We're going to Britain in 3 months and not sure which airline is the best for a 9mo baby in terms of service, price, comfy and the infant bassinet. Think it's time to book tickets online and hope we can get a good deal. Would be great to hear any advice from your experience.
Which airline will you choose?
- Thread starter asdasd
- Start date
Hello
We travel at least 4 times a year with our little one...he is now 14 months and our preferred carrier is Singapore Airlines. We have found them most attentive when we travel with a baby.
Having said that, this summer, we flew with KLM because SQ was full full full and KLM was very kind towards us as well (the only setback was they do not have individual TV screens for us adults.....and 13- hour flights seem tiny bit long with no entertainment....)
We travel at least 4 times a year with our little one...he is now 14 months and our preferred carrier is Singapore Airlines. We have found them most attentive when we travel with a baby.
Having said that, this summer, we flew with KLM because SQ was full full full and KLM was very kind towards us as well (the only setback was they do not have individual TV screens for us adults.....and 13- hour flights seem tiny bit long with no entertainment....)
Neha
Banned
Flying out of HK it has to be Cathay. I agree Singapore airline is very good but u will waste so much time flying down to Singapore 3.5 hours and then back to London. CX has 4 flights a day. Last weekend they had special to UK for HKD 2590.00. CX crew is as efficient as Singaporairline. We have been on day flights, nite flights with them they are all good. So If the price was all the same I would chose CX
Hello! we flew BA when baby was 12 months because the bassinet is excellent - it is sort of like a mini car seat so baby can sit up - half recline to rest - and also lie almost fully flat- comes in handy with a 12 hour flight there and back.. They also have 3 night flights from HK to London which is great as there is a good chance that baby will sleep at least half of the way. Downside is that the staff are professional but a bit cold! They have personal tv screens too! Let us know whom you choose!
Neha
Banned
But sometimes alot of airlines quote cheaper prices and then no seast available. I dont think BA and Virgin dont charge for infants. I just checked with them. If your child is below 2 they charge infant ticket means no seat and 10 kgs allowed adn if u are child i above 2 then child fare adn 20 kgs allowed. Alot of airlines like zuji.com.hk doesnt have the space for infant booking and u nee dto call them. If I was u I would call BA andVrgin directly to reconfirm all details
Best of luck
Best of luck
we flew BA once because CX was fully booked and boy! what a nightmare. the flight is fine, the food is fine, the baby bassinet is excellent but the staff...........i would say they are the rudest airline staff i have ever encountered. if price is not an issue for you, i would advice singapore airline or cathay, if it is, even Oasis is better than BA in term of service.
Actually I agree - BA staff are terribly rude - I was being polite earlier when I said they were 'cold'! However, I would still go for them because the bassinet was so much better than the other airlines and our little guy slept for 9 hours out of a 12 hour flight as a result so that made us very happy!
just a note. came back on Air France with layover in Paris earlier this week. had a nightmarish 12-hr delay in Paris, quite frustrating with a baby.. we talked to a fellow passengers and apparently that's not unnormal for Air France. i went for them coz their tix are considerably cheaper... service is ok but think i'll still stick to CX from now on.
Hey everyone, thanks for all the suggestions. May be I will ring BA to see if they really do have the cheap tickets. My hubby agrees that BA is unfriendly. Although we can put up with rude service if our baby can have a good sleep and the price is right (My hubby can be very rude as well!).
New international ticketing regulations state that no ticket (for an infant, child or adult) may be issued with a price of less than US$75 (before tax).
That means with any airline you will have to pay at least US$75 for your baby/child to fly plus tax. This is regardless of the airline you choose.
That means with any airline you will have to pay at least US$75 for your baby/child to fly plus tax. This is regardless of the airline you choose.
For the price of an Economy seat on any regular airlines, you might be able to get a Business seat on Oasis, so that might be worth looking at. They use the old SQ First Class seats for their Business seats, so that's enough said for comfort. I just don't know what their baby bassinet is like. BA's bassinet seats sound great... Can anyone please tell me whether they are good enough for a 20-month-old?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Hi Sara! I think it would depend on baby's height and weight...Also, some airlines like Singapore Airlines told us that the bassinet would only be issued up to 18 months old -- basically forcing you to buy the child a seat in other words! For BA I would imagine that they would still offer the bassinet/car seat thing till 23 months old but I think that if we tried that now (our son is 21 months) that we wouldn't get a 9 hour sleep out of him as it wouldn't be as comfortable for him as he's now a bit taller and heavier.. but I think he would be ok for a few hours..You could ring BA and ask them for the dimensions of the car seat bassinet and that might give you a better idea? Hope that helps!
Dear Snagito
As far as I know, refusing you a bassinet does not mean you HAVE to buy a seat for your child, as long as he is less than 24 months, and you are happy to hold him on your lap....
Most airlines I know do not allow the use of bassinets when the baby is more than 10-12 kgs for safety reasons. (If you know of one that issues bassinets that can take a greater weight, let me know!).
As far as I know, refusing you a bassinet does not mean you HAVE to buy a seat for your child, as long as he is less than 24 months, and you are happy to hold him on your lap....
Most airlines I know do not allow the use of bassinets when the baby is more than 10-12 kgs for safety reasons. (If you know of one that issues bassinets that can take a greater weight, let me know!).
Yes that's true can always hold baby when less than 24 months on lap for a 12 hour plus flight...at least technically..I think that having baby on lap works best the younger they are but other parents may have different experiences!!
PracticalMama I think you are right about the weight supported by the bassinets..but also need to keep in mind the length..we found our baby was ok for the weight limit but then was too tall to fit into the Singapore Airlines bassinet which was like a box attached to the bulkhead..
and let us know how flight goes..
PracticalMama I think you are right about the weight supported by the bassinets..but also need to keep in mind the length..we found our baby was ok for the weight limit but then was too tall to fit into the Singapore Airlines bassinet which was like a box attached to the bulkhead..
and let us know how flight goes..I would always say fly direct if you can. I can't imagine it would be much fun to have to make one journey, then get off the plane and wait for the next plane with a baby!
When you check in most airlines ask how old your baby is, rather than the weight...not sure why!
The last long haul flights we took we were v lucky to get an empty seat next to us for our son, he is too big for the bassinet. I don't know how we would of coped without that extra seat, espec. now he is walking and v active....and he's heavy! It would of been very tough to of held him for 11-12 hrs.
I would consider buying him a seat from now on, although we fly standby so wouldn't make any difference, he still wouldn't be guranteed a seat!
When you check in most airlines ask how old your baby is, rather than the weight...not sure why!
The last long haul flights we took we were v lucky to get an empty seat next to us for our son, he is too big for the bassinet. I don't know how we would of coped without that extra seat, espec. now he is walking and v active....and he's heavy! It would of been very tough to of held him for 11-12 hrs.
I would consider buying him a seat from now on, although we fly standby so wouldn't make any difference, he still wouldn't be guranteed a seat!