Cathay Pacific - Bulk seat or Bassinet seat

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Eve12

Registered User
Cathay Pacific Bulk seat or Bassinet seat

I have a long haul flight booked on Cathay Pacific, right now we are booked in the Bulk seats (more leg room). I can get the seat with the bassinet option, what's that
like? Cathay Pacific described the bassinet to me as a board. what does that mean?
What are your experiences with LH flights - do bubs just end up sleeping in carrier on your chest anyway? and not the bassinet?

Any thought s and tips would be helpful.

Thanks, my bubs is 61/2months.

Cheers
 
when my baby was 5 months old, she can fit in the bassinet, but just nice and no room to move and they have this strap right over her forehead, so she refused to be in it.
that's cx. but for long haul flight, i recommend that u still get the bulk head seat, just to make sure that no passenger in front of you will recline his seat.
 
From my understanding, the bulkhead seats ARE the bassinet seats - but you can choose whether to get them to set the bassinet up or not. For 6.5 months, I would use the bassinet - although if your baby is starting to sit up, roll over, move around a lot in bed, he/she will need more careful supervision in the bassinet. When I took my daughter at 7 months, we used the bassinet, but she was continually trying to sit up and that, it wouldn't have been impossible for her to fall out if no one was watching her!! But once she was asleep, it was great. MUCH better than her sleeping on me!!
 
Not sure which bulkhead seats you got on which aircraft, but the extra legroom is great, because the children generally prefer to have some time to play on the floor and you don't have to worry about disturbing anyone in front of you or having their seat recline on you or the children. Our children never slept in the bassinet, but it was nice to play in. It's basically like a deep tray to put the child in front of you at your seated eye level. In any case, you have to lift (and wake) the child from the bassinet if the turbulence light us on. However, the one thing to watch out for is whether your bulkhead seats are next to the kitchen. If that's the case, the lights in the kitchen will be on all night and equipment will be rattling, etc. I generally just nurse throughout the flight whenever baby (or I) want to get some sleep, but for those who have sleep-trained babies, this is usually one of those times that just completely screws up the schedule. Good luck!
 
I agree, the bulkhead seats ARE the bassinet seats. There is a sort of a tray that folds down and the flight attendant will bring you a bassinet that straps on to it. You can't use it during take off or landing and you need to take the baby out during turbulance.

My girls slept in the bassinet, not well, but if it was their sleep time anyway, they would usually fall asleep. I usually threw a muslin over it to block out a bit of light/distraction. Mine grew out of the bassinet quite early. Can't remember exactly how old, but they are tall girls.
 
Nicolejoy and Jane01 are correct. The bassinet seats are the bulk head seats, i.e. first row with leg room. The bassinet comes in the form of a small platform that can be put down and the stewardess can set up a moses-basket-like tiny bed for your bub to sleep in if you wish. If you don't want the bed to be set up, then it's just a regular bulk head seat. So I think definitely get the bassinet seats and you can decide if you want the bed set up. Free option!
 
There is a board type thing which pulls down from the wall and then a small cot is strapped to it. I would get this anyway. You can either lay the baby in this if he/she fits and even if she/he doesnt fit, I used it to store nappies, milk, toys etc etc.

Note that if there is turpulence on the plane, they ask you to take baby out of the bassinet and sit them on you + seatbelt - i complete pain in the arse if you have spent hours trying to get them asleep and then you have to pick them up again.
 
If you can, get the bulkhead seats with the bassinet option. At least the bassinet option is there in case you'll need it. If, say, the configuration is 3-4-3 or 2-4-2, request for the seats on the first row of the section on the right or the left sides of the plane and not the ones in the middle (where the bassinet option is usually available). I say that because some passengers are not very considerate and might pass in front of the middle front row just to get across to the washrooms or whatever, and in the process sometimes your toes and things get stepped on. With the bulkhead seats on the sides, you can be sure that no one will cross in front of you, step all over your feet or things.
 
From my experience, all bassinet sizes are different depending on the aircraft and airline. Also check for maximum weight. In KLM they go up to 26", United only 24" (which my daughter already was at 2-3 months since she was born 22" tall). Her feet were sticking out and there was no way she could fit in that one at 7 months when we flew home for Xmas that year. So double check, and ask for sizes. They're not all the same.
 
