To expect British Airways to sit me next to my breastfed baby's basinette on a 27 hour flight?

[TheToadLessTravelled]

Looking for advice from more seasoned travellers.

Booked for a 27 hour flight with DH and 11mo DS tomorrow.
Had booked to all sit together but British Airways lost/changed the seat allocation somehow and we have ended up with DH near the basinette and me where I could not even see the baby.

BA have been really unhelpful and I am really stressing about the flight now.

Three calls to BA have given three different stories about whether/how we can be moved but we are still not together although at least I can see DS from where I now am moved to several rows back.

The last agent said all bulkhead seats are now allocated and all cot positions booked on the whole flight in all classes which I thought would be unlikely.
Also told me there are no flights close to that time I can switch to.
Also told I cannot switch seats with DH so I have the cot position seat.

DS is tall and wriggly so even if me and DH swap seats so I can BF on takeoff the person next to me is going to have kicking feet in their lap. I don't want to be a total pain to other passengers but us sitting apart is going to mean a lot of getting up and down, shouting out etc I can just see it going wrong.

Any advice on how to get this resolved?
Not sure what else I can do

[Secondsop]

Great comment backinthebox - this is why I wish there were a
"recommend" button like on the Guardian.

You've reminded me of something my mum told me about when she flew with us when we were babies. At that time babies were in a sort of hanging bed thing that swung above the seat, and she said that when we cried, if she was sleeping or attending another child lots of other nearby passengers would happily put their hands up and gently rock the baby bed to get us back to sleep.

I'm not mad keen on other people's kids but would be happy to help, eg have watched a child while the parent goes to the loo. The only time
I've got cross is when my husband and I had 2 seats out of the 4 middle ones, and the other 2 seats were 2 young children, and we assumed the kids were unaccompanied (fine) but in fact the parents were sitting pretty in the pair of window/aisle seats in the row behind us, from where their children werent visible to them. We did ask if they would swap, but they refused - presumably didnt want to pass up the opportunity of having us keep an eye on their children for them for an 11hour flight!

[Softlysoftly]

My option would be - allow DH to sit next to baby, settle into your seat with a book and eyeshields and catch some zzzzzs.


DH brings baby over to be fed then buggers off again.

DO NOT CHANGE THIS ARRANGEMENT "Sorry dear BA say no"

[eurochick]

If you want to sit by the bassinet, just swap with your husband. It's really not difficult!

Get to the airport super early to check in to see if the airline can rearrange things to have you both near a bassinet.

[valiumredhead]

Make a MASSIVE fuss at the desk, wear your smartest shoes [they always look at your shoes] and they might upgrade you

[catwoo]

I am sure someone sitting near your DH will swap seats with you.Lovely though I am sure your son is, nobody wants to be seated near t to someone else's baby on a 27 hour flight.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Softlysoftly, you are wicked - and that's exactly what I would do!

OP - I hope your mind is set at rest, and you have a good flight.

[TheToadLessTravelled]

Thankyou softlysoftly for an excellent idea!

I will try not to get too hung up on sitting apart. Guess I am more stressed as post EMCS I still have some mobility issues and was counting on DH to be there to help lift DS in and out of his toddler seat, get down luggage from locker etc without having to shout out to him. I just bet he will be the one who ends up asleep in the separate seat with me calling back two aisles to try and wake him. I am gonna be so popular.

Ah well DS is a lovely chilled baby so I am sure he will end up getting cuddles from passengers & crew so I can stretch etc. He is super cute & very social

[ihatethecold]

I have a question for backinthebox
I'm
Flying to the US in oct with BA.
After I had made my booking I was informed that I could PAY to get seats all together as a family!
With virgin this option is free.
BA seem to have gone down the ryanair/ easy jet route of charging for seat allocations.
My question is. If I don't pay the extra £100 each way, how likely would it be that we can sit together on a flight to Tampa and back?
Thanks

[SoupDragon]

With virgin this option is free.

No, with Virgin this is included in the price which is not the same thing at all. Comparing flights to Orlando (Virgin do not fly to Tampa) BA is about £80 cheaper for 1 adult.

[SoupDragon]

I was curious so I looked :)

[Backinthebox]

"Make a MASSIVE fuss at the desk, wear your smartest shoes [they always look at your shoes] and they might upgrade you"

This is very poor advice. I have much more authority on a plane than the check-in staff. I've never once looked at anyone's shoes, I just look to see if they are behaving like an arse. Upgrades on oversold flights generally happen to Executive Club members and to people who have paid most for their flights. After that, it's done on who is perceived to be least likely to offend Club and First passengers who HAVE paid for their upgrade. Fussy passengers with babies (however nice their shoes) are unlikely to make the grade on this count.

OP, if you have had a recent CS (and I can sympathise with you here) please be sensible and try and take as little as you can on the flight. For a small baby there is not a lot you need to take - lots of spare nappies and wipes is about your most vital thing. On a LH flight they can probably provide you with virtually everything else you might need. Take a few toys, a few things he will eat, a book for yourself, and your travel documents. The plane will have a massive range of food on it for such a long flight, and you will be able to help yourself to snacks between meal services. Cabin crew will also be helpful in getting you food and drink for you and your baby. There will be fresh fruit, dried fruit, yoghurts, bottled water, bread and butter, lots of things for your baby to snack on (mine were both eating anything they could hold by 11 months, there was lots they could eat.) There are childrens channels on the entertainment, and I know you wouldn't normally plonk a baby in front of the TV for 11 hours, but you are on a plane! You don't do what you would normally do. A few toys is all they need. The passengers I see who struggle the most are those who take the kitchen sink with them and then panic when they can't get access to everything because the flight is full and everyone else inconsiderately pack their kitchen sinks too!

