusiastics about planes as they are!
Jun 24, 2018, 10:52 am
#35
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Lincolnshire, UK
Programs: BA GGL - maybe only briefly!
Posts: 1,378
Excellent BA crew after arriving at Dublin last week. I was chatting to the FO and a couple of kids came up with their mum and were invited into the flight deck by the capt - I made way for them and they were looked after royally, sitting in the captain's seat and wearing the pilots' hats.
Jun 24, 2018, 11:01 am
#36
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL
Posts: 843
On a BA ticketed Iberia flight LGW->MAD a couple of weeks ago, I went to use the toilet and was slightly surprised to see the cabin door open (someone from the flight deck had just used it). I was even more surprised to see a 7 year old kid in there, beaming ear to ear. I am presuming some rules were bent there. I never saw the kid come back (and had never seen him previously) so I presume he belonged to one of the crew and spent the entire flight there.
Jun 25, 2018, 8:27 am
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Anecdotally (and I am not going to reveal which airline / route other than to categorically state that it was NOT a BA flight / crew) I did recently get chatting to a dad sitting next to me who had just connected from another flight where he was able to bring his son up to the cockpit whilst actually in the cruise!!!! So definitely a spot of old school rules being applied there.
On a BA ticketed Iberia flight LGW->MAD a couple of weeks ago, I went to use the toilet and was slightly surprised to see the cabin door open (someone from the flight deck had just used it). I was even more surprised to see a 7 year old kid in there, beaming ear to ear. I am presuming some rules were bent there.
Mar 4, 2019, 9:16 am
#39
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: UK
Programs: BA executive club
Posts: 17
My children at 13 and 15 still love to visit the cockpit and we always ask the pilots to sign our flight logbooks which usually results in a visit! Last visit was this December 2019. I even was allowed in...more to do with my children allowing it them the pilot 
Last edited by NWIFlyer; Mar 4, 2019 at 9:47 am Reason: Remove commercial link per rule 10
Mar 4, 2019, 10:51 am
#40
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,754
I thought this was one of the most unlikely people to ask to visit the cockpit - a certain Buzz Aldrin was a passenger on a A380 last year (not BA) that a friend of mine was piloting. The former astronaut asked if he would be permitted to see the cockpit after landing. Apparently he was quite excited about it and the flight crew were even more thrilled to have such a distinguished guest!
Apparently you're never to old (or have too much flying experience) to visit.
Apparently you're never to old (or have too much flying experience) to visit.
Mar 4, 2019, 11:01 am
#41
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: UK
Programs: Virgin Flying Club Red, Emirates Skywards Blue, BA Executive Club Blue, Amex BA
Posts: 2,378
I was lucky enough to visit after our landing into KUL from LHR. A brand new 787 
Chatted for quite a while as the crew had nothing to do!
Chatted for quite a while as the crew had nothing to do!
Mar 4, 2019, 11:25 am
#42
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,248
I remember a pre-9/11 flight where I boarded in Scotland bound for LHR to find my seat occupied. I was offered two choices; a crew seat or a flight deck jump seat. Spent the whole flight chatting with the pilots and listening in to all the ATC communications followed by the approach and landing at LHR. Thoroughly enjoyable trip.
Mar 4, 2019, 12:16 pm
#43
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Putney
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 293
Apologies in advance but I’m a bit bah humbug on this.
Once arrived into MCO just after a storm. The earlier BA has been delayed and we had to wait an hour on the runway for it to push back so we could use the gate.
To kill the time the captain invited all families up to the cockpit. A warm hearted gesture...
...unless seated in J and having to spend the next hour surrounded by noisy families queuing to get in to the cockpit. I lost count if the number of “bingo wings” encroaching into my personal space.
Once arrived into MCO just after a storm. The earlier BA has been delayed and we had to wait an hour on the runway for it to push back so we could use the gate.
To kill the time the captain invited all families up to the cockpit. A warm hearted gesture...
...unless seated in J and having to spend the next hour surrounded by noisy families queuing to get in to the cockpit. I lost count if the number of “bingo wings” encroaching into my personal space.
Mar 4, 2019, 12:18 pm
#44
Join Date: Aug 2006
Programs: BAEC Gold/GGL, IHG Diamond AMB
Posts: 1,074
Had a visit to the flight deck on G-NEOR a couple of weeks ago - very smart indeed and impressive fuel consumption when I talked about it with the Captain and First Officer
You are never too old it’s true!
You are never too old it’s true!
Mar 4, 2019, 12:45 pm
#45
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: Executive club Gold
Posts: 61
I never realised adults could visit the cockpit, my son did 13 years ago, our first long haul with our little family way back in economy so amazed he was asked, we were literally second to last row on the plane, he was just shy of 5 and my husband went with him, on invitation from the crew as he was so well behaved for the flight (put the boy on a flight he was an angel, the rest of time he was a little monster!)
I headed landside with our daughter (2) and got to wave to him from the terminal!
Id love to see the cockpit, I’m extremely claustrophobic and it’s taken years to be comfortable flying, plus a lot of hard work to fly in first longhaul and club short to maximise my space and now I love flying, love planes! We’re off to Toronto early April so I might ask, hopefully my bingo wings will be allowed too.
I headed landside with our daughter (2) and got to wave to him from the terminal!
Id love to see the cockpit, I’m extremely claustrophobic and it’s taken years to be comfortable flying, plus a lot of hard work to fly in first longhaul and club short to maximise my space and now I love flying, love planes! We’re off to Toronto early April so I might ask, hopefully my bingo wings will be allowed too.