Infant Turned 02 years..everything you wanna know

Most of us take for granted that the infant (under 02 years) ticket should be free of charge as he doesn't occupy any seat. However, the infant ticketing policy varies from an Airline to Airline.

Few European airlines allow infant to travel free of charge on domestic European sector but at the same time would charge 10% of the adult base fare in-case of the international flight. The cost and the terms and conditions of the ticket are different for different Airline.

Nevertheless let's see few specific regulations that must be followed while purchasing Infant ticket:

• There is no minimum age for an Infant to take an Airline travel. Yet, he should be at least 48hours old to travel and should be accompanied by an adult aged 16 years and above
• One passenger is allowed to take maximum 2 infants out of which one can be lap baby and other one can occupy the seat. This rule may vary from country to country as well. Please call the Airline beforehand to avoid any chaos at the Airport.
• Now, lets talk about the most common and one of most confusing aspect -

Infant Turned 2: As long as the child is under 2 years he is considered to be an infant but the moment he completes his second b'day he is considered as child and he has to pay the child fare for an Airline Travel. There can be 2 scenarios where in the infant can turn 2:

1. Before the journey commences: In-case the infant has completed his 2 nd b'day before the travel then he has to travel as a child and has to pay the child fare.
2. Turns 2 during the travel: If the infant turns 2 during the Airline travel then he can simply travel as an infant and pay infant fare only. However, the policy can vary from Airline to Airline.
3. Another best way to tackle the situation is to pay per direction for e.g: If the infant is 23 months while traveling London to San Francisco and above 24months at the time of return then the infant fare can be paid per direction i.e. infant fare for London San Francisco and child fare for San Francisco to London sector. This rule is not permitted by all the Airlines, so please make sure to call the customer service in advance.

Let me know in-case you have any other reservation regarding Infant ticketing policy. I would be glad to assist you. Till then Happy Airline Travel with the little angel!!

British Airways- Premium Economy Cabin

A long flight in economy class makes us dreadful. Lots of us get cold feet with the thought of travelling in the cramped economy class cabin for more than 09 hours. However, now most of the Airlines have introduced new premium economy cabin to make your journey more comfortable and relaxed.

British Airways is the first Airline to launch Premium Economy cabin known as World Traveler Plus (WTP) Cabin. Cabin has been designed to provide the extra privacy, more relaxation and wider seats. Airline ensures that you have comfortable Airline Travel and you reach your destination with full of zeal and energy. WTP cabin is available on BA flights across 70 destinations worldwide.

Lets give attention to the unique features of this premium cabin:

WTP Check-in :

• On-line check in gets opened 24 hours before departure and you can select your seat and print your boarding cards even before reaching the airport. Seat can be selected from your mobile phone by just clicking on the site ba2go.com
• WTP passengers gets increased baggage allowance of 2 free checked bags weighing up-to 23kg's each.
• Almost all the BA flights with WT cabin departs from Terminal 5 that gives you the opportunity to explore the British Airways new Home 'Terminal 5' which everything starting from shopping to hotels

In Flight Experience

• The premium cabin is devised to provide more comfort as it just has maximum 6 rows
• Complimentary bar service, larger and wider seats with adjustable headrest and extra legroom are the few attractions
• All the WTP seats are facilitated with laptop power and an in-seat phones.
• The menu is specially made by the known chefs from various part of the world.
• Passengers are given priority to leave the aircraft early.

Whats More

• All the seats have individual screens attached with the noise reducing headphones.
• High life and Travel magazines can be enjoyed through out the flight
• There are almost over 100 movies,more than 50 audio and music Cd's .
• Interactive games for the kids

In addition to this you have an option to stop, pause, forward or rewind your favorite programme as per your wish.

This premium economy would cost a bit more then the economy class fare but the experience is totally amazing and you can feel the difference. Next time, make sure that you save some extra bucks to experience the difference.

All the best for this astonishing airline Travel..

Carrying Car Seat for your toddler?

