Author Topic: Infant Travel  (Read 149736 times)

Offline txtmax4

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #20 on: August 15, 2010, 02:06:20 AM »
My experience with Elal:
Flew together with my brother's family, we each had a baby.
Reserved bulkhead seats and my brother's baby got a bassinet since his baby was less than 9 months old (the official cuttoff age for bassinets). I asked at the check-in counter if there was a empty seat next to either me or my wife to bring the carseat on the plane, and they blocked me a seat for that. Everything went perfectly well.
On the way back, at the check-in couter, I formulated the same request, and the agent adamantly responded that there's no way she would give me an empty seat next to me, that there were only 7 empty seats in the whole flight and she would have to readjust many people in order to fulfill my request.
We got to the gate, passed the spot where you leave the strollers and carseats, and I decided that I am taking the carseat into the plane anyways... (wasn't gonna hold a baby for the whole flight).
After standing in line to get into the aircraft, barely about a minute before our turn to board came, I nervously started entretaining the thought of having to hold the baby AND the carseat, if things didn't work out the way I expected them to, so I quickly ran to the stroller drop-off spot and checked in the carseat...
We got to our seats, and once the doors closed we realized that the empty spot next to me remained empty! unclaimed!
By now there was no way to get our carseat back, as the aircraft was already moving, and the baby was crying uncontrolably.
One of the crew members approached us and, looking at his paper said: "it's a shame that the baby is over nine months, otherwise we would have provided you with a bassinet" (meanwhile my brother's baby who was under that cuttoff age but WAY heavier than my baby got a bassinet).
To make the long story short, after about 2 hours of crying, two crewmembers came over and put up a bassinet, they said that this is an exception, and they are doing it on condition that we "hold the baby during turbulence". BH!!
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Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #21 on: August 15, 2010, 02:09:56 AM »
Do they ask for proof of age when requesting a bassinet?

Offline moish

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #22 on: August 15, 2010, 02:19:03 AM »
they wouldnt have let you bring the car seat on anyways unless you bought a seat for the baby or the gate agent specifically blocks a seat for you

Offline txtmax4

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #23 on: August 15, 2010, 02:26:16 AM »
Do they ask for proof of age when requesting a bassinet?
The have the baby's age from the booking.
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Offline Yordai Dooma

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #24 on: August 15, 2010, 02:26:33 AM »
they wouldnt have let you bring the car seat on anyways unless you bought a seat for the baby or the gate agent specifically blocks a seat for you

Is that just Elal? Ive done it many times on other airlines when there is an empty seat.

Offline txtmax4

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #25 on: August 15, 2010, 02:28:25 AM »
they wouldnt have let you bring the car seat on anyways unless you bought a seat for the baby or the gate agent specifically blocks a seat for you
I have done it other times without asking.
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Offline moish

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #26 on: August 15, 2010, 06:37:09 AM »
in the 42 segments i took with my kid in the last 2 years, id say 90% of the time when i had the car seat by the door of the plane, they asked me whether the child has her own seat.

Offline txtmax4

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #27 on: August 15, 2010, 10:58:06 AM »
YMMV.
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Offline Yordai Dooma

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #28 on: August 15, 2010, 11:35:54 AM »
in the 42 segments i took with my kid in the last 2 years, id say 90% of the time when i had the car seat by the door of the plane, they asked me whether the child has her own seat.

What airlines were these? Domestic? Intl? In the 14 segments in the last few months, the only time we couldn't bring the car seat on was when the plane was 100% full.

Offline steve2

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #29 on: August 15, 2010, 01:10:06 PM »
 can someone Please explain to me why they wont purchased an extra seat so that they can put thier kid and car seat in it? why gamble and end up not getting an empty and thusly have to hold the kid the whole flight

I can understand if its say 1 1/2-2 hr flight but anything over that seems to me to be definitely worth buying the extra seat

Offline elikay

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #30 on: August 15, 2010, 01:24:29 PM »
Steve2 I'm sure you realize that it can be 1500 dollars for another seat.

Offline steve2

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #31 on: August 15, 2010, 01:34:23 PM »
Steve2 I'm sure you realize that it can be 1500 dollars for another seat.

 so? if I cant afford it then I shouldnt be flying! or at least not complaining that we have to hold the baby/kid

Offline elikay

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #32 on: August 15, 2010, 01:59:39 PM »
Oh! absolutely we had to hold our baby TLV- EWR and not complaining! I understood that you meant in general.

