charter flights and pushchairs

[ReshapeWhileDamp]

We're in the throes of booking a holiday in late august and will be travelling with DS1 (4) who pays full price (grr) and DS2 (18m) who will be on our laps (urk). He pays a 'nominal' £20 or £30 per flight, but has no baggage allowance that we can see. DS1, like any other adult fare, has a 20kg allowance that is added on to the final bill.

When I've travelled with a baby on scheduled flights, they always allow you to take a pushchair and other baby equipment (travel cot) on top of the adult baggage allowances. So while the baby himself doesn't have a ticket and travels on a lap, he is allowed his buggy and cot. All v civilised.

Booking charter flights online, I can't find any mention of adding on baby equipment, free or otherwise. What happens? Should we be adding kgs to our own allowance in order to take DS2's pushchair and (lightweight pop up) travel cot? We'll need it, although I'll also take slings, because I don't fancy slinging him in extreme heat, and also I think DS1 may need it for late nights in the airports.

We just got back from a short flight over to Dublin on RyanAir and we were allowed a pushchair for free with infant ticket, but had to purchase "additional baby equipment" in order to bring car seat. Check the FAQ section and/or give the customer service folk a call?

Will you really need to take a travel cot, as most hotels etc can provide one if you ask?

Infants don't have a baggage allowance unless specified by the airline. (Thomsons allow an infant a 10kg baggage of their own) Most standard baggage allowance for adult fares is now 15kgs unless you pay a supplement for 20kgs. The kids will have to share a hold bag. Pushchair is always free. Infants up to 2 don't have a hand baggage allowance either, but DS1 who has a seat does. If you had purchased a seat for DS2 he would have been entitled to hold and hand luggage. Easyjet allow heavier hand luggage, 10kg instead of the usual 5kg.

Hotel with two small children?? We're self-catering. Though actually I just got an email back from the owner of the place we're renting and she says there's a cot there. Yay.

We booked with Monarch online (but possibly via a travel supermarket-type site) and DH couldn't find a FAQ section. I'll get in touch with them directly, if any such thing is even possible.

That's interesting, Girly. So the pushchair ought to be free - is that even on chartered flights? (Because they're tight gits and will squeeze you for every 'extra'.)

Don't know where your DH was looking, but here is what you need to know (isn't Google a wonderful resource?)

www.monarch.co.uk/faq/flights/baggage/infant-baggage-allowance (sorry can't do links)

briefly: infants have 10kg baggage allowance, pushchairs and car seats are carried free, travel cots can be carried in the hold but must be part of the 10kg baggage allowance.

This is for both scheduled and charter flights. (I'm sure you would rather use the allowance for clothes/toys/nappies.) Read all the information about baggage generally because there may be some differences in allowances between scheduled and charter flights for hand and hold baggage.

Must admit, I don't know of a decent airline (I am not including Ryanair in with this statement!) that do not allow baby equipment. Jet2 (Northern company) allow 10kg hand baggage for an infant and up to 10kg for a pushchair and/or car seat.

Thanks, Girly, that's great! I think DH was booking the flights off a 'supermarket' site and not direct from the airline.