To be annoyed with British Airways?

[BalancingStick]

This is my first AIBU!! I probably am BU but these rules just don't make sense to me!

So I am travelling with DH, DS(23mo) and DD(5mo). European flight - 3 hours. We have bought DS his own seat on the flight. BA won't allow us all to sit in a row of 3 seats. I have to be across the aisle with the baby on my lap.

So the configuration is: seat A will be a stranger, seat B will be DS, seat C will be DH - then there is the aisle - seat D will be me and DD and then seats E and F will be whoever.

Apparently we cannot have two under 2s in a row of three together. However had we flown business class this would have been OK. We looked into the business class flights - it was only £100 more expensive BUT because the seats are configured 2 seats, aisle and then another 2 seats it was not feasible for DS to have his own seat. It would have meant us having both infants on our laps which we didn't want to do - but yet BA were happy for us to have both infants in the same row (and same side of the plane) if we did this.

In order not to drip feed the 'business class' seats were the BA fleet where it is the economy seat (same size, same pitch, same amount of leg room etc) but the middle seat is blocked out. So not really 'business class' and exactly the same as the seats as the seat just a few rows behind.

So I really cannot see why there is an issue with 2 infants in the same row in economy but yet in 'business' it is fine. Grrr.

The other annoying thing about this is that if DS was just a month older then apparently there wouldn't have been a problem either... It would be fine to have a two year old and a baby in the same row.

Anyway - we bought the economy seats as we felt it made more sense for DS to have his own seat and am hoping that the poor bugger stuck next to DS will want to swap (I know I would!). If not then c'est la vie... But I'm still annoyed!

@MatildaTheCat

I would imagine it has something with child/adult ratios. But how would parents travelling with two children on their own manage? So even that makes no sense.

DH and I usually fly American Airlines and they had no problem with us and our two 20 months old all being in a row of five. I wouldn't have sat with a child in my lap either during take off and landing. They are far safer strapped into a car seat that is connected to the airline seat.

wrt the heavy carry on luggage, the reason they have a limit is so that a heavy bag doesn't fall out of the over head compartment onto you head.

So, while it isn't a problem to stick your kindle back in under the flight, yes you would BU to leave it all in there with your bag in the over head compartment, as it would kill someone if it fell.

Having said that, I recently flew and no-one checked how heavy our bags were, I have no idea if mine was over weight and it certainly wasn't the smallest.

Ryanair only allows infants in window seats. Not helpful if you need to be up and down for nappy changes/stuff from overhead/jiggling. I assume that's because of the oxygen mask issue.

*OP, ok it's your first AIBU so I need to explain the rules to you: you do not accept you HBU on the third post of the thread!

You need to say that there may be paedophiles on the flight or someone eating sugar which will traumatise your PFB and set him on a lifelong path to obesity. Someone will advise you to seek legal advice, LTB or call the police. Another will tell you to throw both babies in the hold. Possibly you wil be chided for even looking at the business option. You reply to each with a drip feed of allergies, disabilities and unusual requirements.

That's how it works. HTH wink*

What Matilda said

But in response, it will be to do with oxygen masks I would imagine. Even BA aren't arseholes just for the sake of it.

So, while it isn't a problem to stick your kindle back in under the flight, yes you would BU to leave it all in there with your bag in the over head compartment, as it would kill someone if it fell.

so, without a kindle it will be fine if it falls on someone's head
with a kindle it will kill them?! exactly how heavy is a kindle?!

Steppe This flight was with Thomas Cook, whose limit was 6 kg, whereas every other airline is 10 kg except EasyJet who have no limit except that they say you should be able to put the bag in the overhead locker yourself. My friend the powerlifter could fill her bag with lead blocks when travelling with Easyjet according to their rules .

Okay, editing my post to, 'Even BA aren't arseholes just for the sake of it that often' - realised I had a momentary lapse of, well, everything, and was way too generous...

I wouldn't swap when mid flight. What if there's a drop in cabin pressure and you need the masks?

akkakk - well the Barbara did list a whole lot of stuff inlcuding a kindle

Barbara - and on my recent flight it was 8kgs, but no-one checked.

I have been on a flight where they queried the weight of our hand luggage, (long distance, we live dover seas and pushed our weight limits goign back) We stood and unpacked them, put on extra jumper, put coats and water bottles in pockets, gave dd her doll to carry etc etc until we had offloaded about 6 kgs worth. then it was the right wieght on the scale and then we put it all back in, in front of the check-in person!

But the principle was brought in after someone died when an overhead locker came open during turbulence, so it does have a sound basis.

I wouldn't swap when mid flight. What if there's a drop in cabin pressure and you need the masks

I totally agree with this - would you rather sit next to your husband, or have a safety device available for your child in an emergency. Who do you expect to go without oxygen so you can sit where you want to sit?

really curious about these oxygen masks.

I have 3 dc and we travelled A LOT when they were little. (lived overseas) I Often had toddler next to me and baby on my lap.

The worst flight was when I had booked bulk head seats to get the cot, and the 3 seats had me, baby on my lap, toddler next to me and another mum with under two on her lap.
There were empty seats and she moved to one of them. But we have also sat all over the plane, with no requirements to sit in a particular seat because we had an under two. (think Ryan Air with no allocated seating)

Can't believe the masks are different for a 23 month old and a 25 month old. There must be a lot of young children (eg under 5 ) with seats who need small masks

I just wonder why your ds can't have the aisle seat so that he's between you two.

The masks are all the same with only one spare per row of three.

It's not 'computer says no' this is for the safety of YOUR children. If you're sitting together and the oxygen masks drop then there won't be enough for 4 of you in one row. Some seats specifically have an extra mask for kids on parents laps, hence why you have to sit there.

Yes there will be enough January as the 23 month old has his own seat. Also has a mouth that isn't mysteriously going to grow in the next up to four weeks!

This is not an oxygen mask issue surely. I flew on my own with my 12 month old twins and had one on my lap/bassinet and a seat for the other with no problem. If you have a seat for one there is an oxygen mask there and they don't need to be treated as an infant regardless of age.

I agree OP, Virgin are ace. I flew with a 7mth old exclusively breastfeeding and they let me wander down to their area to feed him and change him privately. I flew again with 8 mth old twins and a 4 yr old. One of the Flight Attendants took my dd walking her up and down the cabin making her laugh because she was 'a poppet' can't imagine any of the stuck up trolley dolly's on BA doing that.

So thought I would come back and update everyone - just in case another family with two little ones ends up in the same situation. So we rocked up to the check in desk (had already checked in at home but needed to bag drop) and explained the situation. The woman behind the counter said that sitting us together wasn't a problem but because the flight was only a few hours away she wasn't able to do it. She called 'flight control' for our plane and they shuffled it around so we had a row of three all together. They swapped a lone traveller in the window seat to another window seat in a different row - one without children so I am sure they were pleased! Lady at check-in told us to call the call centre re: our return flight and to 'be firm' with them :)

Thanks for the update! So there was no real reason why they did that then?!?

Yep - no real reason other than the computers of the call centre people cannot compute that a child under 2 could have his/her own seat.

I'm currently in a battle with them re: our return flight. Again, the online seat system won't let me choose a row of three, the call centre cannot allocate us them as their computers flag an oxygen mask issue (THAT DOESN'T EXIST!)... My request has now been forwarded to the 'seating allocations team' who will advise me in 48 hours if they will allow it. All complete madness when the crew that actually fly the plane say it is absolutely fine.

Matilda forgot the most important rule - when your children start screaming they are removed from your care and strapped to the wings