A few questions about flying (to SA) with 2 under-3s

[akc74]

Hello all experienced flyers,

We are due to go to Cape Town next April for a family wedding, with a then 9 month old (not yet born!) and a nearly 3 yr-old.

Any tips about best time to book? At the moment most direct flights I can find seem to be ?1,000 and my bro was suggesting we should be able to get them for more like ?700. Does anyone know the optimum time in advance to book?

Also it has to be worth paying more for a direct flight with 2 little ones? Would you all agree?!

From what I gather the older child is almost a full fare and the younger not, if we just have him on our laps? Would this still entitle you to a bassinet thingy where he can sleep or will he be too big for that by then?

Any tips gratefully received! Including re airlines, best times to fly - whatever comes to mind!

Thank you so much in advance.

[cashewnut]

I haven't flown yet but did a bit of research recently for a long haul flight we have in August. BA and Virgin both seemed to be widely recommended. I booked with Virgin in the end and found the 'live chat' feature on their website really useful. I was able to confirm that there was a bassinet available in real time when I booked my flight, and book it as soon as the payment went through. I think the nine-month old should be able to fit in the bassinet - ours will be a similar age.

[hazelnunhead]

Definitely fly without stopover with children. As its (almost) same time zone they should sleep most of the flight. Prices vary from ?500 to ?100o. I often use flight centre, I can pass on the details if you want, and they have sourced ,e good flights. You can of course go via Europe or Africa on a stopover which is cheaper, but not as easy. Take snacks as dinner only usually served around 10 pm, few toys and you will be fine. I have used BAA, SAA, virgin mostly. I can't remember thevagevlimit, but I think 3 is almost full fare as they have a seat.Try book seats beforehand so you can all sit together and get a bassinet the reserved as well. They only have a certain number of these. Enjoy, I used to live in cape town and love going back!

[etta166]

I've done an 8 hour flight to take my then 2 year old and 4 month old to see my parents in America. I can give you plenty of tips on entertainment during the flight etc. if you need.

I would definitely book a bassinette as soon as you can, and then stay in touch with the airline as to whether you need to check in early or anything to make sure you get it. For the record, I had to fly Delta as they were the only option, and they were not good about anything to do with travelling with children... so I have no idea what it is like with BA or Virgin first hand but have heard good things about both.

[Strawbs]

I just flew 24 hours on my own to Australia with a 7 month old. I chose virgin as was told I could confirm sky cot at time of booking but this turned out to be untrue and I had to arrive at the airport early to secure it. The size of plane dictates the size of the sky cot and what weight / height they will need to be. My son refused to sleep in the sky cot and screamed every time I put him in it so whilst I didn't use it the extra room on te bulkhead was brilliant. I ended up seatbelting him to me, putting my legs stretched out up on the bulkhead and he slept on mw the whole journey (not continuously obviously but just when he needed a sleep). Take a night flight if you can even though they may be unsettled at the airport but will sleep ok on the flight. Book the airport lounge so you can get some peace and quiet before the flight. I was dreading the flight but actually he was exceptional it was the jetlag that was the absolute worst and we are still dealing with it now as got home 5 days ago. Pack lots of patience as they very much pick up on your vibe.. I gate checked the pram so had him in the ergo carrier and used the pram to carry my carry on in..

Good luck! X

[GCOakley]

Hi

I went to Australia on my own with 4 year old and 10 month old. Night flights better as more sleep for everyone. Book bassinet and get there really early to make sure you get it as is good for extra leg room. take books etc but they will probably prefer fiddling with the inflight entertainment buttons. the older kid will probably love it. it's an adventure. have fun yourself and they will too. if you're going on your own with kids you can book extra assistance for boarding and landing which means someone will come and carry your hand luggage for you through customs etc. Enjoy.

[akc74]

Thanks all for tips.

Re flying direct to Cape Town - we are about to book and it seems we could save quite a lot of cash by changing in Jo'burg....but is it unanimous that it's worth paying the extra to avoid this with 2 little ones?! Dilemma...

[fmay]

Definitely fly direct if possible. Worth every penny!

[hazelnunhead]

The flight to cape town from Jhb is only an hour, so if you needed to save on tickets not a problem. Easier than changing in the middle of night via Europe. However just note that job airport is big and you will need time to get from international to domestic terminal, and might need to get your bags, clear customs and then pick up flight. You will need sufficient time to do this. There are quite a few airlines in south Africa like kulula, one time etc that do cheap internal flights.