Bassinet seat stories...

[scheps]

Hi guys,

Just wanted your experience or opinion regarding getting a bassinet seat for international flights. I have been told several different versions by the 131211 crew.

1. WP/P1/CL cant be displaced by baby
2. You can't fly without a bassinet
3. You can fly without bassinet, just have to hold them for the whole flight e.g. 13 hours
4. They can't see bassinet seats which I can see.....
5. When the aircraft changes, you can lose the bassinet seat and find out only at the airport unless you frequent your bookings section.

ummmm.....

p.s. ticket holder is silver only and booked through a gold account as I didn't realise the above problems.

 

[harvyk]

We've never had any problems securing a bassinet seat if one is available.
Yes they are typically bulkhead rows, and yes the QF phone people don't really know the rules either and yes they are the preferred seats of the WP's because they also tend to be bulkhead seats. That said, as far as I can tell, an infant will take precedence for a bassinet row over even a WP.

It is true that if you can't get a bassinet seat, you do have to hold the child for the full length of the flight, but here is where not using technology will come in handy. Go up and check in the good ole fashioned way by talking with a check in agent, 90% of the time even on a full flight, they have been able to put a shadow on the seat(s) next to us. This is as a PS.

 

[Rebekkap]

We've never had any problems securing a bassinet seat if one is available.
Yes they are typically bulkhead rows, and yes the QF phone people don't really know the rules either and yes they are the preferred seats of the WP's because they also tend to be bulkhead seats. That said, as far as I can tell, an infant will take precedence for a bassinet row over even a WP.

It is true that if you can't get a bassinet seat, you do have to hold the child for the full length of the flight, but here is where not using technology will come in handy. Go up and check in the good ole fashioned way by talking with a check in agent, 90% of the time even on a full flight, they have been able to put a shadow on the seat(s) next to us. This is as a PS.

But if a WP has pre-selected that seat, will they get booted out for a person travelling with a child? What if they've already checked in?

 

[harvyk]

But if a WP has pre-selected that seat, will they get booted out for a person travelling with a child? What if they've already checked in?

Could not tell you to be honest, I've never seen any WP's give me dirty looks as they walk past. I almost wonder if those seats are reserved by default if the booking system if it knows there are infants on board. It would certainly go along with what the QF person told me on the phone.

 

[Rebekkap]

Could not tell you to be honest, I've never seen any WP's give me dirty looks as they walk past. I almost wonder if those seats are reserved by default if the booking system if it knows there are infants on board. It would certainly go along with what the QF person told me on the phone.

As a WP, for international flights, I can select the bassinet seats on the sides, but not the ones in the middle, months out from the flight, with no infant in the travelling party. I've never bothered checking at T-80 to see if anything else has opened up, as I like the ones on the side - the wall is just the right length for me to stretch my legs out completely (I'm not very tall!)

 

[Grooba]

Not on QF but... on a HA flight recently I asked at check in if we could get a bassinet seat, as we had a sub 2yr old with us that actually required the bassinet - we were told we had to pay for it!!! Crazy.

 

[wandersen]

But if a WP has pre-selected that seat, will they get booted out for a person travelling with a child? What if they've already checked in?

A couple of years back I was sitting in a bassinet position with my girlfriend. Like this:

ABC DEFG HIJ

My wife and I were in D and E and there was mother with a baby in G. The crew moved another mother to F and put the baby in front of us! (i.e. in front of D E). I indicated my displeasure at this and they offered to move us to two separate middle seats way down the back of the plane (I was WP at the time, BTW).

I asked to speak to the CSD and we ended up in Y+.

 

[Rebekkap]

A couple of years back I was sitting in a bassinet position with my girlfriend. Like this:

ABC DEFG HIJ

My wife and I were in D and E and there was mother with a baby in G. The crew moved another mother to F and put the baby in front of us! (i.e. in front of D E). I indicated my displeasure at this and they offered to move us to two separate middle seats way down the back of the plane (I was WP at the time, BTW).

I asked to speak to the CSD and we ended up in Y+.

Yes, am also WP. I will bear in mind the tactic of talking to the CSD if this happens to us in December on the way to the USA!

 

[scheps]

you are brave to travel with both wife and girl friend at the same time

 

[GCC]

We never had an issue with securing a bassinet.

AFAIK, an infant will bump a status pax.

I've been WP since before my daughter was born and my experience was that if the online system didn't let you allocate a blocked bassinet seat, a call to the premium desk would secure it. On those occasions I assume the seat had been selected by a CL or WP / P1, and that they were indeed gazumped by the baby.

We had 4 or 5 flights where we had a points upgrade from Y+= to J. Each time we had the bassinet seats in J, even though our upgrades were only processed between T -12 and t-5.

We also flew on Air Pacific in both Y and in J. No bassinets at all - but QF premium desk did secure the bulkhead rows.

That's been a huge benefit of WP when our daughter was < 2 , as you can effectively secure your bassinet at time for booking while for other pax it is "subject to availability".

As it is "subject to availability", the bassinet is not guaranteed, so yes you can find yourself without one - probably because you were gazumped by a DYKWIA WP baby - but not by a status adult pax.

As harvyk says the baby will then have to travel on your lap.:shock:

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I've been moved for a baby in the past as a WP.

Also as a P1, I've had my shadow taken by a mother +1. Horrible experience.