Infant access to bassinets in J

[rory breaker]

So, Mrs Rory Breaker and Junior (18 months) Rory Breaker travelled SYD-DXB-LHR in J a few weeks ago.

When we booked the flights (about 10 months out) we called Qantas to make sure that Mrs Rory Breaker got a seat with access to a bassinet.

For good measure we also called the week before to double check - all good we were told.

When Mrs Rory Breaker boarded, she found that she had been moved from the seat with bassinet access, so a couple (travelling without an infant) could be seated together where the bassinet accessible seat was.

This was the only explanation that the crew could offer.

To add insult to injury, the pre booked infant meals (which we've had for Junior on every Y why with Qantas) had not been put on-board.

Is this normal?

 

[Princess Fiona]

So, Mrs Rory Breaker and Junior (18 months) Rory Breaker travelled SYD-DXB-LHR in J a few weeks ago.

When we booked the flights (about 10 months out) we called Qantas to make sure that Mrs Rory Breaker got a seat with access to a bassinet.

For good measure we also called the week before to double check - all good we were told.

When Mrs Rory Breaker boarded, she found that she had been moved from the seat with bassinet access, so a couple (travelling without an infant) could be seated together where the bassinet accessible seat was.

This was the only explanation that the crew could offer.

To add insult to injury, the pre booked infant meals (which we've had for Junior on every Y why with Qantas) had not been put on-board.

Is this normal?

No I don't think it is and I would write to customer care for an explanation. The bassinet seats have a weight limit of 11KG and can be booked for children up to 18mths. Perhaps your son was outwith either the age or weight limit and/or both for the seat? I don't know any 18 month olds who would fit in an aircraft bassinet.
I presume that your wife had one seat booked and your son was travelling on her lap. Did she get a vacant seat next to her after the move?

As regards to the meals that is very disappointing. I have had this happen to me on numerous occasions when my 4 were young so I always used to travel with food.

 

[rory breaker]

No I don't think it is and I would write to customer care for an explanation. The bassinet seats have a weight limit of 11KG and can be booked for children up to 18mths. Perhaps your son was outwith either the age or weight limit and/or both for the seat? I don't know any 18 month olds who would fit in an aircraft bassinet.
I presume that your wife had one seat booked and your son was travelling on her lap. Did she get a vacant seat next to her after the move?

As regards to the meals that is very disappointing. I have had this happen to me on numerous occasions when my 4 were young so I always used to travel with food.

Yes, she had to make the whole trip with him on her lap, not quite the J experience she had hoped for and with no vacant seat next to her - J was full, but the lady next to her was very helpful and sympathetic (not that we can credit the airline with this)
He's quite short for an 18 month old, and he is right on the 11kg limit (not that they asked that).
On the way back (4 weeks later) we all travelled together in Y, he fitted just fine in the bassinet, (the FA said she'd seen much bigger babies in the bassinets before) and again, no meals.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

So, Mrs Rory Breaker and Junior (18 months) Rory Breaker travelled SYD-DXB-LHR in J a few weeks ago.

When we booked the flights (about 10 months out) we called Qantas to make sure that Mrs Rory Breaker got a seat with access to a bassinet.

For good measure we also called the week before to double check - all good we were told.

When Mrs Rory Breaker boarded, she found that she had been moved from the seat with bassinet access, so a couple (travelling without an infant) could be seated together where the bassinet accessible seat was.

This was the only explanation that the crew could offer.

Did your wife not check her boarding pass when she checked in?

The best time to sort things out is at checkin as if she'd realised then she had a different seat than the one booked she could've asked staff to move her back to her original seat.

The lady she ended up sitting next to in the non-bassinet row could've been moved to the seat next to your wife where the bassinet was so the couple not seated together could've had the seats together in the non-bassinet row instead.

 

[lovestotravel]

QF assures me that a bassinet request overrides a VIP, Chairmans Lounge member, a Platinum member or any other status request so your bassinet seats should have been there.

I would have asked more at check-in about the reason for the move, if it wasn't resolved and I boarded and then saw that the people in the bulkhead row did NOT have a baby I would have asked for the CSM to sort the issue immediately as it's not acceptable

 

[ajw373]

So, Mrs Rory Breaker and Junior (18 months) Rory Breaker travelled SYD-DXB-LHR in J a few weeks ago.

When we booked the flights (about 10 months out) we called Qantas to make sure that Mrs Rory Breaker got a seat with access to a bassinet.

For good measure we also called the week before to double check - all good we were told.

When Mrs Rory Breaker boarded, she found that she had been moved from the seat with bassinet access, so a couple (travelling without an infant) could be seated together where the bassinet accessible seat was.

This was the only explanation that the crew could offer.

To add insult to injury, the pre booked infant meals (which we've had for Junior on every Y why with Qantas) had not been put on-board.

Is this normal?

Out of interest how did you book an infants meal? Reason I asked is recently the wife and I travelled international J recently, Qantas clearly knew we had a 12 month old, but there was no meal for him, nor did I see anywhere on MMB to ask. They also didn't ask when I rang and asked for the bulk head seats (being an A330-300 the only row with them is row 1) which I couldn't select myself.

