America West - cribs for babies

[Libby]

I'm trying to decide between a few differnt airlines for our trip from LA to Orlando. According to my travel agent America West has cribs for babies - which would be perfect for me since I'll also have my 3 year daughter. Can anyone confirm that this is correct?

Libby

 

[sgtdisney]

Is the crib for your 3 year old, or for an infant? I am not sure about cribs on America West, but I am almost 100% sure any cribs that they have will not fit a 3 year old....

 

[skeezixspud]

... and they are all the same size, IME. They are designed for children who do not yet sit up, so most babies outgrow them by about 9 months, if not sooner. On all US carriers a three year old is required to have his/her own seat on the plane, that is, you must buy the child a ticket. If you plan to use a carseat for the 3 yo, don't take the bulkhead seats; the carseat probably will not fit in that row, because of the fixed armrests.

If you are the only adult going you can't easily use two carseats, as the FAA rules say that carseats must be secured in the window position-seats; they -might- let you put two next to each other in a 3-across row with you on the aisle, but I kind of doubt it. If there are 2 adults and you are using 2 carseats, then you should get two rows of two-across window/aisle seats, if possible, a block of 4. That way the older child will only be kicking the baby's seat, and you won't have to keep admonishing her about it. (The baby won't notice, but another grownup would.)

 

[TravelSheryl]

I just called America West and asked if they have bassinets on any of their airplanes. She laughed and said they do not. I have never seen bassinets on U.S. domestic flights.

Travelling with two very young children, I would recommend that you take a non-stop flight. America West does not serve Los Angeles to Orlando non-stop.

There is currently a fare sale on this route that expires on May 24th. You don't mention your travel dates, so I don't know if the current sale is valid for your dates.

 

[Libby]

Thanks for all your replies and especially to Sheryl for phoning America West. I was hoping for a crib for my then 4.5 month old baby. I am travelling alone with my baby and 3 yr old and thought I crib would be great so I wouldn't have to hold him/her the whole way. I'm flying in from Australia and all the flight times with other airlines either involve an overnight stay or about 10 hours at LAX - niether very appealing. I didn't mind the idea of a stopover because both kids will hopefully have slept well on the way from Sydney (we leave at 7pm) so it will be like morning for them when we arrive at 1pm. I'm so glad I thought to ask about the cribs here and really appreciate Sheryl for phoning since I too had not seen any cribs on domestics flights in the USA (we do have them here) and I no on our last trip I couldn't get one for Amy, who was then 8 mth. So what to do. I really don't think I can manage to take a car seat with me so I guess I'll just to use my sling on the plane. At least I will be prepared and not devastated as I would be if I was expecting a crib only to find there was none.

Thanks again everyone,
Libby

 

[TravelSheryl]

It sounds like you are planning this way in advance if your baby isn't born yet. The fares you are receiving are falsely inflated for non-stop flights because it's too early to purchase. You will not be able to get the best fare on this route if you purchase more than about 4-5 months prior to travel.

Also, when calculating flight times, Orlando is 3 hours later than Los Angeles. A non-stop flight should take about 5 hours.

 

[skeezixspud]

I saw NSW and thought over-the-water; there would be bassinets on a trans-Pacific flight, but not a US domestic. I'm not a travel agent, but I have done a lot of flying with babies, a fair amount of it international, though not to Australia. I have always found that it is much cheaper to use the same airline to get all the way to your destination, or at least a code-share if the same airline is not available, so I'd look into US carriers or carriers that have a codeshare arrangement with a US carrier. Of course, if you are using a charter that might be impossible.

I have always used a toddler carseat on over-the-water flights, and the truth is that it's a Godsend, worth the trouble of carting it through the airport. Taking an infant carseat should actually be pretty easy compared to that, especially if you have one that links to a stroller base or will sit in a double stroller (you can gate-check the stroller so that you have it to use in airports.) Most airlines will give you a reduced fare for an infant if you ask, so you might do OK on the fares. I find that flying through several time zones with a 3 yo means being constantly engaged with the child to prevent them from bothering other passengers; having a safe place to let the baby sleep would probably be a big relief. (It is also safer for a baby to ride in a carseat, since FAA regulations ban belly-belts.) Anyway, Good Luck!