Infant in Biz on US 330-300 - best seat?
Jan 7, 2010, 8:34 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 3
Infant in Biz on US 330-300 - best seat?
I will be travelling biz class with US Airways on my lap to MAN from PHL in envoy class on US Airways. The cabin is still almost empty (I got in early!) and was wondering which is the best seat to travel in with a 6 month old? The web is posting the plane as the 330-300 so unfortunately not yet with the new suites! Does the bulkhead have an advantage over other seats? what about window versus other seats? It is a 2-2-2 configuration except the back row which appears to be 2-1-2 according to the seat map.
Any other experiences with a young infant in biz on US Airways would also be appreciated.
(....and before anyone suggests buying 2 seats in economy instead please don't
- i have done economy on this route and airline many times and it is very uncomfortable so i am not doing that as my LO likes to spend a lot of time on my lap where ever we are! and out point of origin is not PHL, we will already have done 2 hours of flying to get there).
Thankyou.
Any other experiences with a young infant in biz on US Airways would also be appreciated.
(....and before anyone suggests buying 2 seats in economy instead please don't
- i have done economy on this route and airline many times and it is very uncomfortable so i am not doing that as my LO likes to spend a lot of time on my lap where ever we are! and out point of origin is not PHL, we will already have done 2 hours of flying to get there).Thankyou.
Jan 8, 2010, 1:47 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: France
Programs: United Plus
Posts: 1,761
I like the look of row 5. Since babies aren't always welcome in Business, if you're towards the back, then you don't have everyone staring at you. The advantages of the bulkhead are less in business class and you don't wnat an audience every time he makes a peep.
Also, it's easier to get to the lavs, which you tend to do a lot with a baby. You're also close to the galley, which is useful too.
These configurations look different but I would vote for row 5 on either.
http://seatexpert.com/seatmap/342/US...nternational)/
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/US_...irbus_A330.php
Just to clear up a misconception you mentioned. Babies in car seats do NOT have to stay in them the whole time. Mine spent a lot of time in my arms but it was nice to have somewhere to place them when they fell asleep. I could go to the bathroom without worrying about turbulence. Babies are only required to be in the car seat for take-off and landing. They're not safe in laps during those two crucial phases of the flight but commercial air travel has an excellent record so the chances of anything going wrong are slim.
If they flight is not full, hopefully you can still use the car seat in the seat next to you. Book the aisle and hope the window stays free. Don't sit at the window unless you are flying with someone else. Trust me, you don't want to crawl over a stranger when your little one has done a blow-out diaper! It would be nice to not have to lift, lift, lift the baby up and they really do sleep better in their own, familiar seat (experience with both speaking!) Just be sure to bring the car seat to the gate if you need it in the U.K. and have it gate-checked if you can't use it on board. Never check a car seat as luggage. They're often lost and/or broken.
If he crawls, get him used to wearing socks over his hands so he doesn't pick up anything nasty off the floor. Make sure you have enough diapers (so many passengers run out!) especially since you risk a weather delay this time of year and the fact you're connecting. If he uses bottles, make sure they don't need to be warmed so that you can feed him at any point of your journey. Be sure to have a good baby carrier. Front packs like the Bjorn are usually outgrown at this age but a good one should go to age 2 or 3. Babies get clingy in strange big places like airports and want to be held. It's hard to push a stroller, etc. with a baby in your arms (seen that too many times!) not to mention the infamous falling asleep on landing scene...
I also recommend that putting off introducing solids until after the trip. I put off solids twice with my two girls because of trips. They don't really need food this young and baby food is messy on airplanes! My girls started at 7 1/2 months, with the ped's blessing and both are excellent, unfussy eaters who never had weight issues.
I hope your trip wont be affected by England's nasty weather right now!
Here are my non-commercial flying tips;
http://flyingwithchildren1.blogspot.com
Also, it's easier to get to the lavs, which you tend to do a lot with a baby. You're also close to the galley, which is useful too.
These configurations look different but I would vote for row 5 on either.
http://seatexpert.com/seatmap/342/US...nternational)/
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/US_...irbus_A330.php
Just to clear up a misconception you mentioned. Babies in car seats do NOT have to stay in them the whole time. Mine spent a lot of time in my arms but it was nice to have somewhere to place them when they fell asleep. I could go to the bathroom without worrying about turbulence. Babies are only required to be in the car seat for take-off and landing. They're not safe in laps during those two crucial phases of the flight but commercial air travel has an excellent record so the chances of anything going wrong are slim.