Are you planning to take your little one on your lap or do you want to carry the car seat for your toddler on the flight?

Most of the Airlines permit the passengers to carry their own car seat provided the car seat qualifies the specific dimensions outlined by the Airline. The main question that comes up is - Can you carry your own car seat during the Airline Travel. Lets look at the few golden tips for using Car seat during the Airline Travel:

• To be able to use your car seat, it should be certified to be used in Aircraft and in motor vehicles. These labels can found across the globe and on all the car seats.
• The car seat should be not more than 16" (inches) in its dimension. Any car seat with this dimension can be fixed in most of the airlines.
• Do check out the Airline policy regarding the bringing of the car seat. Its not mandate that you would get discounted airfares for the infant occupying the seat. The Airline can either charge child fare or full adult fare occupying the seat. So, don't forget to call the Airline before taking your seat.
• One golden tip to avoid paying for extra seat is to plan your travel during mid week or late in morning. The flights are relatively less occupied during these hours and there are more chances of getting the empty seat on the flight. Airline staff at the gate or at the check-in can assign these seats to you.
• Car seat should either be placed in a window seat or in middle seat in the middle bank.

Government has the different rules and regulations for the car seat. Hence always make sure to check the policy of the specific country. Bringing car seat on the flight is always good option as it not only makes the child comfortable but also make the Airline Travel relaxed for the parents as well.

6 Easy tips to get the special Meal on board

Are you vegetarian? Do you have an allergy from nuts or milk products? Are you tired of the usual Airline meal?

If the answer is yes, then don't be bothered as special meal can be pre-requested on all the major International and domestic Airlines. Today, I would share few simple and easy tips that would ensure that you get the special meal on board:

1. Always request the special meal in advance. Best is to get the request added at the time of the booking. Most of Airlines have huge list of diverse meals from different part of the world.
2. Request can be made on-line as well however its good idea to call the individual Airline to make certain that the request is already added in the Airline system
3. If you plan to change your booking or change you flight then remember to add the meal request again as the special meal would not get assigned to the new changed flight on its own.
4. Best is to request the special meal at least 24 hours before the departure as Airline system rejects the "late meal request"
5. Meal can be requested at the check-in desk as well but the chances of getting this special meal can be minimal. Firstly, you would only to be get that meal if its available on board secondly, If some other passenger who ordered for this meal is a no show
6. The crew would have the seat number, booking reference and the name of all the passengers who have ordered the special meal. Hence make sure to let the crew know in case you have swapped your seat with someone else on the flight.

These are the few tips that would get you the special and best meal on board. So, now satisfy those taste buds on Airline Travel as well.

Till then Bon Appetit and Enjoy the Airline Travel !!

New Baggage policy - British Airways

Almost all the major European Airlines are changing and adopting new baggage allowance policy. British Airways, one of the largest Airlines in the world is also switching to the latest strategy.

However these new rules and regulations would only apply to all the passengers, who are booking and travelling post 07 October 2009. Hence all those passengers who have booked their tickets before 07 Oct09 would be permitted to take the baggage as per the old policy.

The checked baggage allowances:

Each bag:

• Should not exceed 23kg
• Maximum limit for check in can be upto 32kg only.
• Amount of £30 ($50 for journeys from all US airports) has to be paid the bag or item that weighs more than 23kg (51lbs) and up to and including 32kg (70lbs).
  

This fee will be charged as in local currency of the origin

The baggage allowance differes from country to country.Hence make sure that you check www.ba.com for exact dimensions and baggage allowance.

Extra payment needs to be done in case you want to check in more bags apart from your free allowance.

Good To Know:

If you are transferring to another flight, which is not operated by BA then the baggage allowance for that new flight would apply i.e the baggage allowance or policy can vary.

However If you are holding different tickets for each airline in your journey:

• the individual airline's baggage allowances will apply for each flight

British Airways always offer great discount if you pay prior to your check-in. Its always best to pay on line.