Buckeroo said:
I say that because some passengers are not very considerate and might pass in front of the middle front row just to get across to the washrooms or whatever, and in the process sometimes your toes and things get stepped on. With the bulkhead seats on the sides, you can be sure that no one will cross in front of you, step all over your feet or things.
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Absolutely!! What a pain in the *ss. I was extremely irritated to have a constant flow of people passing us to go to the washroom in either side. This is in spite of the bassinet being set up (baby sleeping inside) and we have put bags on the floor and extend our legs. People just step in between our legs/begs and between us and the bassinet to get to the other side. I was on the verge of throwing a tantrum :)
 
Totally agree Obiwan & Buckeroo with people being inconsiderate, hubby in fact did tell people to go around!
Another thing with the bulkhead seats is that the arm rests on the airbus 330/340 (seating config 2-4-2) on the outer seats of the middle 4 seats are fixed. It is only the 1in middle that you can lift up due to the trays being stored in the seat. I find this harder to have a bub / toddler sleeping on my lap as you can't spread out that little bit more if you have been allocated 2 seats etc.
 
i think it depends on how your baby sleeps. we;ve been on both in cathay and if i were to do it again, i would take the regular seats - non bulkhead. our son hated the bassinet - he hated being confined and he was also a tummy sleeper very early on. almost i would have preferred a drop down table in front of me, moveable armrests and the tv. our son always preferrered sleeping on us in his carrier right up to 12 months.

also, like the above people mentioned, we hated the light from the bathroom constantly shining down right on our son.
 
Depends on the baby, I agree. Ours slept really well in the bassinet but when I travelled with him by myself (he was 6 months), we bought him a seat and both sat on the side (in a 2 config.) which was more private for feeding and sleeping. He slept across the seat.

If you do go for the bassinet then take a dark blanket or something to cover the bassinet to block out some of the light when they turn on the lights without warning.

I also tell people off if they try and cross in front of me on the bulkhead - VERY irritating and inconsiderate!

SB2
 
Thanks for all your insight....I guess I have to call Cathay Pacific and find out where the bulk seats are..with your GREAT suggestions...I have to check out the "lights from the bathroom" seats...

THANKS for all your replies!!!!
 
Great thread! I have been thinking about this lately. We will fly with our baby for the first time at Chinese New Year and he will be 7 months old by then. It's a short haul Cathay flight of approx 4 hours. Would it be worth asking for the centre bulkhead seats with the bassinet option (tho he may be too long for it by then as he is already 65cm now) or would it be a better idea to ask for the side bulkhead seats where there is at least some privacy? I don't foresee him sleeping much as he only is ever able to sleep in his cot or in a carrier. By then he mightn't even want to sleep at all, it's too exciting!!!

Any other tips on travelling with an infant for the first time would be immensely appreciated!
 
Depending on the air-craft, the 777 we flew on did not have the side bassinet option (only centre row). My girl, who was 3-month old then, fit the bassinet just right, but I suspect she won't be able to fit in a couple of months. That was her first flight, very uneventful, she didn't cry at all :)
 
Hi Obiwan,

I assume you mean water for baby formula was a non-issue.
I called CP and the bulkhead is not the bassinet seat. The bassinet seat is the middle row seats and the bulkhead seats is to the side(that's what booked for us). my bugs hates sleeping in strange places, so im thinking the bassinet seat might not be the best and the bulkhead with "more leg room" might be the best call. Bubs can sleep on me in the carrier and I can at least stretch out my legs(yaeah)...
 
Hi Piper! Bulkhead seats typically refer to the first row seats with leg room, be it the side or the middle rows. So the middle row seats are bulkhead seats as well with lots of legroom. Some aircraft (like the Boeing 777) doesn't have bassinet for bulkhead seats on the side, just for the middle row. We are flying to Vancouver for Xmas so I've opted for the bassinet seats in the middle row. If the baby doesn't like the bassinet, we can hold her, but at least we will have the option to put her in the bassinet for the long-haul flight. We tried that last week on a 4-hour flight and she slept well in the bassinet. To give you an gauge of the legroom, my husband is 6 feet tall, he could stretch out his legs fully, have a few bags on the floor in front of him, and still have room for people to walk along the aisle (which is a nuisance).

Yup, water for baby formula was a non-issue. In fact, we were never stopped for questioning.
 
Our baby is quite tall and was already too big for the bassinet by four and a half months so you may not need to be near the shelf. The other issue is that every time they turn on the seatbelt sign you have to take the baby out of the bassinet so in the end I found it easier to just have him sleep in my arms. Not so sure how it will work next week now he's seven months and nearly 10kg!
 
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