ismhad

Hi everyone

This is my first post here and I'm reading through a lot of the threads and learning a lot. Apologies if this has been addressed in another thread.

I'm expecting my first child in May this year and I was wondering if generally, having airline status (star gold would be my choice since I live in CH and fly *A mostly) makes travelling with babies/toddlers/kids significantly easier/less stressful.

In particular I'm wondering if going after an airline status now (*A Gold with Asiana seems to be the fastest) would be worth it.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Ismail

GUWonder

Elite status can help increase the odds of an empty seat next to you when traveling with a lap child. The lounge access can be useful too. Expedited check-in and sometimes priority security lines can make things smoother when traveling with an infant.

rjque

It certainly makes traveling with kids a bit less stressful in the U.S., due to access to seats with more legroom and priority boarding. But I'm not sure what it will provide in Europe other than lounge access. Lounges are great with a newborn (so long as he or she is not crying), but they are of less use with toddlers, unless there is a play room.

The thing that makes a huge difference here in the U.S. is TSA Pre-Check. It's so much easier to leave shoes on and everything in the bag.

yno

Very often we had security (in Europe) let us go quickly through. For boarding, most airlines let you board first or just after F/J cabin. And in intercontinental flights we found that companies like AF/KLM let you book the bulkhead for free with a little bed attached to the bulkhead.
So it's worthwhile checking other airlines as to what they offer for babies.

azepine00

yes
lounges are useful not necessarily to spend a lot of time in (although some have dedicated kids space) but as an option for a few quick bites (most will have some crackers, juice, milk, bread etc) and use of cleaner less crowded bathroom.. being able to rebook from there in irrops can be very useful... expedited security, boarding, seats with more space and closer to front etc all help as well...

ismhad

Thanks for your answers, it sure seems that it can make the whole experience a bit smoother.
Will continue to look into getting *A Gold.

miamiflyer8

And one thing to note is that you can statusmatch to airberlin Sapphire with your OZ*G if happen to reside in on the approved countries.

See more here.

GUWonder

And the AB status could be a very useful thing to have even in the aftermath of AB's demise as a Oneworld carrier.

TWToKM

First off - congrats on the new baby! Very exciting.

As a new mom myself with a 14-month who has been on 4 trips to date (3 with connections), I would agree having status can make things easier. In my experience, people are already super helpful when you have an infant, especially in the 2 times I have traveled with him by myself, but I do think having status has its perks for a few reasons:
- On a few occasions, I have been moved to different, better seats even when I was not eligible for whatever reason (e.g., companion ticket used for the baby). On my first trip when I did not purchase a seat for him, they moved me to a completely empty row, so I was able to bring his car seat on with me.
- Having lounge access is convenient, even just to get some water or milk for his bottle or grab a quick snack without having to maneuver his stroller though a tight airport store or pull out my wallet. And having a cleaner, less crowded bathroom without a line is great too! (I know these seem like minor things to some, but when you are travelling alone with a 2-month old, every little bit helps!)
- While I fortunately have not had any delays and needed to use agents in the lounge or priority check-in lines for IRROPS situations, I have used them in the past for this, and I would agree it would be a major benefit, especially when you are travelling with an infant.
- Luggage gets tagged with a priority tag, so it (hopefully) comes out first on the belt, so there is no delay in waiting for luggage once you arrive.
- Speaking of luggage, not sure what your status will bring (I am Delta), but for me, it is nice to have the extra free baggage allowance that comes with having status. While you can check some baby items for free, there is no doubt more luggage that comes with a baby. Not to mention, you can't breeze through the airport with a roller board and stroller, so you are more likely to check you own bag.
- Priority check-in is also nice and makes the check-in process easier.
- Having access to priority security lines is great too. While I do have TSA pre-check, I choose not to use it when I am travelling with my son. I personally feel like I should not put those who have pre-check through the pain of having to wait for me to go through the security line as I break down a stroller, get him out of his stroller, pull out breast milk for special screening (which would have to come out regardless of TSA pre-check status), etc. TSA always tells me I can go through the pre-check line with him, but I know people get TSA pre-check so they themselves can get through security quicker, so I just don't feel comfortable putting someone through the pain of waiting for me to deal with myself, my baby, and all the stuff that comes with that. Sure, I am entitled to use it, but that is just my personal preference and what I am comfortable with when travelling with him. Generally though, I am allowed to keep my shoes on even when going through a normal line since I have pre-check, which makes things a little easier.

Good luck and happy travels with the baby!

ismhad

Thank you for your reply and wishes! Yeah I thought it would be nice to have status and your experiences definitely makes it attractive to try and get it. Only need to find some routes that will earn enough miles and fit into schedules/budget etc.

horizontal

In my experience lounge access is particularly helpful both with an infant and slightly older (but still young!) children because it gives you a place to get snacks/milk (and, for the adults, a quick glass of whiskey/champagne) for a potentially long trip in the time between getting to the airport and getting on the plane. The *A Gold lounges are amongst the best and we have certainly missed having it (our *A gold expired when A3 changes its rules; besides, with 2 kids we didn't have the same level of time and resources to travel!)

MSPeconomist

TSA is discontinuing the practice of giving PreCheck for free. Now you must either pay for it or have GE.

Also, there can be advantages to having status with the airline that you mostly fly rather than some other alliance partner. OP should look carefully at the rules on this. Not all benefits are extended to partner elites and the carrier's owns tickets tend to earn more FF miles, even to the extreme of some fare classes only earning anything at all in the FF program of the airline operating the flight.

miamiflyer8

Well the TSA keeps warning us that they'll take away free PreCheck all the time yet nothing seems to happen, but I'd still invest in GE (or Nexus) to get it almost guaranteed.

GUWonder

Pre-teens children/babies can use the PreCheck line for free. They just need to be accompanied by one person with a PreCheck boarding pass.

rjque

They can also get GE, if necessary (but it's not at the moment, unless you want the benefits when reentering the US).