Who: Claire & her 2 boys (3 yo toddler and 3 month old baby)
What: Air New Zealand NZ 39T departs Hong Kong 10am and arrives at LHR 4.15pm
Hong Kong to London
I decided to fly to the UK to introduce family to our new baby, which meant flying alone with my two kids, aged 3 and 3 months. I was anxious about it having never travelled alone with just one child let alone two! Nic assured me I could do it and I thought a lot about ways to make it easier on myself. I felt that a day flight would be better for us since at least I wouldn't be expecting anyone to sleep and wouldn't be tired myself, or certainly no more so than usual!
Getting to airport
I booked a car to take us to the airport, usually I would use the in town check in but with 2 kids in tow it seemed easier just to sort it all out when we got there.
At airport
There was a small line to check in but we were taken to check in at a premium economy desk which had no queue, and the very pleasant lady had us all checked in very quickly. She also confirmed that JB would be getting a child's meal, that I could take the buggy to the gate, and that I would have assistance upon my arrival at LHR which I had requested through my travel agent. After check in going so smoothly I felt surprisingly serene as I headed to our gate.
Almost as soon as I arrived at the gate a charming stewardess came over and said we could board first and that they would do everything to help out and make things easier, which was very reassuring.
Onboard
Once I handed over my buggy we got settled on the plane, staff were helpful in putting my bags in the over head locker.
The cabin was clean and it was great to have the bulkhead. I had been hoping that we could lift up the arm rests in case JB wanted to lie on my lap and have a snooze (wishful thinking!) but the tables are in there so you can't.
Once the seatbelt sign had been turned off they brought out the bassinet, and put a soft blanket in it to make it more comfortable for baby. He fit perfectly and must have been very comfy because he slept for 6 hours out of the 12 hour flight. I couldn't imagine a baby much bigger being very comfortable in it, but having said that the family next to me had their 11 month old sleeping in one with his legs dangling out and he seemed happy enough! One thing that really impressed me, the very first time the drink trolley came round the stewardess noticed I was breastfeeding and gave me a 2 liter bottle of water, so I wouldn't have to keep asking!
JB was not interested in the children's programming available (mostly Disney movies) but I had anticipated this and pre-loaded up the iPad with Thomas videos and some kid friendly apps. His favorites were Monkey Preschool Lunchbox, a drawing app and a dot to dot app. In fact, I needn't have brought him the sticker books or toys, he was delighted to have the opportunity to play endlessly on the (usually strictly controlled) iPad. I got him some great headphones, (kidz gear wired headphones) which are really comfortable and have a sound limiter and also put some audio books on my phone in case the iPad battery ran out. The airline did provide a small bag of kids stuff, just a little notebook, a few pencils and some stickers that kept him busy for 5 minutes.
Despite requesting the child's meal, which was all pretty innocuous (spaghetti bolognaise, chicken and mash) JB wouldn't touch any of it except for the bread and cheese so I was glad to have brought lots of snacks and smoothie pouches. They brought round some sandwiches and snacks between meals, and ice cream. JB was having a short nap when they brought it round and the stewardess saved him one for when he awoke. As you can probably tell I was extremely impressed with the staff on our flight, I have never had such friendly, helpful service!
There were 4 or 5 toilets near us, all of which had a baby changing table, but 2 of the bathrooms were larger so I tried to get those ones if it wasn't too urgent. Once again, the lovely stewardesses entertained JB while I was off changing the baby.
Arrival at Heathrow
I had requested assistance upon our arrival from the redcoats, and I was extremely glad I did. I didn't get my buggy back until baggage reclaim and it was quite a walk (about 10 mins). It would've been a real struggle lugging baby and bag while dealing with a tired 3 year old! I was met off the plane and a very friendly guy carried all the bags and chatted away while walking us to immigration and baggage reclaim. We were taken through a very fast channel at immigration, and my redcoat helped me get my suitcase and delivered us to my parents in arrivals.
No comments:
Post a Comment