Shuttle-Bored

This guide is based on a post originally compiled by MIAFlyer.

I am an American currently living in Geneva, Switzerland. We fly to the US 2 or 3 times per year. I have three boys, 5 yrs, 3 yrs and 18 months now, so I know how much fun travelling with children can be. I will try to give you my point of view.

1 - BA is by far, the best airline for transatlantic travel with children. Period. This will be backed up by the statements below....

2 - Seating - The arm rests in WT+ do not raise. I don't think any of the arm rests on any BA plane raise. However, unless your car seat is some giant monstrosity, it should fit. I believe in order for it to be FAA approved, the base cannot be more than 17 inches wide, which is the smallest seat currently used on US airlines. Our Graco seat fits in BA long/short haul WT and WT+ seats.

3 – Safety:

3a - Infant in a seat - If you are SURE your seat meets BOTH FAA and CAA standards, you will not have a problem using it in flight. HOWEVER, note that ex-UK with the current hand luggage rules, you cannot bring your own seat any more. BA’s advice is:

For other points of departure, key points to remember are - Must be a 5 point harness (meaning there is webbing crossing the little one attached to the shell of the seat in 5 locations), most US car seats that are both forward and rear facing are 5 point, there are a few that are 3 point, but not many. The seat must be forward facing. The reason for this is based upon how airplane seats are designed to move forward in a crash. Example: If you have a rear facing infant seat in seat 12A, and the airplane crashes, the person in 13A would be forced forward into the back of the seat 12A. This seat is will move forward and crush the little one in 12A. So there is a reason for them to be forward facing. If your little one is too young to be forward facing in a car, he is too little to be forward facing in an airplane. My experience has been that BA cabin crew will let the little one stay in his car seat for take off and landing provided it is forward facing and properly installed.

3b - Infant on your lap - I am a mechanical engineer. BA is the only airline I have experienced that understands the forces involved in a crash. They have a specially designed figure 8 lap belt that attaches the little one to your seatbelt OUTSIDE of your body/belt loop. This is the safest way for your little one to travel for take off and landing (yes, better than in a car seat), mainly based upon the time to exit the plane.

3c - BA Britax/Sleeping cots - My troupe has flown in both Club (when the Swiss franc was 1.45 to the dollar) and in WT+ (when the Swiss franc was 1.2 to the dollar!) so I have experience with the setup in both cabins (they are the same). The Britax seat looks just like a car seat, and if you are lucky enough to get a bulkhead seat, the cabin crew will come around right after takeoff and setup your seat for you. Usually, it is a fold down tray, about 20 inches deep to about 30 inches wide coming from the bulkhead in front of you. Same thing with the sleeping cots. I have big boys, and my 8 month old fit just fine in the Britax seat, and was slightly too big for the sleeping cot at 17 months.

4 - Purchase a seat/hope for bulkhead/why won't they give me both - I had exactly the same discussion with BA. Do I purchase 4 WT+ tickets, and ask for a bulkhead, or do I buy 5 tickets and put the youngest in his own seat. BA told me exactly the same thing, if you have an infant in your lap, paying the infant fare, we will try to allocate you a bulkhead seat. If you buy the infant a seat, we will NOT try to allocate you a bulkhead. The thought of having a 17 month old squirming on my lap in a crowded cabin made me purchase 5 WT+ tickets. My experience has been there are VERY FEW parents with children travelling in WT+. In fact, each time we have travelled in WT+, my three little ones were the only children on the plane. Thus, I think your odds of getting a bulkhead seat are probably pretty good. Having said that, you can also purchase a seat for your child and ask at the airport check in desk for the bulkhead seats. We have always been able to get at least two bulkhead seats this way.

5 - Food - The kids meals on BA are actually food my kids will eat. Chicken nuggets, baked beans, and far too much chocolate (which we took away...). You will have to ask for a children’s meal at least 24 hours before the flight. Your travel agent can to this, or you can call BA directly. If you do not call ahead, you will not get a child's meal. Baby food is carried on all flights, but we always brought our own anyway.

6 - Entertainment packs - BA also has a game pack that they give kids. They have one for 2-6 year olds and 6-12 year olds. The 2-6 year olds get a colouring book, pad of paper, crayons, and a stuffed animal type airplane. The 6-12 year olds get a puzzle book (crossword, connect the dots, etc.) and a little electronic game that my 5 yr old loves. (Off topic - LX and LH give out Lego and Matchbox cars, US Flag carriers don't give anything).

7 - Flight Crew - While my experiences are limited to Club and WT+, the flight crew on each BA flight have truly gone out of their way to make my wife and I, and more importantly, our children, comfortable and happy on our flights. LH, DL, and Alitalia greeted us with a sneer. Never again. This has cost them significant dollars in terms of my business travel, but that is the subject of another thread.

8 - Ground Services - I have a BA Gold card, my wife and 2 of the 3 children have Silver cards, so my experiences may be tainted. We have always been welcomed in the lounges (and promptly directed to the Toybox!), check in has always been easy, we were allowed to take our buggy/pram/stroller right to the plane, (all but once it was stored in the cabin instead of luggage).

Now, not everything is rosy with BA and Heathrow, changing planes/terminals there is a giant pain. But overall, compared to any other transatlantic service, BA is the way to go. Whatever you do, do not fly Alitalia. Even if you purchase a seat for your child, they will not let you use a car seat, even during the flight. They would rather the infant sit in an adult seat, by themselves, or be held by a parent for the whole flight. The sooner they go bankrupt, the better.

Hope this helps!

Useful information for parents of 1 year olds!
Any parents out there will be aware that from the age of 2, children can no longer travel as lap passengers at 10% of the adult fare, but instead require a seat and are charged the child fare which is typically 66% of the adult fare. What you might not be aware of however is BA's policy vis-a-vis children who turn 2 during travel - and how this could potentially save parents a great deal by starting travel plans earlier in say Manchester rather than from London, ie start your flight from Manchester whilst jnr is under 2, and continue on several months later after he has turned 2.

The relevant BA policy is shown on their website:
Does it work in practice? Yes. We recently experienced it on a tatl which started in February (due to an Amex 241 issue - since closed) and continued to the US and back in August. Jnr was a lap passenger for the initial MAN to LHR, and thereafter had a seat in J.

So...anyone with a 1 year old, planning a flight for when the child is 2 is recommended to look into commencing the flight earlier with a long stopover. If anything it reinforces the case for ex-EUR travel.