If they flight is not full, hopefully you can still use the car seat in the seat next to you. Book the aisle and hope the window stays free. Don't sit at the window unless you are flying with someone else. Trust me, you don't want to crawl over a stranger when your little one has done a blow-out diaper! It would be nice to not have to lift, lift, lift the baby up and they really do sleep better in their own, familiar seat (experience with both speaking!) Just be sure to bring the car seat to the gate if you need it in the U.K. and have it gate-checked if you can't use it on board. Never check a car seat as luggage. They're often lost and/or broken.
If he crawls, get him used to wearing socks over his hands so he doesn't pick up anything nasty off the floor. Make sure you have enough diapers (so many passengers run out!) especially since you risk a weather delay this time of year and the fact you're connecting. If he uses bottles, make sure they don't need to be warmed so that you can feed him at any point of your journey. Be sure to have a good baby carrier. Front packs like the Bjorn are usually outgrown at this age but a good one should go to age 2 or 3. Babies get clingy in strange big places like airports and want to be held. It's hard to push a stroller, etc. with a baby in your arms (seen that too many times!) not to mention the infamous falling asleep on landing scene...
I also recommend that putting off introducing solids until after the trip. I put off solids twice with my two girls because of trips. They don't really need food this young and baby food is messy on airplanes! My girls started at 7 1/2 months, with the ped's blessing and both are excellent, unfussy eaters who never had weight issues.
I hope your trip wont be affected by England's nasty weather right now!
Here are my non-commercial flying tips;
http://flyingwithchildren1.blogspot.com
Jan 8, 2010, 9:17 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 3
Thankyou for the quick response - i was wondering if the car seat would be safe as luggage (i am definitely taking it as I need it on my trip). When gate checked does it still go in the hold? One of my fligths is on a little CRJ so it won't fit in the cabin.
I was planning on checking the stroller as luggage - i have a graco travel system and the stroller part is pretty big, do you think this will be an issue as a gate check? One of my flights is Air Canada and they specifically mention that strollers should be small like umbrella strollers. They say :
"Because gate facilities in airports are not designed to accommodate them, large, heavy strollers will need to be checked in and will count as one piece of baggage toward the maximum number of checked bags allowed by your fare type. Large strollers are also subject to space limitations, and there is a risk that they cannot be accommodated in the aircraft." (from http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...ant-child.html )
Pretty vague as to what counts as a large stroller! I have a carrier (a mei tei) so I don't really need the stroller in the airport and i have a fast connection time (supposedly!) so should be okay with just the carrier, but don't want my stroller to get broken either, what would you recomend?
I do understand about when baby 'has' to be in a car seat. I just think that even given the extra safety during take-off and landing, given how often she will be in the seat the over $1,100 it will cost me for an infant ticket is realistically just too much to pay (and that is in economy - i upgraded my seat to biz with miles to try and give us a bit of space). I am getting a Baby B'air for inflight- hope they let me use it (says you can on the US air website) and hope that take-off and landing are okay. In my experience (and i have flown alot all over the world) i have had bad turbulance mid flight twice (and bumped my head pretty bad on the window on one of them in the cramped economy i was in, but so far no issues during take-off and landing so fingers crossed!
I am not too bothered if people don't like kids in business they will just have to deal with it, it is just a different part of the plane with a better seat and more food as far as i am concerned (and i have travelled there plenty on my own too before anyone jumps in about paying more for the seat and not understanding blah blah). Having said that i was considering the extra privacy of the back row - except of course when people go back and forth to lav, in which case it is less private.
I was planning on checking the stroller as luggage - i have a graco travel system and the stroller part is pretty big, do you think this will be an issue as a gate check? One of my flights is Air Canada and they specifically mention that strollers should be small like umbrella strollers. They say :
"Because gate facilities in airports are not designed to accommodate them, large, heavy strollers will need to be checked in and will count as one piece of baggage toward the maximum number of checked bags allowed by your fare type. Large strollers are also subject to space limitations, and there is a risk that they cannot be accommodated in the aircraft." (from http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...ant-child.html )
Pretty vague as to what counts as a large stroller! I have a carrier (a mei tei) so I don't really need the stroller in the airport and i have a fast connection time (supposedly!) so should be okay with just the carrier, but don't want my stroller to get broken either, what would you recomend?
I do understand about when baby 'has' to be in a car seat. I just think that even given the extra safety during take-off and landing, given how often she will be in the seat the over $1,100 it will cost me for an infant ticket is realistically just too much to pay (and that is in economy - i upgraded my seat to biz with miles to try and give us a bit of space). I am getting a Baby B'air for inflight- hope they let me use it (says you can on the US air website) and hope that take-off and landing are okay. In my experience (and i have flown alot all over the world) i have had bad turbulance mid flight twice (and bumped my head pretty bad on the window on one of them in the cramped economy i was in, but so far no issues during take-off and landing so fingers crossed!