Ihatethecold you can check in online 24 hours before your flight and pick seats together then. It is unlikely there won't be 4 or 5 seats together by that point, although if you leave it till you get to the airport you will most likely be disappointed. If you have paid for a fully flexible ticket you could choose your seat for free when you bought the ticket. Otherwise you pay the £100 for an upgrade to your booking conditions (but not the seat class, note!) or take your chances in the last 24 hours. It's unfair to give people who have bought a cheaper ticket the same advantages as someone who had paid the fully flexible fare - otherwise what's the point in paying the extra? Are you travelling at the start of half term in October, or earlier in the month? If you are travelling earlier, the flights are less busy then and Tampa is mainly a holiday destination. No guarantees, but I think you would probably be ok to check in 24hrs beforehand.

[HereBenson]

Don't worry.The other passengers will probably beg the cabin crew to let you sit near your baby. Having been on a flight from Tokyo to Melbourne last year (nowhere near 27 hours) with a crying baby in the cabin I think all of the passengers would have done anything within their power to stop it!

[valiumredhead]

It was a joke back I thought the wink made that clear.

[ihatethecold]

Thanks backinthebox
Useful advice
We are flying the the first weekend of half term.
Sooooo excited

[Backinthebox]

You'd be amazed at how many people think kicking up a fuss is the way forward on a plane. I've had to call the police before because a passenger thought he might get a better seat if he kicked up a fuss and got as far as trying to kick the cockpit door down. It is so common that I assume that anyone who even mentions it probably means it.

[doradoo]

At 11 months won't DS be too big for a bassinet - and prefer to be sitting and looking about?

[Backinthebox]

Also, Ihatethecold are any of your children under 2? Regardless of what you paid you can reserve seats together - or with a bassinet position (but not necessarily both of those ) Another also, if you have a huuge family, you might want to be ready at your computer the second online checkin opens.

[Backinthebox]

The bassinet positions take either a carrycot (which was too small for both of my children at 6 months - they are really designed for very young babies) or a child seat for an older baby. The seat your child is given is dependent on size of child and what is available on any given flight. They can accommodate children up to 13kgs, and the ones for larger babies can either sit up slightly reclined or lay flat. Lots of babies like to sleep on planes, so it is useful to be able to lay them down somewhere. But yes, you do get young kids sitting up and looking about a lot too, and even running around.

Just for future reference, it IS possible to reserve your seats for yourself (rather than relying on a travel agent) if you have booked to travel with a baby. If you booked your seats some time ago you would almost certainly have been able to book seats in adjacent rows with an under-2 year old. It would seem in this case there may have been a bit of misunderstanding somewhere along the line. See here.

[SavoyCabbage]

If he's 11 months I would ditch the bassinet altogether and just sit in the normal seats. The bulkheads are a horrible place to sit if you don't have to.

[TheToadLessTravelled]

Yes doradoo he is tall and so is too big for a bassinet, so we are flying British Airways so he can have one of their reclining Britax toddler seats that fits onto the bassinet mounting.

I hope this will mean he gets some sleep. Otherwise he will be sleeping on my lap (and the lap of the person next to me)

We just wanted to try and get a least one flight in before we had to pay for a seat for him. No way he can sit up on a normal seat for such a long journey yet anyway.

[Thumbwitch]

BA, as far as I'm aware, still have the seat option for bigger babies. We needed it for 10mo DS the first time we took him to Australia as he only just fit diagonally into the bassinet. The seat thingy was far better, and could be reclined or sat up depending on whether he was asleep or awake.

We were asked which we wanted once we were on the plane - and made the bassinet mistake for the first (and longer!) leg of the journey, but were allowed to switch to the seat thingy after our stopover.

I'm not aware that any other airline has this seat thingy - certainly not Qantas, Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific (the other airlines I've flown to Australia with).

[slug]

Toad, do you realise there is a swimming pool in Singapore Airport? Take your swimsuits in your carry on luggage, towels etc are included in the entry price. Travelling with a tiny to NZ on my own I found the pool a godsend when it came to exhausting a stressed out child.

[doradoo]

Ah I see - the car seat thing sounds great and can understand why you're het up about it.

Hope it all works out tomorrow.....

should you still be MNing.....

[sherbetpips]

Did you say you booked the bulk head seats at the time of booking? Or did you book normal seats then ask to be moved? The bulk head seats get booked up very quickly on long haul and are likely to be full.
Cant you just swap places with your husband? Also worth looking out on the plane who is sitting where as some poor sod who hates kids will probably be sitting in the seat next to your hubby more than glad to swap. Always worth asking.

[Chandon]

My experience with long haul flights, babies and BA have been excellent.

The always put us together at check in, or shuffle around people on the plane, once they gave us a complete empty row, so 2year old could stretch out.

They have lent us first class pjs to wear when te babies vomited all over us, and let us wash and dry our own stuff.

They have given me endless coffee and sympathy when my 12month old would not settle.

My experience with BA stewards and stewardesses has been great. They know that it is important to stop new patents frm freaking out!