Checking in Infant Car Seat
 

Hi all,

We're flying with Emirates for the first time at the end of this week, actually looking forward to seeing what it's all about - first time in this forum - hello!

Flying from HKG to NCL and given how competitively priced they are when flying with an infant vs Cathay, it's likely that we'll be back in the summer. I am a little concerned at flying without status, but 10,000 HKD is not worth lounge access (I hope). I have a couple of questions, if any of you have experience with this I would really appreciate your insight / help!

1. We're looking to take our car seat with us for the little one, but check it in as she'll be in the bassinet on the flights. Do we need to do anything with it, like package it in a box, or can it be checked in as is?
2. Has anyone taken the stroller with them to the gate? Do you get it back for transfer in DXB? Or should I expect to next see it in NCL in the oversized baggage?
3. Is there anything that we should be aware of that Emirates can/can't do in regards to travelling with an infant (I've heard they're one of the best in-flight)
4. I have Qantas FF Gold - is there any chance I get lounge access anywhere with Emirates due to the alliance?

Thanks in advance and I'll report back on how the flight was!

Good luck with your trip. Flying with small children is a fair amount of work, need to be honest here, but EK does a good job helping out. EY, by comparison, are amateurs (unless the new air nanny makes any difference)

1. We're looking to take our car seat with us for the little one, but check it in as she'll be in the bassinet on the flights. Do we need to do anything with it, like package it in a box, or can it be checked in as is?

EK will typically provide a large heavy duty clear plastic bag at check-in to put the car seat or stroller in.

2. Has anyone taken the stroller with them to the gate? Do you get it back for transfer in DXB? Or should I expect to next see it in NCL in the oversized baggage?

EK allows you to take the stroller to the gate, but it will be checked at the plane and you will get it back at NCL. EK provides a fleet of standard Maclaren strollers at DXB for passengers (look for racks on the walls). These would not be appropriate, however, for an infant. We generally choose to check the stroller outright and use an infant carrier (e.g. baby bjorn, ergo) rather than the stroller in the airports. Easier to transit and keeps hands free.

3. Is there anything that we should be aware of that Emirates can/can't do in regards to travelling with an infant (I've heard they're one of the best in-flight)

Nothing comes to mind. You seem to already have booked a bassinet, so you should be set there. You probably know this, but don't forget to have the baby drinking something for take-off and landing to equalize the baby's ear pressure.

EK will provide some toys for the kids and a baby kit for infants (lotion, wipes, rattle) as well as baby food (but have never used it).

4. I have Qantas FF Gold - is there any chance I get lounge access anywhere with Emirates due to the alliance?

I don't know, but I'm sure someone can answer that here.

If not, you can always buy access to the Marhaba Lounge (small kids will be free)
https://www.marhabaservices.com/Source/lounge.aspx

Thanks in advance and I'll report back on how the flight was!


Best of luck on your trip

Thanks extramileage! Really helpful, much appreciated. We were planning on having the carrier with us as backup just in case there were problems with getting the stroller, will follow your advice and carry her through with it!

You'll have Business lounge access with you QFF card. You can also guest.

Great - my worst fears of zero status exist no more. The flights just got a little easier. Thanks everyone!

Recap on our experience.

Check in: Piece of cake, we were able to check in the car seat with no problems, it was just placed into a plastic bag and we collected it off the luggage conveyor in Newcastle. We dropped the stroller off at the gate for the same process, although we had a carrier so on the return journey we just kept her in the carrier and checked both items in at the desk.

Lounge: Hong Kong was above average, selection of food was better the Qantas lounge in HK. Lounge in Dubai was ridiculous, loved that you could get directly to the gate. It was ridiculously busy outside of the lounge, intensely busy - so we were very glad of that. It does sprawl so services are a distance apart, on par with the Virgin Lounge in Heathrow. Changing services all good and spacious so the little one could sprawl on the floor and stretch out.

In Flight: We were fortunate to have bassinet seats, or so we thought. Key point is that they are no turbulence safe, meaning that any time the fasten seatbelt sign comes on you have to take the baby out. For one of the smoothest journeys I've had the seatbelt sign was on for all times but during service. Highly annoying and I'm pretty sure the pilot forgot / didn't turn it off.

The bassinet itself is fairly intrusive, it stops you from being able to pull out your TV to relax whilst the baby is sleeping, or if you know about this in advance and pull the tv out before the bassinet goes in, you have to slope down in your chair to be able to see it effectively. Over 2 legs of flight with 16hrs in the air, it got a bit frustrating.

In terms of size, our little one is only 5 months now and was 8.1kg/61cm and 8.5kg/65cm at the time. She filled it lengthwise and I can't imagine that she'd comfortably fit in there by the end of Jan. Emirates site says that it's 74.93 cm long and can handle 11kgs. The 74.93cm must be including the width of the frame, as there certainly wasn't 10cm (or 9.93cm to be precise) for her to move around in.

The staff on board were quite honestly, amazing. Everyone of them stopped to say hello to our little girl. Some had a hold and a play and in general it was a pleasure interacting with them. Didn't have any problems, smiles all round.

In Summary: I found Emirates a very good and very cost effective option. The only thing that would deter me is the bassinet, but as my little girl is pretty much at the limit of the bassinet, that will only impact me if we decide to go for baby #2.

Thanks for the recap! Glad things went relatively smoothly.

One question: are "turbulence safe" bassinets offered on certain airlines?

What are 'turbulence safe" bassinets? Just wondering aloud: do they come with seatbelts?