My Nightmare Flight on London - Auckland, New Zealand with 2yr old and 9 week old

[JALT]

I just wanted to share the most traumatic flight I have ever endured. Being a kiwi living in London, I travel home every year or so. I have 3 kids and have made the long haul trek more 6 times in the last 6 years. This January I went home to NZ with my 2yr old and my 9 week old baby. To my horror, the NZ national airline got my booking wrong and I was given a seat without a bassinet (my seat given was across the aisle - one seat number wrong!), so I was facing an 11hr flight to LA with a baby on my lap whilst trying to tend to my 2yr old. When I said that there had been a mistake made, the airline staff told me to wait and they would ask someone to swap me. Once all the passengers were seated, the staff told me that nobody was willing to swap with me! In summary, I carried my baby the wntire journey to LA, never got any sleep and got a wee break once - when an airhostess held my baby. What really annoyed me most (yes, i did cry in front of all the other passengers) was that there were 4 other bassinets not in use on the flight ie: passengers in these seats did not have a baby! I was exhausted and furious. The staff expected to serve me my meals, when i could barely fit the tray in front of my baby in the baby bjorn....they were completely useless and unsympathetic. On our arrival to LAX, the ground staff were very apologetic to me and made arrangements for me to have a bassinette seat for the next 11hr leg to Auckland. I have written several complaint letters to the airline, and have had a response from the CEO who said that I didn't specifically request a bassinet seat! The guy is ignorant, as I had to make a separate booking for my baby as she wasn't born when I made my own reservation. I know that with my experience for flying longhaul, I wouldn't make that ommission, its a priority to get the right seats! I also asked the rep at Heathrow check in to ensure the seat was a bassinette seat, which she confirmed that it was.
I hope that nobody ever has to have the nightmare flight that I did! - so I haven't pursued this any further with the airline, does anybody think I should or am I wasting my time???

If he's said you didn't request a bassinet seat when you did then I think you should complain further, yes. I don't necessarily think you'll get very far, but you shouldn't allow a blatant untruth to stand on reoord like that.

You poor thing! I have done the London - Melb flight many times. It is hard work at the best of times.

I would complain too and inform them that I would simply never used their airline again as their customer service is apalling.

Also, shame on all of the other passengers who would not change seats..

Gosh, that's AWFUL. I have just returned to Australia from holiday in UK with a 3yr old and 9month old. Even with a bassinet it was pretty shocking and utterly exhausting. You have my full sympathies.

I would definately complain more. Their customer service sounds dreadful. FWIW I never fly BA/QANTAS anymore as I found the air hosties to be VERY uninterested in babies/small children. I now fly Singapore or Malaysian as the hosties are just lovely and really helpful, on my last flight someone met me at KL and carried my bags so I could concentrate on looking after the kiddies (i travelled on my own). But then my SIL and 5 month old baby did the trip with Malaysian and like you they totally messed up her booking and she had her ds on her lap for a good 12 hrs [shudder]. So maybe all airline f*ck it up at times.

Agree with superloopy am at other passengers.

The bassinets are allocated at check in, right? At least this is the way it has operated every time I have flown to LAX.

So, why did the airline assign them to people who didn't have children? Their mistake.

And why did the airline not use it's muscle and insist that people move! The seats are not owned by passengers!

thanks for everybody's feedback. I was disappointed the airline didn't do more to help, but the crew were just not interested in kids. Avoid flying Air New Zealand!!!!

how awful - aren't other people sh*ts Complain - you should have been moved to first class.

also I will avoid this airline & fly with another one.

You poor thing! at the other passengers, what gits.

I would persue this complaint. I have always loved Air NZ though, ime they are one of the best.

I have recently gone full on crazy at an airport in Bangkok who tried to make my dh and I sit across hte aisle from eachother with our 15 month old (basinette) and boys 4 & 5 at the time. I literally screamed at the head of check in idiots and explained that I would continue to do so until he got me the seats I wanted, which he did on a flight leaving 45 minutes later.
Next Thursday I'm flying with BA to HK and they have booked me the roomy seats even though I am not using a basinette (I am flying with my 20 month old, 5 & 6 yr old and am 5+ months pg) and have said should these seats be needed for an infant (I have paid for a seat for my youngest) then I can have the row behind. They couldn't have been more helpful.
I would persue this as you may get huge discounts off of your next flight home, talk about what other airlines offer, tell them fmaily visit you all the time and will not be using Air NZ again.... keep going as they'll probably hope you drop it.

JALT I really sympathise. We flew with Air NZ in Feb this year. We did get a bassinet- we asked at booking; rang again in the meantime and checked in 4 hours early. But we did find that altho the staff were OK all the time everything was going OK, they couldn't cope when it went wrong.

Our plane had an engine fire on the way home and we had to go back to LAX. They "mislaid" our pushchair. Our 1 year old was without food for over 24 hours (no babyfood sold at LAX) and they put us on a United flight. If you thought ANZ was bad United was cr*p. No babyfood, no bassinets, no room.. and very anti children.

Right I've gone off on a tangent. They also charged us $50 each for "changing our booking". We originally booked London to Auckland and were offered a "free internal flight". We told them we wanted to fly to Wellington but home from Auckland. They put it down as home from Wellington as well, told us to leave it on as it was a free flight, then demanded $150 to allow us to fly home or they'd cancel our whole flight.

I wrote to complain and they were less than interested. I've written again but not heard yet.

If I were you I wouldn't let it drop. It is dreadful that they didn't make the other passengers move. We were told you can't actually book those bassinet seats and that they are allocated on the day so why were they given to people without babies in the first place?

american airlines were great when I flew with DD, then 4 months who screamed most of the flight, or did it just seem that way?

They gave me a bassinet and after take-off, didn't care if I moved it to the ground so DD could see me. They brought DD a down quilt from first class, and the staff took turns walking her back and forth down the aisles so I could have a chance to eat!

One of the great things about American Airlines is that the cabin staff are almost all women with families - mothers or grandmothers.

Agree with twelvelegs - it was a typical 1st stage response hoping it will be enough....

The bad PR on mumsnet is probably enough of a threat - send them this link...

exactly evenhope - why did they allocate the seats that can have bassinets to people without children???

Everyone wants those bulkhead seats, because they have lots of legroom. People with broken legs, tall people, people who don't like being folded up like origami for the flight - all of them want those seats, and will try to get them.

NQC the ANZ bassinet seats are the bulkhead ones in the middle of the plane. There are seats with the same amount of room on either side by the windows (better position IMO) which tall/ fat/ awkward people can have.

Anyway we all know why people want them but wanting doesn't take priority over need. Well it shouldn't.

No, it shouldn't. It sounds like they mangled Jalt's reservation, and then didn't take proper care of her on the plane. Rubbish service.

Oh no - flying Air NZ to AKL with ds in a few weeks! Don't like the sound of the service......

I'd complain and keep going until you get a result. That is dreadful and shame on those other passengers. For their behaviour alone, I hope your little one screamed the whole way there (obviously not for you and your LO but just to piss them off).

finally pregnant, take it you've had baby? or overdue????

Why?