long haul with infant/2 adults: own seat in wtp vs lap child in cw?
Aug 18, 2018, 1:42 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 691
long haul with infant/2 adults: own seat in wtp vs lap child in cw?
I'll keep this short. If traveling long-haul on the 744 with two adults plus a 9 month old, which would you prefer/have you tried:
1) infant in their own seat in WTP (with an approved rear-facing carseat at the bulkhead, 33 AB/D)
2) CW rear facing double bed with a lap child (14EF, 20EF, 22EF)
3) CW in another position with lap child
1) infant in their own seat in WTP (with an approved rear-facing carseat at the bulkhead, 33 AB/D)
2) CW rear facing double bed with a lap child (14EF, 20EF, 22EF)
3) CW in another position with lap child
Aug 18, 2018, 2:18 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2015
Programs: BA:Silver (thanks paternity perk) , HH:Diamond
Posts: 190
Personally if mine was still that young would go for CW and all the extras such as lounge and points etc and hope they sleep in the sky cot. We survived TPA at 5 months and BGI at 11 in Y 
Aug 18, 2018, 3:46 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 101
The AA a330 business class was not very infant friendly. The seats are such that the middle 2 seats are angled so the 2 people in them cannot see each other or have a conversation without leaning forward which means the infant carrier is basically on their own. Amrican airlines are not allowed to provide lap straps for infants and it has no sky cots in business so falls way short of BA's business offering when you have an infant.
Aug 18, 2018, 4:26 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 25
From BA’s family seating section:
Bring your own car seat or AmSafe system
Car seat dimensions and safety requirementsYou can bring your own car seat for use by infants in their own seat or children, subject to the following conditions:
- The age/weight range of the child is in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
- The child must face the same direction of the seat it is secured to.
- The car seat must remain in position for the duration of the flight.
- The seatbelt buckle must not lie over any part of the frame or under the structure of the car seat after tightening.
- The frame of the car seat must be either metal or plastic/polycarbonate material.
- Where possible, car seats should be secured into a passenger seat next to a window.
- The car seat must not be placed before, after or on an emergency exit row.
- The harness must secure the lap, torso and crotch, but does not have to be 5 individual straps.
- Non-approved car seats may only be used during the cruise when the seatbelt sign is off. At other times, the car seat must be stowed in an overhead locker.
Aug 18, 2018, 7:43 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: LAX/MXP
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 564
definitey go for to middle seats in CW by the bassinet! You two will be way more comfortable like that and the little one will have his/her own bassinet if that works. Plus he twin seats will have the added bonus of creating a nice big confined space for the little one to play.
We traveled with twins and definitely go for the CW space whenever you can
We traveled with twins and definitely go for the CW space whenever you can
Aug 18, 2018, 11:55 pm
#10
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Israel/United States
Posts: 1,234
I guess the I am old fashioned. Safety first. A child, no matter the age should be securely strapped into his or her own seat. Lap children, bassinets, extra space, all sound and work great — until there is severe turbulence and your child becomes a flying object. An infrequent occurance, until it happens to you.
https://www.faa.gov/travelers/fly_children/
https://www.consumerreports.org/airl...y-on-your-lap/
https://jetlagged.blogs.nytimes.com/...d-on-your-lap/
https://www.faa.gov/travelers/fly_children/
https://www.consumerreports.org/airl...y-on-your-lap/
https://jetlagged.blogs.nytimes.com/...d-on-your-lap/
Aug 19, 2018, 12:13 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,189
How old will the child be when you actually travel? Too many people make the mistake of saying how old the child is now rather than when the flight takes place which could be months in the future.
if the child is too big having a bassinette won’t help as they are size and weight dependent. IIRC the size restrictions are listed on BA websites the.
how long in the flight? Will yiu be comfortable with the child sitting on you for long periods which can and does happen if there is turbulence.
whilst less comfortable for you - no flat bed - 3 seats in WTP May be more comfortable for your child.
if the child is too big having a bassinette won’t help as they are size and weight dependent. IIRC the size restrictions are listed on BA websites the.
how long in the flight? Will yiu be comfortable with the child sitting on you for long periods which can and does happen if there is turbulence.
whilst less comfortable for you - no flat bed - 3 seats in WTP May be more comfortable for your child.
