unable to sit together on a long haul flight

[vickyjbaby]

Hi we are traveling to mauritius with our 2 year old and 8 month old.

I have just rang the airline (air france coad share with air mauritius) to request sky cot for baby and child meal for 2 year old.

They said our seats have been allocated as follows 2 seats on the bulk head with the sky cot and 1 seat else where! So as I am b/feeding I will need to be with our baby, however who sits next to me my husband to help out and put our 2 year old else where (i don't think so). So it looks like I will be sat with an infant and a 2year old (who is in nappies / or needs help going to the loo, will need help with his meals / emtertaining etc).

ANY ADVICE PLEASE!!!!!!

thanks
vicky

[magicfarawaytree]

the cabin staff did nothing even when the seats they had been allocated orginally were all together!

[magicfarawaytree]

complain, complain and complain somemore - this happened to a friend of mine with her 3.5 and 1.5 year old - on a day when the dds were taking no prisoners, tried cranky and in confined enviroment with people loudly complaining. It is not worth the hassle. You booked as a family and with you children why should you be seperated.

[thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat]

try for one seat with the sky cot and two elsewhere

[moondog]

Yeah,don't worry.
I travel loads with mine and we are often officially 'apart' as a family.
Not for long though-people fall over themselves to give us a wide berth.

[foxinsocks]

I think you need to prepare yourself

Phone up and find out how busy the flight is because if it is full, it may be v hard to all sit together.

If you are on a 747 (or similar size) and are in the middle bank of seats, there will be 2 seats next to you plus one other sky cot. Chances are this will be taken by another family. Your hope may be that on the other side (across the aisle), where there are 3 seats and one sky cot that there is one person who may not need to be there.

I know people have said there isn't much you can do till the day but I think you need to get all the facts in place now (like how busy the flight is, how many spare seats, what is their policy for moving people around) so that you are prepared just in case!

[nulnulcat]

im ex crew dont bother trying to sort it till you get on board check in staff will do nothing to help and there is nothing gate staff can do hopefully flight wont be full and you will have seat next to you free or crew will move person, speaking from experience we always did our best to reseat seperated familys

[stleger]

Cabin staff will help - they don't want to be moaned at by the complaining old moaner who is bound to be beside you!

[Sari]

Book your dh an aisle seat somewhere nearby because people normally don't mind changing if they'll be on the aisle. It may be much more tricky convincing someone to move into a middle seat.

This has happened to us (4 times)and the cabin crew have always moved people so we could be together.

[mrsflowerpot]

yeah, the flight attendants will usually sort it if they can - the last thing they want is someone struggling with small kids if there is a way around it.

[BonyM]

I would do as mrsflowerpot says - try to get the third seat immediately behind the two on the bulk head and then your dh can sit there - he'll be close enough to help out and take your 2yr old to the loo etc.

With any luck your 8mth old will sleep most of the time anyway, leaving you free to entertain the 2yr old.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Ah, that makes sense, mrsflowerpot. I had a similar situation with a flight to Canada, a while back. But the flight attendants fixed it. And I've had something similar happen on the way from Mexico to the US. The crew at the gate fixed it.

Trust me, if the check-in crew can't fix it, then the gate crew will, or at worst the flight attendants will.

[mrsflowerpot]

I used to work for Air France many many moons ago, and we could never pre-book more than 2 seats together if you had a sky cot because of other skycot users - ie it was 2 seats by each sky cot. You could be lucky on the day and if the cot nearest you hasn't been booked you might be able to switch at check in. Or you could do some damage limitation now and either see if your 3rd seat can be placed really near or keep the one seat by the sky cot and get 2 together elsewhere on the aircraft. It's a pain - the big big downside of the sky cots really, but they are worth it not to have a baby on your lap all that time.

[nailpolish]

will there be someone else sitting beside you? they might swap with your dh.

they wont get much peace sitting next to you and your lo's, so they may be delighted to swap!

did you explain to the airline? phone them back and they might be able to help

good luck

[littlerach]

When ypou check in, request it then.

I f you still can't change it, ask the cabin crew.

When flying to the states a few years ago, the cabin crew moved a couple to another seat so that DD1 could have their own seat. We didn't even ask, they offered.

It is in their intersts as well that yuo have a comfortable journey.

[SoupDragon]

Phone them and tell them it's unacceptable.