First flight with a 6 year old and a new baby and it's transatlantic

[Holidayworries]

We are flying for the first time since having kids and I am having a panic about it. We have a day flight there and a night flight home. Should I buy a Plane Pal or Seat to Sleep or a similar inflatable for the 6-year-old? How can I get a bassinet for the baby (we have requested it but they seem non-committal). Also, we made the mistake of booking through a travel agent so can't reserve seats in advance. Is this going to be a nightmare? Please help!

I recently saw young children on a flight sleeping / playing on a Plane Pal and thought it was a great idea - but do check with the airline whether they will allow it on board. Some won't.

Bulkhead seats with a bassinet are in high demand especially during school holidays, so unfortunately you will only get them if they're still empty by the time you get to the airport, unless you can pre-book them beforehand.

Remember to pre-book any special meals you might need. Closer to the time of the flight check what the film and games offering on board is - perhaps your 6yo will be entertained by that for a while.

Those are great suggestions, thanks so much!

Give the 6 year old unrestricted access to a tablet and all will be fine. The bassinet is usually done by frequent fliers with status first then first come first served. The sooner you get to the airport the better.

Do people other than parents of small babies want the bassinet seats?

Most are front row bulk heads and so yes but with BA you can’t pre select them if you dont have an infant (except when the cabin is fully sold and they know there will be no more infants)

That makes sense. Sadly not flying BA.

Who are you flying with?.

I would not bother with plane pal or the like for your six year old because many airlines do not permit the use of these on board.

We are flying Aer Lingus. I'm finding it very hard to get through to them as we booked through a travel agent, who are not being very helpful. We have been looking forward to this holiday for so long (it was delayed from 2021, before the baby was born) but I wish the flights were easier to plan for!

The bassinet is really a bit of a non-issue. They are tiny and most babies aren't all that pleased to be in them. They also can't be in there for take off/landing or any time the seat belt sign is on (turbulence). The best way we ever flew was to pay for an extra seat and bring the infant seat on the plane with us so the baby didn't have to be disturbed. Then we could put a light blocking shade over it etc.

Ah that's good to know, thank you. If not a bassinet, does anyone have advice on the best seats to try to book once check in opens please?

Your travel agent should give you the flight booking reference so,you can log in and reserve seats. Just ask them for it.

if you do get bulk head don’t expect four of you (assuming 4 in your OP) to be sat together. Bulk head is usually 3 or 4 seats. One family taking up a whole row takes a bassinet away from another family. I’d expect one parent and baby in bulk head and the other 2 in the rows behind.

How old is the baby. Any more than about 4/5 months and the baby won’t fit a bassinet anyway. They are small but when we travelled with our youngest he slept really well in one to New Zealand.

most airlines do not allow the inflatable bed things so best to check first before buying.

Jus checked. Inflatable seat fillers like plane pal are not permitted on AL.

Keep in mind that bulkhead and emergency row / extra legroom seats do not have movable armrests. This means you can’t put them down and make a whole ‘flat’ row for your children to spread out and sleep. I’d always book regular seats - group of 3 or 4 in the middle of the plane - because putting the armrests down gives you just that much more wriggle room.

You should still be able to reserve your seat even if you’ve booked through a travel agent. Tell them you want your flight booking reference then go online to Aer Lingus and check in.

As others have said the booking ref should be AL unique. Create an account on AL, join AerClub, link your booking and you should be in. The travel agent booking the flights shouldn't stop you being able to access your travel details.

Check seatguru.com for best seats on your specific flight/type of aircraft. Since pp mention emergency row, those aren't allowed to children (need to be able to assist with doors and evacuating passengers if needed.)