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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think Easyjet charging £22 each way for an infant is pretty outrageous...?!

89 replies

TurquoiseDress · 05/05/2014 15:29

We're in the middle of booking our holiday for this summer, our LO will be barely 6 months old.

The flights we need are with easyjet- just seen that there will be a charge of £22 each way for our LO who will be sat on our lap the whole way.

When did this come in? I naively assumed that infants don't pay to fly...and more to the point, what exactly is the charge for..?!

OP posts:
Catsize · 06/05/2014 04:13

We 'had to' travel with Ryanbastards to Denmark with a very tall 20mth old. I would have loved him to have his own seat but was not allowed to book one for him, as regulations say he must be on knee etc. Given my knees don't fit in their seats, this was a challenge.

The real insult? The cost of the infant fare far exceeded the adult fare.

Overall, a good deal for all of us to fly (but I do swear this was THE LAST time with them), but seemed really annoying.

UncleT · 06/05/2014 08:28

Are you 6'6" or something, Cat? There are many valid criticisms one can make of Ryanair, but in reality saying you can't fit in the seat is bollocks most of the time. There are actually many airlines out there with worse seat pitch installed on their aircraft.

Janek · 06/05/2014 08:34

We once flew when dd2 was an infant. Our (me, dp, dd1) flights were FREE, we had to pay £40 for dd2 (the 'free' flights had to pay to pay, which the 'infant' didn't, but it still seemed very wrong, but then free flights seem very wrong too...)

parentalunit an infant has a restraint which attaches to the seatbelt of the adult whose knee they're sitting on, so in case of turbulence they should not go anywhere!

peppinagiro · 06/05/2014 08:49

YANBU OP! We flew with 9mo DD with Ryanair (no other option), and were charged £30/each way. We also don't take any equipment, just a sling. But in any case, that £30 was more than our tickets cost, even with taxes etc added on! So I'd have rather pay for her to have her own seat at adult cost, because a) it would have been cheaper and b) we'd have had more space, and a row to ourselves. But no, that's not allowed. So I had to pay more, for her to sit on my lap.

beershuffle · 06/05/2014 09:58

Boo bloody hoo. Remember the days when only rich people could fly anywhere? Now you can hop on a flight all over europe for less than a train fair to a nearby city. Get over yourselves and pay the peanuts or stay home.

RedSoloCup · 06/05/2014 10:05

They charge because it costs them, paperwork and insurance, plus although OP you aren't taking a pram / car seat you are entitled to so that is taken into account in this charge.

Yes BA don't charge but their overall prices are a hell of a lot more.

Also I would pay to pre-allocate seats as they let you on first with small children but don't tell you which seats are pre-booked so you often get moved from the ones you've chosen if you don't pre-book them.

I think £22 is pretty reasonable though and cheaper than taking our three over 2 DC's.

Purpleroxy · 06/05/2014 10:09

£22 is a reasonable charge for an infant. You will use a belt to strap the infant onto your lap (not free), the infant will have luggage even if just nappies and a sling which is more than a couple would have brought, the staff will need to spend time checking your infant is correctly strapped in. And they will carry infant oxygen masks etc. So YABU.

Purpleroxy · 06/05/2014 10:09

Oh and they'll need to check the infant's passport etc

Runwayqueen · 06/05/2014 10:10

The low cost carrier that flys from the airport I work at charges the same. It covers the airport fees and taxes, not the airfare.

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 06/05/2014 10:12

If there is turbulence you need to strap the baby into the extension seatbelt, PU.

parentalunit · 06/05/2014 17:28

Janek/doctrine thanks, didn't know that! Do all airlines have extension seatbelts available, or do you need to bring your own? Are they 5-point harness-type things?

This will potentially save us a FORTUNE on our next trip!

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 06/05/2014 17:40

Yes. They aren't five point harnesses, they are a small loop that your seatbelt goes through and then the second loop to tighten round the child's belly with the typical airline fastener.

Runwayqueen · 06/05/2014 19:56

It's a compulsory (CAA) requirement that airlines carry infant seatbelts on board. If an infant doesn't have their own seat they are required to wear them when the seatbelt sign is on regardless of accompanying adults being able to wear them in slings.

Catsize · 06/05/2014 20:45

uncleT, I am 6'. I fit in okay if I sit up properly straight but my knees touch the seat in front. If I relax, it is more if a problem, and even more so when trying to juggle a wriggly toddler against the angle of the seat in front and trying for the millionth time to stop him putting the tray down
Could only fly for that particular trip, but generally prefer ferries etc.

purple, an infant has no hand luggage allowance.

I get the necessity to charge something, but can anyone explain why sometimes it is significantly more than the adult fare?

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