British Airways - child turns 2 during travel

glentoran99

jpsartre wrote: »

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're suggesting the OP should do
but BA won't book an infant ticket for a 2+ year old on the phone either (by infant ticket I mean a ticket where the child travels on the lap of a parent).

The OP needs to call BA to get the child booked as an infant (lapchild) going out and as a child (with his own seat) coming back. The seat on the inbound flight is provided free of charge.

What makes you think a seat would be free?

jpsartre

glentoran99 wrote: »

when booking it asks you the ages of the passengers on return, so would need his own seat both ways

No he doesn't, he can travel as a lapchild on the outbound flight but it has to be booked on the phone. From the BA website:

Infants who become children while travelling
If you're travelling with an infant who reaches the age of two during their journey, your child will need their own seat for any flights on and after their 2nd birthday. However, there is no charge for this; you will still only pay the infant fare for the entire journey.
As your infant will only be required to have a seat for part of your trip, this can't be booked online, so contact us and we'll be pleased to help you.

jpsartre

glentoran99 wrote: »

What makes you think a seat would be free?

Because it's BA policy.

glentoran99

ah good to know, wonder if all airlines are the same as have a similar issue with easyjet

Cat212

jpsartre wrote: »

No he doesn't, he can travel as a lapchild on the outbound flight but it has to be booked on the phone. From the BA website:

Infants who become children while travelling
If you're travelling with an infant who reaches the age of two during their journey, your child will need their own seat for any flights on and after their 2nd birthday. However, there is no charge for this; you will still only pay the infant fare for the entire journey.
As your infant will only be required to have a seat for part of your trip, this can't be booked online, so contact us and we'll be pleased to help you.

You're exactly right. Technically the flight for my son is not free either way, even as a lap child. He costs 10% of our fare both outbound and inbound but he has to have a seat on the return journey - though there is no extra cost for this, if that makes sense.

Have spoken with someone else today who now state that yes they can make changes to the flight and we don't have to wait until he actually turns two, but we would have to wait until the outbound flight to Barcelona is complete, and ring from there or try and speak with someone at the airport.

Its complete madness. What parent would travel outbound without knowing if there was an available seat for her child on the return journey!

silvercar

I really don't think it appropriate to publish the number of the gold line. You may have been lucky in the past, but generally they won't help non gold status customers.

I also think that phoning before the outbound sector has been flown should allow the seat to be booked. To wait until you have flown the first flight makes no sense, what happens if the plane is full?

leylandsunaddict

leylandsunaddict wrote: »

You ring the airline to do it.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're suggesting the OP should do
but BA won't book an infant ticket for a 2+ year old on the phone either (by infant ticket I mean a ticket where the child travels on the lap of a parent).

The OP needs to call BA to get the child booked as an infant (lapchild) going out and as a child (with his own seat) coming back. The seat on the inbound flight is provided free of charge.

We were both misunderstanding, or in my case not reading your post properly.

I didn't mean you can book a 2 year old as an infant. I sold enough flights over the years to know that a 2 yr old has to have it's own seat. I meant I would have rung the airline and booked the infant a seat on both sectors. I would not want a nearly 2 year old belted up with me for a couple of hours flight :eek:

jpsartre

I see, now it makes sense

silvercar

leylandsunaddict wrote: »

We were both misunderstanding, or in my case not reading your post properly.

I didn't mean you can book a 2 year old as an infant. I sold enough flights over the years to know that a 2 yr old has to have it's own seat. I meant I would have rung the airline and booked the infant a seat on both sectors. I would not want a nearly 2 year old belted up with me for a couple of hours flight :eek:

I thought that is what you meant, though in this case the fact that BA would supply the full seat on the return sector for the price of the infant charge may prove too attractive.

leylandsunaddict

silvercar wrote: »

I thought that is what you meant, though in this case the fact that BA would supply the full seat on the return sector for the price of the infant charge may prove too attractive.

Quite possibly, but having a seat is the safest way, apart from it obviously being the most comfortable for infant and adult.