I am not too bothered if people don't like kids in business they will just have to deal with it, it is just a different part of the plane with a better seat and more food as far as i am concerned (and i have travelled there plenty on my own too before anyone jumps in about paying more for the seat and not understanding blah blah). Having said that i was considering the extra privacy of the back row - except of course when people go back and forth to lav, in which case it is less private.
Jan 8, 2010, 6:36 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,558
bouncycat
A few thoughts on the A330-300:
Row 1 used to be first class and is separated from the rest of the Envoy cabin by a bulkhead. Those seats are lie-flat seats and offer a little bit more privacy, however it does cost extra to fly up there and they are usually booked pretty quickly by FF.
Row 2 is also bulkhead, but as with any bulkhead seat there is no under seat storage space in front of you. Actually, underseat storage is pretty limited on any seat on this airplane because of the entertainment system.
There used to be 7 rows of Envoy on this airplane, with the galley separating row 5 from rows 6-7. Now that row 5 is the last row of Envoy you only have the galley separating that cabin from coach. Other drawbacks from row 5 are that they are right in front of the bathrooms and you can get a fair amount of traffic during the night. It is also directly in front of the galley and there is usually some type of activity in the galley during the entire flight. After the dinner service (flying east bound) there is a snacking station set up in the galley so Envoy passengers will be frequenting that. The entertainment system for the entire airplane is also directly behind row 5 on the right side so you might encounter some noise from that throughout the flight with f/a's having to reset the system and tinker with it. Row 5 can also be a bit chilly being so close to the galley, those chillers in the galley blow alot of cold air.
There are 6 seats in row 5, but 5C is blocked off as a crew rest seat for the pilots.
The Baby B'air can be used for the cruise portion of the flight, but not for take-off and landing. Same thing applies with Snugglies, etc. they can only be used in flight.
Have you already paid for the taxes for your little one? The taxes are generally 10% of the highest applicable fare of the cabin you are travelling in and can get very expensive in Envoy. Some times people find it cheaper to purchase a second seat instead of paying the "infant fare".
Good luck with your trip. PHL-MAN is a pretty short flight as far as travelling to Europe goes, hope it's a good trip for you!
A few thoughts on the A330-300:
Row 1 used to be first class and is separated from the rest of the Envoy cabin by a bulkhead. Those seats are lie-flat seats and offer a little bit more privacy, however it does cost extra to fly up there and they are usually booked pretty quickly by FF.
Row 2 is also bulkhead, but as with any bulkhead seat there is no under seat storage space in front of you. Actually, underseat storage is pretty limited on any seat on this airplane because of the entertainment system.
There used to be 7 rows of Envoy on this airplane, with the galley separating row 5 from rows 6-7. Now that row 5 is the last row of Envoy you only have the galley separating that cabin from coach. Other drawbacks from row 5 are that they are right in front of the bathrooms and you can get a fair amount of traffic during the night. It is also directly in front of the galley and there is usually some type of activity in the galley during the entire flight. After the dinner service (flying east bound) there is a snacking station set up in the galley so Envoy passengers will be frequenting that. The entertainment system for the entire airplane is also directly behind row 5 on the right side so you might encounter some noise from that throughout the flight with f/a's having to reset the system and tinker with it. Row 5 can also be a bit chilly being so close to the galley, those chillers in the galley blow alot of cold air.
There are 6 seats in row 5, but 5C is blocked off as a crew rest seat for the pilots.
The Baby B'air can be used for the cruise portion of the flight, but not for take-off and landing. Same thing applies with Snugglies, etc. they can only be used in flight.
Have you already paid for the taxes for your little one? The taxes are generally 10% of the highest applicable fare of the cabin you are travelling in and can get very expensive in Envoy. Some times people find it cheaper to purchase a second seat instead of paying the "infant fare".
Good luck with your trip. PHL-MAN is a pretty short flight as far as travelling to Europe goes, hope it's a good trip for you!
Jan 8, 2010, 8:33 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 3
Thanks, great advice and info from you both. We already have our tickets, and the taxes and fees to take LO on lap in biz were not even a quarter of the cost of adding another economy seat for an infant - perhaps because PHL-MAN (and the equiv return) are the only legs of our journey that have a business class?
I think i will see if i can get row 5 - i won't be sleeping so the extra noise in the location will not bother me. And if i can get the seat next to the crew rest that will minimize the "oh no i am sat next to a baby" for another passenger.
