to expect my child to be able to have an in flight meal

[Staceroo]

So we're flying to Turkey in a couple of weeks. I have paid for in flight meals for me, my husband and our 3 year old daughter. Thomas Cook will not allow me to purchase an in flight meal for our 11 month old.

It's a real case of 'computer says no!'

Save all the jokes about airplane food because Thomas cook have a range of James Martin meals which are pretty tasty and nutritious.

11 month old is baby led, and never eaten out of a jar in her life.

Solutions proposed by TC are...

1. "You are permitted to take baby food on to Thomas Cook Airlines aircraft if you are travelling with an infant or small child ,Most UK Airports have a Boots where you can purchase baby food and formula after the security screening point. These can be purchased and brought on board providing you do exceed you hand luggage restrictions. I Hope this Helps - Stef"

2. "book a separate seat for her she will be able to get an inflight meal, however then she will be booked as a child and will lose her infant luggage allowance and will need to pay the full flight price" (That's a very expensive in flight meal!!!!)

3. There are a range of snack and other meals available on the flight but they can't tell me what those will be, but they're not the James Martin meals.

As PP's have said there is no room to put another tray. She needs to either have her own seat (and a meal) or you need to make other arrangements. Lots of good suggestions on here.

I have seen the odd baby meal on long haul flights (a PP mentioned Cathay) but a TC short haul flight will be on some piddly little narrow bodied aircraft with barely enough room to swing a cat.

Get a small coolbag and make sandwiches, cold pasta, batons etc.

Loads of people fly with babies. You can take whatever you like to feed the baby during the flight. If its liquid they may ask you to taste it at security or put it through X Ray separately. I don't really get what you're fussing about

No seat, no meal, that's the system, it's unfortunate that it doesn't suit you, but they're clearly not going to change it. There are lots of good solutions on the thread though.

Hey, I'm on your side here, don't snip at me if you want my continued genius

The space issue is not where/when do you eat it, but where do they put it down. They can't stack them safely on the tray, not least because of the hot food. And as pp points out, a meal has to be allocated to a seat, and she doesn't have one, so the request can't be processed.

I think YABU. Using Twitter won't help your case. You have plenty of options to feed your DD.

Altinkum, apologies if I mistook your comment! Perhaps just not a phrase I would use in light conversation! So took it to be an aggressive reaction! Accept that it wasn't intended that way!

It is a short flight.Could you not manage with a combination of some of your meal, a packet of biscuits or whatever?

Point of interest--not all food can be taken through in hand luggage. The bolognese sauce I made and froze to take up to elderly relatives in Scotland was binned at security because it was a 'sauce' and might 'turn liquid'. It was a pretty solid block at the time!

OP you really are one of 'those' people.

It's obvious why you can't have a meal for someone with no seat- TC don't, or at least shouldn't, need to explain that.

I still don't see how feeding a tray of slop would be any different to a jar in the potential splatter stakes anyway but you avoided that question.

Let it go.

You can't have an extra meal because the aeroplane doesn't have storage or preparation facilities for extra food. Have you seen the size of an economy class galley? It's minute. They have the right amount of space for the number of people flying, and no more. And it's not as if they can nip out to the shops for extra supplies while they are mid air.

Sorry haven't read the whole thread but can't you give her some of your? Between 3 meals I'm sure you could feed an 11 month old. Or get yourself some sarnie a from whs & feed her the in flight meal

Sorry Mrs Hathaway that wasn't a snip! I just thought you were talking to me about the salt but it wasn't me that raised that issue.

I'm not by any means a regular flyer, so this is all new to me, I flew with my 3 yo when she was not yet 6 months so still exclusively breast fed and didn't have this kind of worry.

You've spoken to 6 people and now you're tweeting about this???
A pound to a penny your baby sleeps through the whole fecking flight anyway.

Just go to Pret after security and pick up some bits and pieces most airports seem to have one these days.

I am honestly struggling to identify any actual issue here. And I say that as the parent of a baby-led 13 month old.

Enjoy your hols OP!

Eat before you fly, then give the baby your main meal and share your OH if you are still peckish. It's not a really long flight, an adult can easily go 5/6 hours without a main meal. You will be fine, honestly. You are packing snacks anyway so won't be starving. I don't eat/barely touch flight food anyway as it's usually shit and I would rather hold out for something decent! Have a great holiday.

Crikey you're brave not getting your 11 month old a seat. Ds is 11.5 months and has his own seat when we fly if not our cups of tea/meals would be everywhere once Captain Snatchy got a whiff of them! He gets an adult luggage allowance them and we can still have his car seat as extra for free. Not sure about pushchair as he's always refused to go in one so we just take a woven wrap sling, much easier for navigating airports too, although I appreciate not feasible for everyone.
Ds is also baby led which means that he things everything within reach is his. So he sits in his car seat in between DH and I, which seems to be a fairly stress-free way of doing it.
Anyway, could you not share your meal? We have medical permission to take food onto flights (ds and I both have coeliac disease) but I've often seen parents sharing their meals. Or perhaps buy something after security? If it's an airport with an m&s or a pretty they do lovely pots of carrot batons and hoummous which ds loves, plenty of fruit to buy, plain cheese or meat sandwiches etc. Not exactly gourmet but OK just for a flight.
We've flown with ds a lot now and I've found that the key is to be flexible and just to let issues wash over you .

Again, not fussed about what I can eat, happy that she has my meal and i'll get something else. Just annoyed by TC's lack of willingness to help or offer a solution, or explanation.

Some people upthread said you cannot take food in hand luggage, but you can!

I always bring a packed lunch. Drinks are not allowed, but you can buy water at WH Smith.

You could bring a banana and a ham/jam/whatever sandwich, a few cubes of mild cheese, rice cake/digestive/strawberries....anything.

I have done lots of long haul flights with kids, and always brought snacks for my babies.

Not a biggie surely?!

Perhaps MNHQ would start a campaign for you ?

You keep complaining? Seriously let it go.

You have been told what you can do, told why they do not give the meal and yet keep emailing.

I mean seriously this is not a big deal, at all.

Oh god, I think in your preciousness you are missing the entire point of baby-led weaning. As I understood it, it was so that your baby was capable of eating pretty much what was available to them - in this case either part of your meal, or a frigging sandwich bought in departures.
If she'd make a mess with a jar of baby food, how is she expected to deal with cottage pie, or whatever slop they serve as an "air plane meal"?

I took rolls through last year no probs (dd will not eat prepacked sandwiches), I also took fruit, sweets, crisps and biscuits the only thing we had to buy at the airport was a drink. Absolutely no problem.
Didn't bother this year we had inflight meal and really regretted it as it was foul! (And I usually quite like airline food)

I'm not by any means a regular flyer, so this is all new to me,

That's very clear OP ;-)

Just annoyed by TC's lack of willingness to help or offer a solution, or explanation.

They've offered you several solutions: buy something at departure, buy a seat for your 11 month old etc. You have decided these aren't the solutions you would like them to offer you.

Why should they give you an explanation though? Everyone you have spoken to has said its not possible. Its not a major issue or something materially affecting your ability to travel.

Do you think they should explain their pricing strategy or their menu choices, or luggage policy too if it doesn't suit you? You've asked, several times, the answer is no.