The additional bag charge of £90 ($140) will apply for each additional bag up to the 10 bag limit on international flights.

All the best for the world class experience with British Airways.

Looking for the best seat during the Airline Travel?

09 hour flight can be unpleasant if your seat is right next to lavatory and you keep getting bumped by the passengers who are walking in the Aisle. Poor seat on the plane can be awful as you are unable to recline your seat properly.

On-line pre-seating can always help you to get the best seat. I would give you some excellent tips to get the finest seat during the Airline Travel.

1) Whats your class of Travel: Seats are quite comfortable and relaxing if you are travelling in First or Business class as these cabin gives more leg room and space. However the seats in Economic class are smaller and has less legroom and comfort.

2) List your preferences : Whats your preference like:

• Do you want window or aisle seat?
• Do you want seat right in the front or at the back of the plane?
• Do you need Infant cot seat or items?
• Do you require Internet access?
• Are you planning to use the electronic device and need an in-seat power outlets?

Making this checklist would help you to choose the best seat suited to your requirement.

3) Airline Pre-seating: Few of the Airlines allow seat allocation at the time of booking. So make sure you check the policy of pre seating with an Airline and block your seats on-line to avoid any chaos in the end.

4) Emergency Exit Seat : Exit seat is considered to be the best seat with more legroom. However these seats are not assigned right away as the passenger sitting on this seat should be capable to help during emergency. Its Airline discretion to assign the seat to well suited passenger.

5) Front Row Seats: Seats in front of exit row don't usually recline hence give you the less room than normal. The seats are quite narrower as the tray table are stowed in the arm rest

6) Planning: Try and look for aisle seat towards the rear of the plane where someone is already seated in the window seat. This would give you more space as these middle empty seats, where there are two people on either side gets filled in the end. So you might get the benefit and extra space.

7) Best seat :Always find out the best seat in an Airline as these can vary from Airline to airline. Many time even an extra inch can make it spacious. Its always good to know the pitch of the seat.

8) Best seats are available On-line: Always always book your seats on-line as this gives you the control to assign your own seat and you can pick up the best seat as per your requirement. Few major Airlines gives an option of printing your boarding cards with the seat number on it.

9) Reach Airport early: If you have not printed your boarding card then on the day of your flight, please reach the airport early as If you don't report within the specific time then your seat can be offered to any other passenger as well. Hence make sure that you reach the Airport early.

Hope these small tips would help you to get the good seat on the plane. Enjoy your good seat and have safe Airline Travel!!

Discounted Airfare for Funeral

Most of the Airlines gives discounted fare commonly known as 'Bereavement Airfares' for taking Airline Travel due sudden death in the family, funeral or emergency in the family. However there are certain restrictions and policies around these discounted fares. Let's discuss them one by one:

Who is eligible for the bereavement Airfare?

Immediate family is eligible for these discounted fares. Immediate family is defined as blood relation, parents, grand-parents, spouse, children, siblings, aunts and uncles.

What documents are required by the Airline?

• Death certificate from the regulatory authority
• The name of the deceased and the relationship of the passenger with the deceased
• The full contact details including the date of the funeral service

Please make sure that you provide all the above required information to the Airline in advance as this would ease the process.

Good to know:

• Airlines provide standby option to the passenger in-case he needs to return back to his base immediately due death in the family. Stand by is not confirmed space but would only be given if the flight load is relatively less and the passenger can be accommodated.
• Refund is another option that can be used in-case you are not able to get all the above mentioned required documents in advance. Always remember to submit the death certificate, boarding cards and copy of the ticket along with the refund application. Also retain the photocopy with you as well.
• Refund would only be made if the Airline already has policy of giving special Bereavement Fares prior to travel. No refund would be made in case the Airline does not have any such discounted fares.

Not all the Airlines have the policy of special discounted fares for the funeral or death of the family member. Hence don't get upset if Airline refuses to give you any such refund. Bereavement fares exist to ease your stress of traveling due imminent death of the near-one.