Infant without seat carry on allowance
 

Our airline (BA) does allow an infant one bag for CARRY ON, but doesn't specify if the infant must have a purchased seat or not. We did NOT purchase our baby a seat and need to know if she still has the 1 bag allowance. Anyone know? TIA.

The airline will know - why don't you call their customer service to ask..?

From the BA website:
On journeys to/from/via USA, Canada, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean and between UK and Nigeria, and on journeys within the UK. Infants paying 10% of the adult fare are permitted.
One piece with total dimentions 115cm/46ins (length + width + height) and a maximum weight of 32kg/70lbs plus one fully collapsible pushchair (stroller).

On all other international routes, infants paying 10%of the adult fare are permitted.
10kgs/22lbs of checked baggage allowance plus one collapsible stroller.

On all routes the infant is also entitled to one carry-on piece which may measure up to 46ins and not exceed 6kgs/13lbs in weight.

An infant purchasing a child fare is entitled to the same baggage allowance as an adult.

Isn't your little one 17 months or so? Wow. Maybe there's still time to buy her her own seat? Or I hope it's a quickie flight!

travelnut:
I tried. I was on hold for 15 minutes before I hung up.

Ahaugeto: Yes, she's 17 months. We're flying from Denver to Heathrow and hoping to have an open seat. We shall see.

If the infant seat price is 10% of an adult, buy the child a seat. For a $600 ticket it's only $60.

Just saw this part of the story.
denver to London without a seat? With a 17 month old? There could be no greater hell.
PLEASE buy a seat.

I can't imagine holding a child that age for a 9 hour flight in coach on British Air (a person can hardly squeeze in those seats!). Even if you're passing her back and forth between two people, it certainly will not be pleasant for anyone.

I use BA between Seattle/Heathrow and can't remember seeing empty seats in coach for a long time now. They PACK those flights.

It takes a lot longer than 15 mins. to get thru on the phone to a person at British Air most times.

Ani, I don't mean to seem harsh in my comments, but many of your expectations aren't in line with reality (at least of this particular airline).

For a child without a paid seat, to bring a car seat on-board as carry-on, hope for an empty seat next to you to put it in, be allowed an extra bag, most kindly, it's just not going to happen.

enough with the comments, now I'll try and be more helpful :)
BA has infant cots on some of their flights that attach infront of the bulkhead seats. Your child may be too big, but it's worth a shot.
I'll keep pushing for you to buy a seat. At a year and a half, most US kids brains' are wired to equate a car seat with not moving around for a long time. Better yet, NAP TIME!! IF you get lucky and snag a free seat, your child probably won't sit there with the lap belt on......
but will be up and around and unsnapping he darn thing over and over. and over again.....

If you do buy the seat, know that most airlines I've flown require the carseat to be in the window seat or middle row middle seat. That way it won't block passengers during an emergency. (translation, baby sits next to one of you, not between you).

A 17 month old is not a baby, it's a toddler. You should really buy the child a seat. Denver to Heathrow is a long flight. Your expectation of an empty seat is unreasonable, particularly for an international flight.

How are any of you going to sleep or do you plan to stay awake the whole time? You may not care that everyone seated around you will likely hate you for not buying your child a seat but think about your child, will the child enjoy being in extremely limited space for so long. Have you tried holding the child at home for 10 hours straight? If you can afford to go to London, you can afford a seat for the child.

Do you only have to pay 10% for a seat for an infant? If so, that is a real deal, and I can't imagine not going for it. I am guessing though, that the situation is that they allow infants on board for a fee of 10% without a seat (which really just covers the baggage allowance). And to get a seat for him/her, you have to pay the child fare. . .

see also OP's other thread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34667067