Really impressed with how BA treat kids
Nov 1, 2018, 4:10 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Ambassador
Posts: 32
Really impressed with how BA treat kids
I've had numerous great experiences when travelling with my son who is now 6, but was reminded again on Tuesday evening of just how well BA look after the kids.
We flew a domestic LHR-NCL in CE and at the gate they welcomed him by name before he presented a boarding card. I guess there weren't any other kids in the Group 1 queue, but even so, it was a lovely gesture for him to be told they'd been waiting for him. Then at the door of the plane they again greeted him by name and showed him to his seat (1A, so hardly out of their way). I can only liken it to flying in 1A myself in F, he had such a smile on his face.
I know these are only small gestures but they mean so much and make the occasion really special at that age.
😊
We flew a domestic LHR-NCL in CE and at the gate they welcomed him by name before he presented a boarding card. I guess there weren't any other kids in the Group 1 queue, but even so, it was a lovely gesture for him to be told they'd been waiting for him. Then at the door of the plane they again greeted him by name and showed him to his seat (1A, so hardly out of their way). I can only liken it to flying in 1A myself in F, he had such a smile on his face.
I know these are only small gestures but they mean so much and make the occasion really special at that age.
😊
Nov 1, 2018, 5:41 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Ambassador
Posts: 32
Haha, I hope not. It really winds me up when people complain about kids in premium cabins. If they're babies, they might cry, and if they do, that's just fine, it's what babies do. Having travelled with our son from an early age I have the utmost respect for parents travelling with young ones now. Lugging everything around through the airport, cramming everything into your hand luggage that you might need, it's a challenge. The last thing you need is someone moaning after you've just ran a marathon obstacle course through the airport to get to your seat. It is the single reason we flew BA rather than budget airlines on numerous occasions, because they just make it easier. If there's any opportunity to make that trip easier, I say take it, and if that happens to be by using a premium cabin, if you're in a position to do so, do it.
Nov 1, 2018, 6:00 pm
#5
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Anywhere
Posts: 6,552
I know this is a thread to extol BA, but I also want to share another nice incident with VS and kids. Those were the days when they still flew HKG to SYD. We were flying with then 3.5 year old junior but for some reason they didn’t load a kiddy pack on the plane. Shortly after we got home, he received a huge package by courier, with a nice backpack and all sorts of goodies inside from VS customer service in HK. Couldn’t rub the smile off his face for the rest of the day!
Nov 2, 2018, 2:37 am
#6
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, HH Diamond, Avis President's Club
Posts: 1,219
Nov 2, 2018, 3:27 am
#8
Join Date: Jun 2016
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,157
I've always been very impressed how good BA have been to us when travelling with kids - and it's not just because of being GCH, seems genuinely just a much more engaged level of service from ground staff and cabin crew when we travel with the little one: it makes a huge difference to make the experience less stressful: one of the nice discoveries I made about BA the last couple of years and for sure I'd try and fly BA over anything else short-haul at least with the kids...
Nov 2, 2018, 3:59 am
#9
Join Date: May 2006
Location: 5 miles from EMA
Programs: BD, BAEC Pleb, VS Pleb, Accor Pleb, HHonors Gold, Big White Season Pass
Posts: 5,901
I've always been very impressed how good BA have been to us when travelling with kids - and it's not just because of being GCH, seems genuinely just a much more engaged level of service from ground staff and cabin crew when we travel with the little one: it makes a huge difference to make the experience less stressful: one of the nice discoveries I made about BA the last couple of years and for sure I'd try and fly BA over anything else short-haul at least with the kids...
Nov 2, 2018, 4:28 am
#10
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: London
Programs: Mucci Blue, BAEC Gold, Blockbuster Video card
Posts: 1,378
At which even amongst other parents in the cabin all understanding they might have had had pretty much evaporated. People want to engage in that style of hands off, 'don't give him an audience / don't turn it into a game and he'll eventually get bored / knackered' style of parenting then fine but please consider leaving it at the gate for a few hours.
But when I see other parents clearly making whatever efforts they are able to make to keep their kids busy, fed, as quiet as is reasonably possible (words very carefully chosen here) then I have no problem. I have even offered to help / played seat peekaboo etc quite happily.
It's not the noise that stresses me out personally - it's the anger I get from the parents who don't give a damn, and the disempowerment that it causes. I don't think I am alone in this (and I am a parent of a toddler fwiw).
Anyway back on topic and I agree - my experiences of the BA treat kids have been almost uniformly positive.
Nov 2, 2018, 5:15 am
#11
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: UK & Switzerland
Programs: BA; LH; AF
Posts: 145
I echo the sentiment from my own experiences travelling with my (under two years old) son on BA.
One of the best I’ve witnessed was on a LAN flight from JFK to SCL, a couple travelling with a very new looking baby in J. The kid was awake and behaving well when the meal was served, but one of the crew was summoned by the purser and they offered to take the kid while the parents ate. The crew member’s face lit up when they accepted, and she spent the whole meal service walking up and down the plane cradling the child and quietly singing lullabies to it. As soon as the parents finished eating the kid was handed back and went to sleep. On arrival the parents spent a good few minutes talking to the pilot and crew member expressing their thanks, etc. It was beautifully handled all round.
One of the best I’ve witnessed was on a LAN flight from JFK to SCL, a couple travelling with a very new looking baby in J. The kid was awake and behaving well when the meal was served, but one of the crew was summoned by the purser and they offered to take the kid while the parents ate. The crew member’s face lit up when they accepted, and she spent the whole meal service walking up and down the plane cradling the child and quietly singing lullabies to it. As soon as the parents finished eating the kid was handed back and went to sleep. On arrival the parents spent a good few minutes talking to the pilot and crew member expressing their thanks, etc. It was beautifully handled all round.
Nov 2, 2018, 5:19 am
#12
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: London
Programs: Mucci Blue, BAEC Gold, Blockbuster Video card
Posts: 1,378
That is awesome customer service (although on more stretched routings crew wise might be very difficult to offer consistently).
We had mixed experiences on EK not long ago - refused the bassinet (by 1cm, on height grounds, he's really not too tall) on way back despite being fine on way there, but crew went out of their way to engage with the little one when they could.
We had mixed experiences on EK not long ago - refused the bassinet (by 1cm, on height grounds, he's really not too tall) on way back despite being fine on way there, but crew went out of their way to engage with the little one when they could.
Nov 2, 2018, 6:08 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: West Coast USA
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 558
Haha, I hope not. It really winds me up when people complain about kids in premium cabins. If they're babies, they might cry, and if they do, that's just fine, it's what babies do. Having travelled with our son from an early age I have the utmost respect for parents travelling with young ones now. Lugging everything around through the airport, cramming everything into your hand luggage that you might need, it's a challenge. The last thing you need is someone moaning after you've just ran a marathon obstacle course through the airport to get to your seat. It is the single reason we flew BA rather than budget airlines on numerous occasions, because they just make it easier. If there's any opportunity to make that trip easier, I say take it, and if that happens to be by using a premium cabin, if you're in a position to do so, do it.
Nov 2, 2018, 7:54 am
#14
Join Date: May 2016
Programs: BAEC - Gold, IHG - Spire Ambassador
Posts: 569
Don’t forget to ask for a Sky Flyers mileage book. My son takes his on board all of our flights for signing by the flight crew. He invariably is invited into the flight deck for photos and sometimes the flight crew return the book themselves midflight and stop for a chat.