The equiv return is LHR - YOW on Air Canada and on that one they have the sleeper pod thingies in biz that are quite private (esp if you can get an A seat) so i am looking forward to that one more - except that it means the end of my trip!
I think i will see if i can get row 5 - i won't be sleeping so the extra noise in the location will not bother me. And if i can get the seat next to the crew rest that will minimize the "oh no i am sat next to a baby" for another passenger.
The equiv return is LHR - YOW on Air Canada and on that one they have the sleeper pod thingies in biz that are quite private (esp if you can get an A seat) so i am looking forward to that one more - except that it means the end of my trip!
Jan 9, 2010, 11:20 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: France
Programs: United Plus
Posts: 1,761
I'm glad you got some advice from someone who really knows that cabin. I was just going by the seating chart but you can see what various issues you can jiggle. Different priorities with a little one!
Yes, the Baby B'Air is only allowed during the cruise portion of your flight. I would actually be dangerous to have him in it. I personally think that if you have a Mei Tai, that will work just as well. How do you sit with it on?
Yes, they're very vague about "big" strollers. I know on both airlines I saw some pretty big chariots at the door, as well as double strollers. I'm wondering if that was added back in the 80's when really huge contraptions were all the rage. We did have some problems with some of the early jogging strollers with huge wheels. Basically we never refused anything that folded (and I was with two companies). I know for a fact if you something of a reasonable size, they wont say no and no, you don't have to trot your baby slumped down uncomfortable in a flimsy umbrella stroller you got on some grocery store special...
Go ahead and contact the airline and ask for specifications but always by email, so that you can print up their response and have it handy to show any ground agent. Remember, always ask for a supervisor to be brought over if there is a disagreement. Don't let things get out of hand first (loved that when I got dragged into an ego match but let's not get off the topic...)
Gate-checked items are loaded under the plane by hand. Supposedly they're treated more tenderly, although I've been told not always. Depends on the airline and airport. Definitely there's less chance of gate-checked items getting lost, since they don't go through the belts in the belly of the airport and are loaded directly from the jet way. You can put your car seat in a bag but that will only keep it dry and clean, none offer any real protection.
Use the stroller to cart the car seat to the gate and gate check both items. Use a bungee cord to secure it somehow, either to the back or in the seat portion of the stroller. Don't carry or hang the car seat by the "internal" straps (the ones that hold the kid) but you can get creative with the LATCH hooks and the tether strap, which are designed to withstand some force.
Go on Amazon and check out their baby-travel products. Then google the specific item to get the best price (they seem to have the best selection but someone tell me if not!)
A friend just wrote me from the Frozen North that it was -18 the other day. Brrrrr! Hope it thaws out somewhat before you're leaving. Their transport system is really a mess right now!
Yes, the Baby B'Air is only allowed during the cruise portion of your flight. I would actually be dangerous to have him in it. I personally think that if you have a Mei Tai, that will work just as well. How do you sit with it on?
Yes, they're very vague about "big" strollers. I know on both airlines I saw some pretty big chariots at the door, as well as double strollers. I'm wondering if that was added back in the 80's when really huge contraptions were all the rage. We did have some problems with some of the early jogging strollers with huge wheels. Basically we never refused anything that folded (and I was with two companies). I know for a fact if you something of a reasonable size, they wont say no and no, you don't have to trot your baby slumped down uncomfortable in a flimsy umbrella stroller you got on some grocery store special...
Go ahead and contact the airline and ask for specifications but always by email, so that you can print up their response and have it handy to show any ground agent. Remember, always ask for a supervisor to be brought over if there is a disagreement. Don't let things get out of hand first (loved that when I got dragged into an ego match but let's not get off the topic...)
Gate-checked items are loaded under the plane by hand. Supposedly they're treated more tenderly, although I've been told not always. Depends on the airline and airport. Definitely there's less chance of gate-checked items getting lost, since they don't go through the belts in the belly of the airport and are loaded directly from the jet way. You can put your car seat in a bag but that will only keep it dry and clean, none offer any real protection.
Use the stroller to cart the car seat to the gate and gate check both items. Use a bungee cord to secure it somehow, either to the back or in the seat portion of the stroller. Don't carry or hang the car seat by the "internal" straps (the ones that hold the kid) but you can get creative with the LATCH hooks and the tether strap, which are designed to withstand some force.
Go on Amazon and check out their baby-travel products. Then google the specific item to get the best price (they seem to have the best selection but someone tell me if not!)
A friend just wrote me from the Frozen North that it was -18 the other day. Brrrrr! Hope it thaws out somewhat before you're leaving. Their transport system is really a mess right now!