 

[ermen]

If true, then this is ridiculous behaviour by QF and I am extremely disappointed. Having a bassinet for an infant really makes a big difference especially for long haul flights.

 

[Red Roo]

So, Mrs Rory Breaker and Junior (18 months) Rory Breaker travelled SYD-DXB-LHR in J a few weeks ago.

When we booked the flights (about 10 months out) we called Qantas to make sure that Mrs Rory Breaker got a seat with access to a bassinet.

For good measure we also called the week before to double check - all good we were told.

When Mrs Rory Breaker boarded, she found that she had been moved from the seat with bassinet access, so a couple (travelling without an infant) could be seated together where the bassinet accessible seat was.

This was the only explanation that the crew could offer.

To add insult to injury, the pre booked infant meals (which we've had for Junior on every Y why with Qantas) had not been put on-board.

Is this normal?

This does seem unusual, and I'd like to investigate.

Please send me a private message with the details so I can look in to this for you.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Out of interest how did you book an infants meal? Reason I asked is recently the wife and I travelled international J recently, Qantas clearly knew we had a 12 month old, but there was no meal for him, nor did I see anywhere on MMB to ask.

They also didn't ask when I rang and asked for the bulk head seats (being an A330-300 the only row with them is row 1) which I couldn't select myself.

I don't believe ypu can request an infant meal or toddler meal online as the request can't be attached to a passenger who doesn't have a seat so instead reservations need to put in a special meal request SPML stating one adult meal and one toddler or baby meal for the pax who is associated to the infant.

 

[scheps]

IIRC you can put infant meal, at the expense of an adult meal online. That is the only way i have seen it. However, we have never gotten an infant meal any of our flights, all in J or F regardless of airline (always oneworld).

I don't think the OP needed to be so thorough with checking, obviously helps, however, when traveling with a little one alone, its probably best to have less things to check and do. I would have thought it was fairly certain that once it was booked, i should remain booked.

Having said that, i've never been bumped but total flights with little one going for bassinet seat was < 10.

It is unpleasant to have something on your lap the whole time, what i did was I just sat on the floor between row 1 and 2 on a transpacific 747 and it was actually quite ok. (deliberately picked non bassinet in that instance)

You have Red Roos attention so i am sure you will get an answer soon enough.

 

[Flying mermaid]

It is quite a long time ago now, but I found children's meals very patchy (we were in F or J)- sometimes turned up sometimes didn't. I was really happy when their tastes matured enough so we could stop playing the lottery...

 

[ozbeachbabe]

IIRC you can put infant meal, at the expense of an adult meal online. That is the only way i have seen it. However, we have never gotten an infant meal any of our flights, all in J or F regardless of airline (always oneworld).

That's why you don't do it online because there isn't an option to specify more than one meal per seat booked ie an infant and an adult meal against one person.

Always call reservations and ask them to do it.

 

[rory breaker]

Mrs Breaker didn't look at the boarding passes at check in, simply because she had no idea what the set number should have been anyway, travelling with a little one she had more pressing issues like, er, nappies and anti bacterial handwash.

We have taken about 15 round trips with Junior Breaker with various carriers, maybe half have been with Qantas.
With Qantas, for the first few flights we never even knew that infant meals existed, then by surprise junior was served one on a flight. Then we discovered that if we called reservations when we booked the flights, we could specify an infant meal, this has never come at the cost of an adult meal. Though the delivery is patchy, maybe 50% of the time one was served, and 50% not (even when requested).

Generally, Qantas have exceeded our expectations when it comes to travelling with Junior, just small things have made a difference, like the offer of pillows, FA minding junior when we go to the toilet, and normally the FAs have initiated this. Although I don't like to generalise, it's normally the more senior FAs who are more helpful and sympathetic to travelling with a little one.

 

[djfuzz]

This once happened to us on a MEL-SYD flight in J; had assigned the bassinet seats but were moved to the other side bulkhead where there was no bassinet (despite assurances to the contrary from the check-in agent and FAs on the ground). Given the fact it was a one-hour ride, we lived with it.

However, for any international flights (let alone the Kangaroo route), you should never leave this to chance - I've always double checked the seat map, called up to request that the bassinet seats be allocated and, where they couldn't be at the time for whatever reason, insisted that they be so allocated at check-in to avoid a polite dustup onboard. Have had a few long to-and-fros with check-in staff who have similarly insisted that there was a bassinet at a position I knew there wasn't, and unfortunately have had to stand firm until they shuffled others in order to fix it.

I'm no fan of inconveniencing other pax, and fully accept that it's the family's responsibility to manage the tykes and make sure they don't cause any trouble for others; but bassinet seats (whether in Y or a premium cabin) are by right supposed to be allocated to people who actually need them, not first-in best-dressed (except between multiple families traveling with infants). On the flipside, I've happily volunteered my seat at a bassinet position where I've come across other pax traveling with infants, as I figure the FA should be moving them there at some point anyway.

As for infant meals, we always carry our own (as well as bottles with formula / milk etc), and FAs have almost always been exceptional at assisting us with preparation in whatever cabin; you must have very accommodating little ones if you can rely on them to eat airline food, infant or otherwise.