lost*in*cyberspace

As much as I enjoy upgrades, if I'm upgraded, I can trade seats with whomever I please.

bdschobel

I totally agree. Once Delta upgrades me, the seat is mine (for one flight, anyway)!

Bruce

TrojanHorse

So based on your response you are against every person upgraded who gives his or her F seat to a spouse.

Does that change if the original F seat was purchased rather than upgraded.

elleana

Hi all,

Asking this question in here instead of the SQ forum - am planning to fly with a 18 month old as a lap infant and am deciding between J and F. A380 so am leaning towards Suites so we can make up a double bed and just let the daughter sleep in between us, but the J seat is really quite wide and roomy and should be sufficient. Of course in an ideal world I'd take F in a heartbeat but am wondering if the increased cost would be worth it.

expatboy

We flew J on the A380 with our kids last year and the youngest was about 20 months at the time. There was enough room for her and Mrs EB to cuddle up on the J seat. We also made sure she was attached with the lap belt in case of turbulence while sleeping which worked ok too.

The cabin crew in J were great with the kids (although the service is a bit too fussy for them), so the additional cost of F is probably not worth it IMHO.

alvintc

Hi!

I'm guessing this is a better place than my normal BAEC haunt...

We're about to take our first long-haul with the little one. He'll be 9 months (almost to the day) so I'm after some advice...

We're lucky enough that we're in J so we should have a little space but I'm really after tips on:
Seating (he's on a lap ticket so don't think he'll have his own seat)
Entertainment
Sleeping
Other passengers

He's normally a pretty relaxed kid, and we've taken him to BFS/ ALC already so he's flown a couple of times but nothing like the distance we're about to do.

Any advice (other than leave him at home please!) is most welcome. The full trip will be a week long.

6rugrats

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...d-threads.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...rst-class.html

Eclipsepearl

I've flown with my three alone between Europe and California a lot.

The biggest challenge with flying with this age baby is just bringing enough supplies. Since you have the luxury of both parents traveling, this is less of a problem. Don't overdo the toys. A few winners that make no noise (even a quiet noise can be annoying) should suffice.

No need to make them suck or drink on take-off and landing. This is a common myth. If he's asleep, leave him in peace!

If he's still breastfed, don't wean before your trip. This will make things easier. You also might want to schedule the normal "well baby" visit with the ped right before leaving, to make sure everything's okay.

Be sure to have a good quality baby carrier (a good one should go to this age and not hang the baby by its crotch). You'll need it in Europe and they're magic for calming crying babies.

Take a fussy baby for a walk in down the aisles in the carrier to calm him. You can walk into economy but not into First.

Make sure you have a soft bag like a backpack (I prefer that over a diaper bag) to put at your feet with what you'll need for the flight. In the overhead, put a second bag with extra diapers, changes of clothes, etc. Be sure to have about 1/3 more diapers than you think you'll need from door-to-door.

I don't know about BA's bassinets. You might want to see if Seatguru has that information, BA's website or email (don't call) them to ask. I will warn you that most bassinets go to about 6 months but perhaps someone knows??

You will have to put your lap baby in a "belly belt" or secondary seat belt. These are not allowed on U.S. and Canadian airlines for safety reasons but as a passenger on BA, you will have to comply. Make sure also that you have it somewhere you can find it during the flight in case turbulence hits. It's actually useful for turbulence (if unsafe during take-off and landing) although the baby carrier could serve the same purpose.

It's a good age to do a trip like this (still). My non-commercial flying tips are in my siggie.

fredandgingermad

BA has carry cots/seats that go upto 2 years

expatboy

Grab the rearmost centre pair of seats in BA's Club cabin - this is where the bassinet is located and has a good amount of floor space, which works well for a family in your situation. You should be able to assign these yourself on ba.com through MMB but may need to call, I haven;t been in this situation since the advent of the paid seating policy, which has added a layer of complexity to the seat reservation process in these situations.

The cot itself...YMMV but we used a sling in combination with the lap belt extension, as it he is asleep in the bassinet and the seatbelt sign goes on you'll have to pick him up (risking a waking). Kari-me was the brand of our sling and we used it from birth to about 3 years with a variety of potential positions. It does require a little practice to master (think origami initially ) but well worth the effort.

The cot I think goes up to 6-9 months dependent on size of baby; beyond this there is a skychair (IIRC) that goes up to 2yrs in theory, but we only really used until about 12-15 months (with big babies).

Happy flying!

fredandgingermad

With an infant on your booking seat selection is free but for the bassinet position i agree you may have to call BA

LBsquared

Family of 4 flying UA LAX-IAD-ZRH-FLR and returning FLR-FRA-ORD-LAX with M class tix. Grandpa kindly sponsored upgrades to biz which are pending..... We bought seats for the kids (3 and 1 yrs) because we need car seats on the ground in Tuscany and it's safer for them on the planes too.

Assuming our upgrades clear here is what I'm wondering:

UA website says car seats may only go in the forward facing biz seats but seat map doesn't show 4 available front facing seats right now -- when upgrade clears do I call UA and let them know kids are in car seats so we get front facing seat assignments? Seems like this is better addressed before getting to airport on travel day.....

UA biz seats IAD-ZRH and FRA-ORD are lie flat -- is it worth renting the CARES harness for each child so they can lay down to sleep on the flights? would FAs allow use of CARES harness for both kids or just the 3 yr old? I'm also taking an Ergo so I can use that to get 1 yr old to sleep if needed but he'll probably sleep better & longer if he can lay down....

thanks for any help/advice!

Laura

lost*in*cyberspace

If your four upgrades clear (unlikely on UA, but stranger things have happened), then you need to call the airline about the forward facing seats. Do not wait until you get to the airport, although if this upgrade does clear, it will probably be at the last minute.

A Cares harness might not fit your one year old. Check the height/weight restrictions. For a 4 year old, I would just use the regular seat belt.

6rugrats

I can't imagine four upgrades clearing to business class from IAD-ZRH or FRA-ORD. UA is very stingy with these. I am sure they are offering upgrades for cash and/or miles right now, and also will frequently offer upgrades for cash at check-in. Agree, if you clear (good luck!), it will probably be at the gate.

CARES harness are for 22-44 pounds, and your child must be able to sit facing front.

IME, they will not remove people from forward facing seats so you can have them for your children, though, I guess it's possible you could find volunteers?

Keep your eye on this carefully. If your upgrades clear, you will lose your seats in economy. If there are no appropriate seats available in business, you can find yourself really stuck.

rjque

I agree that the upgrades will probably not clear, but I think United will most certainly move some people in a forward facing seats if the upgrades clear and there are no usable seats available. The FAA requires United to do so if the car seat won't "fit" in the selected seat, and I think that rule would likely apply if the family is seated in seats where the car seat is not allowed:

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/#seatFit

Of course, you should do what you can to sort this before flying, if possible, but United may not make that possible. The joys of flying United!