Upgrades, infants, complicated ?

well amixed experience in trying to book an upgrade to UCS and book an infant... 3 different people and 3 different stories...

first time i was told i could book an upgrade from PE for 2 adults 1 infant with seat ( 14 months - too old for sky cot would be eligable for alternative "car seat" but would have to pay child fare ) ..reasonable i thought... had to check dates with other half...

rang back to be told couldnt use miles to upgrade a child fare.. not the end of the world...

so for Infant to have a seat would have to book a child fare ( £1900) in UCS which of course was more then then upgradable PE fare ( £1280)...

rang back to confirm we would travel with infant on lap in UCS ( £350 )... but system would allow them to book it while doing an upgrade ... so would have to book adults first then add infant...

next problem... no seats available .. turns out they were held by 2 CS Agent ...

so got there in the end ... everyone very helpful but worringly took 5 calls to get it sorted...

not sure what to expect on a 10hr flight with 14mth sharing UCS... there and back...

[honey lamb]

The recommended wisdom from those travelling with young children is to try for 6A&K in UC on the LGW/MAN configured planes. My "baby" is much older than yours but many here have had experience of travelling with young children in UC

Welcome to V-Flyer. I'm intrigued by your handle - a place in County Cork perchance?

well they have booked us in 4A/4D... i think we are on a A340-600 .. is it worth asking for a move on the day... i did ring up and ask to change seats to 4a/5a... but they said all the seats were allocated...


yes small place in the wilds of West Cork...

[honey lamb]

Originally posted by coolea96
well they have booked us in 4A/4D... i think we are on a A340-600 .. is it worth asking for a move on the day... i did ring up and ask to change seats to 4a/5a... but they said all the seats were allocated...

From MAN? Having said that there is no row 4 on a MAN configured aircraft. What route are you flying?

yes small place in the wilds of West Cork...

Asa resident of West Cork I know it well [y]

actually flying LHR - LAX ( posted in the wrong section oops )

[preiffer]

Moved

thanks and apologies for posting incorrectly...

Hi coolea96. We've done two return flights with mdvipond jr. in UCS - once when she was 3 months (rather like taking an extra peice of hand luggage) and once when she was 6 months (slightly more challenging hand luggage that moves about a bit). She'll be 13 months when we do LAX next month, but we're not approaching with much more than a small, healthy dash of trepidation.

UCS are the ideal set up for a young family. We've found that if you're willing to give jr. one of your suites for a few hours of the flight - for a nap, to watch some cartoons - whilst you share the other suite for lunch, sit at the bar, have a wander etc., then you'll have a relatively peaceful time. (Please bear in mind that while I'm typing this I'm also crossing my fingers, stroking a rabbit's foot and saluting a magpie out of the window...).

Maybe you'll get lucky and get a 744 with removable dividers on the day:)

VS.

Having done the Upper Class thing with an 18 month old (like a 14 month old, but worse!), the main question to ask yourself is what is life like at home with this child. If they need lots of attention for play, they will need this in the air, if they are more self-sufficient, you will get a more relaxing flight. Either way, this doesn't make it into a nightmare, you just match your expectations to your child.

It is a good idea to give the infant space in the suite to sleep, but be prepared for the fact that they may find it all too exciting to take their usual naps. That way, any sleep they do take is a bonus!

If yours is a "lap infant" you won't be able to order a kids meal, although there are jars of baby food. My children were never that fond of the jar thing and had given up completely by 14 months, so you might want to make sure that you will be able to find something for your child to eat from the Upper Class menus, or be prepared to bring your own (security measures permitting, of course). The crew will do their best to accommodate your needs, but they can only serve what they've got. It all depends on how fussy your child is when it comes to food.

I have travelled with one child and two children from 3 months upwards and I can say with certainty that is is far better in Upper Class than anywhere else, so go for it and enjoy it.

EC

thanks for all of the advice...

she is generally very good... loves "reading" books ... so that should keep her happy for part of the trip... and as we have an afternoon flight... around 8pm she will be tired and will want to settle for the night.. so fingers crossed she wont be too distracted.

Just back from roud trip with infant in UCS and I cannot sing the praises highly enough of VS cabin crew who took care of us on VS023 and VS008..

they made us totally welcome with our 15mth old and so relaxed us all the flights went without a hitch, she slept on average 6 hours each way and didnt cry once... in fact she didnt stop smiling and waving at the crew in the jump seats during take off and landing which was funny ( we were in seats 3/4D )

Well done to Virgin ... letter on its way to HQ to thank them..