Offline txtmax4

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #33 on: August 15, 2010, 02:24:52 PM »
Nobody is complaining here. The airline doesn't owe me anything.
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Offline moish

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #34 on: August 15, 2010, 03:01:19 PM »
What airlines were these? Domestic? Intl?
yyz-jfk-tlv-rom,nap-vce,flr-rom-tlv-jfk-lax-yyz-jfk-waw-tlv-zrh-jfk-lax-ord-yyz-jfk-bru-tlv-bcn,mad-lis-mad-mal-mad-tlv-jfk-lax-yyz-jfk-tlv-amm-del-agr-del-hkg-pvg-xiy-pek-nrt-hnl-lax-yyz-jfk-mad-tlv-led-dme-kbp-ath-her-ath-tlv,   so i guess a mixture of both (btw its 53 not 42)

Offline Yordai Dooma

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #35 on: August 15, 2010, 03:10:37 PM »
yyz-jfk-tlv-rom,nap-vce,flr-rom-tlv-jfk-lax-yyz-jfk-waw-tlv-zrh-jfk-lax-ord-yyz-jfk-bru-tlv-bcn,mad-lis-mad-mal-mad-tlv-jfk-lax-yyz-jfk-tlv-amm-del-agr-del-hkg-pvg-xiy-pek-nrt-hnl-lax-yyz-jfk-mad-tlv-led-dme-kbp-ath-her-ath-tlv,   so i guess a mixture of both (btw its 53 not 42)
Wow u really keep a cheshbon! dont know what to tell you. In every scenario we were braced with the idea of holding him, but were able to get an extra seat without a problem except for once when the flight was full. About 50/50 on domestic vs intl.

Offline Deal Guy

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #36 on: August 15, 2010, 10:38:13 PM »
in the 42 segments i took with my kid in the last 2 years, id say 90% of the time when i had the car seat by the door of the plane, they asked me whether the child has her own seat.
And what happened when they asked you? Did you say no ;)
Do they actually follow up if it's the truth?

Offline moish

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #37 on: August 16, 2010, 02:04:16 AM »
i either had a seat, or arranged with a gate agent to block the seat next to me. otherwise i wouldnt even try

Offline chuchem

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #38 on: August 16, 2010, 07:18:12 AM »
so? if I cant afford it then I shouldnt be flying! or at least not complaining that we have to hold the baby/kid

Steve nobody was complaining, you were complaining to the guy!!!

I think most guys with kids here will agree. If its 1500 USD more I rather take a chance, that I have to hold him. Normally a flight is not 100% full and there will be a extra seat free.

From my last 15 trips, I always had a free seat next to me, the one time I didnt I held him. Was it comfortable? not really, but buying a extra seat on all 15 flight would have been about 8000 USD extra, so for that money I will hold him once.

When I check in, I ask the agent if the flight is full, if not I ask them to leave a middle seat open between us. So if I have A, my wife C, then the Chance that someone will take B is quite small, since its not an a window or aisle. I take the carseat along to the gate. Before boarding I ask the agent if the seat between us remained empty, so I can bring the carseat. It always was besides for once, so then I gave them my carseat to store it in the luggage. Big deal!


If the guy is nice, he will block the seat by check in, if you ask nicely

If the ask you by the plane door if the child has his own seat, then you should just say, the agent left one open for her. The crew does not care if you paid for it, they just dont want you to unload it again from the plane in middle of boarding

Offline steve2

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Re: Flying With Babies
« Reply #39 on: August 16, 2010, 10:40:34 AM »
Steve nobody was complaining, you were complaining to the guy!!!

I think most guys with kids here will agree. If its 1500 USD more I rather take a chance, that I have to hold him. Normally a flight is not 100% full and there will be a extra seat free.

From my last 15 trips, I always had a free seat next to me, the one time I didnt I held him. Was it comfortable? not really, but buying a extra seat on all 15 flight would have been about 8000 USD extra, so for that money I will hold him once.

When I check in, I ask the agent if the flight is full, if not I ask them to leave a middle seat open between us. So if I have A, my wife C, then the Chance that someone will take B is quite small, since its not an a window or aisle. I take the carseat along to the gate. Before boarding I ask the agent if the seat between us remained empty, so I can bring the carseat. It always was besides for once, so then I gave them my carseat to store it in the luggage. Big deal!


If the guy is nice, he will block the seat by check in, if you ask nicely

If the ask you by the plane door if the child has his own seat, then you should just say, the agent left one open for her. The crew does not care if you paid for it, they just dont want you to unload it again from the plane in middle of boarding

 I wasnt complaining as you are, after all elikay and txtmax4 answered me very nicely, seems for whatever reason you are always looking to nitpik.

 and yes at 1st it did seem that people werent too happy. It just sounded to me like those checking into a Hotel and finding out they actually got what they reserved for a room and really didnt want that type of room and thought they get the better room via an Upgrade. I always say, book what you want to end up with, so if you need a Mountain view then book it, if it doesnt make a difference if you dont get it dont complain.

It sounded to me that some folks were none too happy ending up having to hold their kids, thats all, I dont see why you are trying to make a Mountain out of a Mole Hill. and all I did was ask if you dont want to hold your kid why  not buy the extra seat to make sure you wont have to.


 I can tell you this from my non-Israeli trips this summer almost every flight was 100% full in coach and biz, Flying is alot less Fun then it used to be and its not getting any better