Plane Pal worth it for short haul?

[GoodOldTrayBake]

We have a 3.5 hour flight coming up. 2 adults, 3 year old and 10 month old. Last flight we did at Christmas was even shorter and as the baby was small, I just had her strapped to me in a sling for the whole time.

Now she’s older and mobile, there’s no chance of her being happy being on my lap or in a sling for 3 hours. I’ve been looking at the Plane Pal, but obviously it’s expensive to buy. Is it worth it for a short haul?

We are flying BA business so my plan was to ask the cabin crew to remove the middle table then inflate the two Plane Pals on the window and middle seat for the toddler and baby to sit together, with me or DH on the aisle seat.

Worth it or not?

I’m not sure it’s approved on BA. You need to check specifically

Yes, it’s listed on their website as approved

oh that’s good. Sorry no further advice I’ve just heard that you have to be careful as some don’t allow them. I’d say If you can afford it then anything to make flying easier! It’ll have a small resale value as well on eBay or whatever

Are you sure it’s approved? Can’t see BA on the site.

It's more hassle than its worth for such a short flight.

https://www.britishairways.com/content/information/family-travel/seating

Scroll down towards the bottom of the page

I stand corrected sorry! On the BA site they list all approved devices. This is wonderful news for me as I fly long haul and gave up trying to find an approved device 2 years ago!

Plane pal is not allowed in business class cabin and for a short flight it’s likely more trouble than it’s worth.

The BA website states the device is not permitted in Club World and First...so it's not permitted for use in Long Haul Club.

My take on the wording is that means it should be OK for use in Club Europe (shorthaul aircraft)..

Yes I thought that as well after typing my response.

You can but try using it in the Club Europe cabin but the middle seat is not removable.

As i recall it the tray assembly that blocks off the centre seats (the B and E seats) in Club Europe can be removed fairly quickly to convert back to 3/3 if a configuration change is needed.

Whether the Cabin crew will do that might be another matter...you do hear stories (sometimes on MN) that they'll do it if asked nicely but I'm not convinced it's something a passenger can demand is done....

I don’t understand why they can’t just use the seat for a short 3.5 hours. Yes to removing the centre console, we’ve done this before.

By the time you’ve got up in the air and back down, during which he needs to be on your lap, plus any turbulence, it’s such a faff for very little reward. You might find he wants to just sit and climb on you anyway