Supplementary question: excess hand luggage

Hi Guys

Sorry to be a nuisance, but I've thought of a supplementary question. The cabin baggage restrictions have come into force since the last time I travelled with Baby Cloud. Unfortunately, he doesn't travel light and usually has three pieces of hand luggage. One is a normal nappy / diaper bag with the usual baby requisites; one is his medical feeding pump and one contains all his medicines. I have two worries: one is that I will have trouble carrying more than one piece of hand luggage for him, the second is that his medicines are almost all liquid and will be considerably more than will fit in the small plastic bag we are allowed.

Has anyone had any experience with this sort of issue since the restrictions? Do I need to obtain special permission and if so, from whom? Virgin, Department of Transport, Civil Aviation Authority, someone else?

Will I have trouble flying internally in the States or on the return journey from the US to the UK?

I hope you don't think I am being a worry monger, but any journey with this little chap is a major feat of organisation. Sometimes I wonder why I bother, but I want him to have as normal a life as possible.

Any thoughts gratefully received.

EC

[HighFlyer]

Any medicines, baby foods and other liquids over the 100ml that you are carrying should be declared at security, they'll then inspect them, and probably quiz you over them. I would advise getting a note from your doctor for Baby Cloud and a copy of the prescriptions for the meds just incase you get interrogated. You are also supposed to get approval from the airline, so i would call and see if there is anything extra you need to do.

I am not sure how the hand luggage situation would work exactly, but i think you need to label your extra bags as 'medical equipment'. Special Assistance at VS could probably help you further so maybe worth giving them a call, but i would imagine if you are carrying medical equipment that it would not conform to standard regulations.

Thanks,
Sarah

Thanks HighFlyer for the speedy response!

Hope you're not snowed in!

EC

[HighFlyer]

Er, yup I am. Just finished shovelling the snow to get the car out ready for my drive to LHR in the morning

Hope all goes well on your flight with the little ones!

Thanks,
Sarah

If the medecine is required on flight, definitely make sure you have prescriptions and any other letters from doctors available at security as they will want to see them. If you don't need it on the flight, then you'll have to check it, as far as I know.

The rule is still very much one carryon item and only one carryon item unless you have approved reasons for carrying extra. As regards nappies and baby-changing gubbins, as far as I can see, you're supposed to cram as much of that as you think you will need into your single carryon. No exceptions.

Silly isn't it!

Chris

When you call Special Assistance, mention that you are traveling in 3 Upper seats, not with a lap infant - AFAIK, each paying Upper pax has a carry-on bag allowance. That means 3 bags if you are using 3 seats, I believe. The catch is whether you have to carry your own bag on, so the younger Clouds could just let Mommy tote their bags for them! You'll be laden like a beast of burden, most likely, but at least you'll get more things you'll need onboard. Check with VS to be sure, though.

As far as the medications, the written letters and prescription copies are absolutely a must. Any excess liquid medications must be checked with the airport's medical authority, unless that has been changed recently. Make sure you factor the extra time that will take into your travel plans. Keep all meds in the original bottles.

Also ask VS if the three of you each have a liter bag allowance (one per paid revenue seat). If so, you will have 3 plastic bags to stuff through Security, and that might make all the difference. Double-check all answers to be safe - once you arrive at the airport, it's too late to fix a problem! If the unthinkable happens and you are forced to put excess liquid medications into the hold, remember to have an insulated bag and extra plastic bags for any liquids, as they may freeze. Ask your pharmacist if the medications will still work if they are inadvertently frozen, better to know up front.

Good luck, keep us posted.

You'll only be allowed 3pc of hand luggage if there are three of you.

The BAA make no exceptions for infants in that instance and there is nothing any airline can do regarding authorising any extra hand luggage - the BAA will simply tell the airline where to go, as they have done more than once in the past. If you need clearance from any one if you intend on bringing more than one item per passenger, it'll be the BAA.

However heartless the BAA are, medicines, baby milk and baby food over 100ml are all allowed through security in your hand luggage, you just have to tell them you're doing it.

And it obviously helps if it's blindingly obvious it's baby food/milk or medicince. Don't do what some people do and remove the labels.

Thanks for your advice everyone. Incidentally, Baby Cloud does not need extra because he is an infant (indeed he doesn't count as one now as he is big boy of two), but because of his serious medical condition. I am really concerned that BAA security will not be able to cope with the fact that he needs so much "stuff", together with over 2 litres of liquid feed and nearly a dozen medications.

It seems that the best bet is to ensure that the three cabin bags we are allowed between us are the absolute maximum size, so that we have the best chance of fitting in his essential equipment.

In the past (and on the advice of the airline), I have travelled with all his medicines in cabin baggage, as no responsibility was taken for lost medication. This year, I will bring all the hypodermic syringes which he will use as I have to be confident that they have been kept at the right temperature, but I will only carry the bottles in use, with the spare bottles for the rest of the trip in the hold, so vs_itsallgood gave me something else to think about by mentioning the possibility of the liquids freezing in the hold. The bottles state "Do not freeze" so I guess I should check with Virgin on that one.

I will, of course, speak to special assistance (Virgin engineers need to approve the carriage of his pump) and will see what advice they give, but at the moment I just feel tired at the thought of the uphill battle it is going to be. Just keep telling myself, it will be worth it when I get there...

But I do thank you very much for your assistance and words of re-assurance. Every little helps.

EC