Flying with an infant on a first class award ticket?

[daganster]

I'm booking 2 first class award tickets (with Continental points) for my wife and me to Israel, via Europe, and I was told that I would need to pay 10% of the full fare(10% of the full fare is roughly $600) for my infant daughter.
 
Any suggestions?

[Dan]

It's such a rip-off that airlines charge 10% of the business or first class fare for infants instead of 10% of the coach fare...
But consider yourself lucky, when I asked out of curiosity how much an infant would be for my recent Europe First Class trip I was told something like $1,800!

[Yordai Dooma]

I'm booking 2 first class award tickets (with Continental points) for my wife and me to Israel, via Europe, and I was told that I would need to pay 10% of the full fare(10% of the full fare is roughly $600) for my infant daughter.
 
Any suggestions?

Suggestions for what? Thats what the cost is. International infant fares are 10% of the full fare. I just did it and paid $562.10 flying LH through FRA

[elikay]

use miles! :-P

[Dan]

The only thing I can think of is to buy a discount refundable coach fare, add the infant, cancel the refundable fare, but have the infant added onto the mileage reservation.

No promises that will work though.

[Yordai Dooma]

use miles! :-P

When i did it, i actually sold SPG points to cover the cost of the infant fare, taxes, and other trip expenses. We wanted it to be a 100% free vacation.

[aussiebochur]

Being that some people actually pay for first class travel (extra comfort, able to sleep), don't they get upset if there is a kid running around or screaming? I know some lounges have age restrictions, anything like that on the actual plane?

[Yordai Dooma]

Being that some people actually pay for first class travel (extra comfort, able to sleep), don't they get upset if there is a kid running around or screaming? I know some lounges have age restrictions, anything like that on the actual plane?

Paying with miles is also considered paying. We did it in business class and it wasn't bad at all. In fact we weren't the only ones with a kid there.

[moish]

Being that some people actually pay for first class travel (extra comfort, able to sleep), don't they get upset if there is a kid running around or screaming? I know some lounges have age restrictions, anything like that on the actual plane?

you have to use saichel. if you know your kid is gonna run around and scream its not nice.

[Dan]

Being that some people actually pay for first class travel (extra comfort, able to sleep), don't they get upset if there is a kid running around or screaming? I know some lounges have age restrictions, anything like that on the actual plane?

I think lounges only have age restrictions if you are the only one entering.  If you're with your family I don't think there's any restrictions.

[aussiebochur]

Paying with miles is also considered paying. We did it in business class and it wasn't bad at all. In fact we weren't the only ones with a kid there.

I'm all for it and IYH ill do it one day as well. But I'm surprised that they don't have any restrictions.
I wasn't saying that using miles isn't paying, my point was that others pay $1000's extra for that extra comfort, so the same would apply if the parents of the child also paid full price.

[aussiebochur]

I think lounges only have age restrictions if you are the only one entering.  If you're with your family I don't think there's any restrictions.

Do you think its the same on the plane? Can I book my younger brother (under 18) in first class if he's flying himself?

[Dan]

Do you think its the same on the plane? Can I book my younger brother (under 18) in first class if he's flying himself?

Anyone can pay to fly first class, there's no age restriction for that.

In fact I've read on FT that you can actually even enter presidents clubs if you're under 18 and are on a businessfirst ticket.

[kivabb]

I'm booking 2 first class award tickets (with Continental points) for my wife and me to Israel, via Europe, and I was told that I would need to pay 10% of the full fare(10% of the full fare is roughly $600) for my infant daughter.
 
Any suggestions?

When I flew EL AL with AA mileage on business, the charged me 10% of economy seat. But then again business on El AL is 135K on business.

[chuchem]

Most lounges will let kids in as well. In the US some will make problems, since they serve alcohol. If its a kid traveling with parents they normally let, but I was denied access once in Newark when I was 16 and traveling by myself.

[chuchem]

By the way, every miles program is diffrent. Most programes charge 10% of the full fare for the baby. I think thats really not fair, since the full fare is miles. But never mind, we cant change that.

Air Canada has a flat fee of 100 USD for infants, no matter were and what booking class. Miles and more charges only the tax, since they cant charge 10%  of the miles.

Most airlines let kids in F. I think its not right, since if a guy pays fullfare 10000 USD he wants to be able to sleep. My opinion is, the airlines should let in business, but not first. First should be exclusive with a "sleeping" no noise guarantee.

I once took my 6 month from JFK-Zrh in business and have to admit, I really felt like an indruter, every time he screamed everybody started looking. I didnt feel comfortable at all. But it was not my fault, we got upgraded


Best advice, when your kid screams in business or First, just walk back to Economy and wait there till he is quiet again  :-) :-)

[Yordai Dooma]

By the way, every miles program is diffrent. Most programes charge 10% of the full fare for the baby. I think thats really not fair, since the full fare is miles. But never mind, we cant change that.

Air Canada has a flat fee of 100 USD for infants, no matter were and what booking class. Miles and more charges only the tax, since they cant charge 10%  of the miles.

Most airlines let kids in F. I think its not right, since if a guy pays fullfare 10000 USD he wants to be able to sleep. My opinion is, the airlines should let in business, but not first. First should be exclusive with a "sleeping" no noise guarantee.

I once took my 6 month from JFK-Zrh in business and have to admit, I really felt like an indruter, every time he screamed everybody started looking. I didnt feel comfortable at all. But it was not my fault, we got upgraded


Best advice, when your kid screams in business or First, just walk back to Economy and wait there till he is quiet again  :-) :-)

We just flew AC using ANA miles (not to TLV). We were charged $13 for the infant fare.
AC told us that had we booked with them, it would have been $12.

We flew Biz to TLV on LH and was totally fine with a toddler. LH crew was unusually kind to us and offered him toys and all.

[chuchem]

I meant, that if you use Air Canada miles and fly with a star alliance carrier, its 100 USD flat fee. Thats even they have to pay more money for the airport tax.

Most times flying with a kid is fine. But if lights get turned of and everyone goes to sleep and your kid starts screaming, even through its natural and you are not doing anything wrong, but when everyone starts to turn around and give a nastly look its not pleasant. I am the type that cares then, maybe some other guys have thicker skin and dont care, but it got me nervous!

[Yordai Dooma]

I meant, that if you use Air Canada miles and fly with a star alliance carrier, its 100 USD flat fee. Thats even they have to pay more money for the airport tax.

Most times flying with a kid is fine. But if lights get turned of and everyone goes to sleep and your kid starts screaming, even through its natural and you are not doing anything wrong, but when everyone starts to turn around and give a nastly look its not pleasant. I am the type that cares then, maybe some other guys have thicker skin and dont care, but it got me nervous!

Dont get me wrong, if he would have started crying hysterically, i would have gone back to steerage until he calmed down. It was also a little easier that someone else brought a kid on the same flight.

When i spoke to AC (because ANA wouldn't make the infant ticket), they told me that if they added it on, it would have been $12 because that's how much the taxes were...

[chuchem]

AC charges diffrent amount for a AC flight and for a Star alliance flight.