Aug 19, 2018, 12:48 am
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL, AA 1MM LT GLD, SPG PLAT, National Exec Selc, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Silver
Posts: 8,278
We have done four long haul round trips with BA and our son is just 12 months old. For the first three trips (2, 3 and 6-7 months) he was largely willing to sleep on us and so the more space the better (some F and some 64 AB on those flights). We tried the bassinet and it didn’t work. On his last trip - 11 months - getting him to sleep in F on the outbound was inpossible (we were in 1AK on the 747). He wouldn’t sleep with us but the seat was too big and interesting for him to settle if in it on his own. I find ally made a fort and got him to sleep for 40 minutes in the foot space by the TV but that was it. On the return he did 2.5 hours In the child seat in 64AB. If in J on the 747 - I think this is better than downstairs - more space overall, lots more accessible storage, more separation from other passengers and every crew was willing to do staggered meals for my wife and I (which may be much more hit or miss downstairs particularly the 66J cabin). From here on out though he will get his own seat so we will do three across in the bassinet row in the middle sections.
Agree that hat the American carriers have worse configurations in business for traveling with babies and in some ways impossible if you want to buy a one or two year old their own seat. We explored AA J for our trip when he will be 18 mo and we concluded it was impossible. He’d simply be too far from us to control.
Agree that hat the American carriers have worse configurations in business for traveling with babies and in some ways impossible if you want to buy a one or two year old their own seat. We explored AA J for our trip when he will be 18 mo and we concluded it was impossible. He’d simply be too far from us to control.
Aug 19, 2018, 4:11 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: London
Programs: Thai Royal Orchid Plus Gold, BA Silver, Alitalia Freccia Alata
Posts: 348
More to the point: how comfortable will the child be sitting on you for long periods? My then 5-month old survived LHR-IAD (VS PE) in a bassinet when sleeping, but now? He'd be cruising up and down the aisle at every opportunity and would definitely not enjoy sitting on me for any longer than a few minutes (*unless distracted with snacks).
Aug 19, 2018, 7:56 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 691
thanks for the responses and agreed on all points.
i doubt the kid will want to sit still or stay in a bassinet the whole time, and I'm not keen on walking the aisles for hours, which is why we are considering lap infant in CW instead of three seats in WTP.
agreed - 9 months at time of travel for an 8 hour flight. 3 seats in WTP would be fantastic as it frees up our hands and puts the little one in a carseat which is the safest. the issue is sitting still/buckled in may not last for more than a few minutes at a time and we are then limited to holding in the lap while we are seated (which the kid hates) vs lying in a bassinet (which may not work for long). I can already see us walking the aisles in WTP. CW likely gives us more freedom in that regard.
100% agreed and for short-haul flights this is what we do. but for long-haul, this assumes that the child is willing to remain buckled in the entire flight. at the same time, there is always the real risk of sudden, unpredictable turbulence.
More to the point: how comfortable will the child be sitting on you for long periods? My then 5-month old survived LHR-IAD (VS PE) in a bassinet when sleeping, but now? He'd be cruising up and down the aisle at every opportunity and would definitely not enjoy sitting on me for any longer than a few minutes (*unless distracted with snacks).
How old will the child be when you actually travel? Too many people make the mistake of saying how old the child is now rather than when the flight takes place which could be months in the future.
if the child is too big having a bassinette won’t help as they are size and weight dependent. IIRC the size restrictions are listed on BA websites the.
how long in the flight? Will yiu be comfortable with the child sitting on you for long periods which can and does happen if there is turbulence.
whilst less comfortable for you - no flat bed - 3 seats in WTP May be more comfortable for your child.
if the child is too big having a bassinette won’t help as they are size and weight dependent. IIRC the size restrictions are listed on BA websites the.
how long in the flight? Will yiu be comfortable with the child sitting on you for long periods which can and does happen if there is turbulence.
whilst less comfortable for you - no flat bed - 3 seats in WTP May be more comfortable for your child.
I guess the I am old fashioned. Safety first. A child, no matter the age should be securely strapped into his or her own seat. Lap children, bassinets, extra space, all sound and work great — until there is severe turbulence and your child becomes a flying object. An infrequent occurance, until it happens to you.
https://www.faa.gov/travelers/fly_children/
https://www.consumerreports.org/airl...y-on-your-lap/
https://jetlagged.blogs.nytimes.com/...d-on-your-lap/
https://www.faa.gov/travelers/fly_children/
https://www.consumerreports.org/airl...y-on-your-lap/
https://jetlagged.blogs.nytimes.com/...d-on-your-lap/
Aug 20, 2018, 2:25 am
#15
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 131
We have travelled extensively (long and short haul) with Master Efficient Traveller since he was 2 months old (now 18 months) and I would definitely recommend 2 CW seats and lap infant rather than 3 WTP seats.
BA will not let you fit a rear facing car seat (see their website) and practically we have found it practically impossible to find a forward facing seat that is approved for air travel by the CAA (not a US regulator), meets the required dimensions and which is also suitable and safe for a 9 month old to use for road travel. If anyone knows of one, please shout! (The Cosco Senera is not UK / EU legal) As a result, the car seat option is pretty much non-viable on BA. Having a 3rd WTP seat with no car seat for a 9 month old is likely to be of relatively little value - it will mean they still end up sleeping on you and are in easy grabbing distance of hot food / drinks during meal services.
If you go for CW (or any other bassinet position with a lap infant), you can choose to have the Britax Child Seat fitted to the bassinet position which unique to BA and provides a great option for a 6 - 18 month old. These are seats with a five point harness (like large non-bouncy bouncing chairs) that can be used in 2 positions: (a) reclined for sleeping (more reclined than most car seats) and sitting up (gives a great view of the cabin which keeps many babies occupied for a few minutes). For a night flight, we have found our little one has slept brilliantly in the child seats and with the 5 point harness, we have been comfortable that he was safely secured for unexpected turbulence and unable to climb out if he woke and we were asleep. It also provides a great place to put him for short periods when awake when we want him safely away from our seats (during dinner or whilst trying to pack stuff up before seat belt signs go on). The CW seats are also great for little ones to climb on / crawl on if you are trying to exercise your little bundle of energy.
Do remember that BA is regulated by the CAA so requires that all lap children are strapped in with extension seat belts while the seat belt sign is on - these belts loop onto a parent's seat belt and then go round the infant so the child is physically belted and not just held by an adult as is standard in the US.
BA will not let you fit a rear facing car seat (see their website) and practically we have found it practically impossible to find a forward facing seat that is approved for air travel by the CAA (not a US regulator), meets the required dimensions and which is also suitable and safe for a 9 month old to use for road travel. If anyone knows of one, please shout! (The Cosco Senera is not UK / EU legal) As a result, the car seat option is pretty much non-viable on BA. Having a 3rd WTP seat with no car seat for a 9 month old is likely to be of relatively little value - it will mean they still end up sleeping on you and are in easy grabbing distance of hot food / drinks during meal services.
If you go for CW (or any other bassinet position with a lap infant), you can choose to have the Britax Child Seat fitted to the bassinet position which unique to BA and provides a great option for a 6 - 18 month old. These are seats with a five point harness (like large non-bouncy bouncing chairs) that can be used in 2 positions: (a) reclined for sleeping (more reclined than most car seats) and sitting up (gives a great view of the cabin which keeps many babies occupied for a few minutes). For a night flight, we have found our little one has slept brilliantly in the child seats and with the 5 point harness, we have been comfortable that he was safely secured for unexpected turbulence and unable to climb out if he woke and we were asleep. It also provides a great place to put him for short periods when awake when we want him safely away from our seats (during dinner or whilst trying to pack stuff up before seat belt signs go on). The CW seats are also great for little ones to climb on / crawl on if you are trying to exercise your little bundle of energy.
Do remember that BA is regulated by the CAA so requires that all lap children are strapped in with extension seat belts while the seat belt sign is on - these belts loop onto a parent's seat belt and then go round the infant so the child is physically belted and not just held by an adult as is standard in the US.