Over the summer, we took our toddler, Miles, on his first transatlantic trip. I wrote about the outbound flight, which was just before he turned two. I also wrote about our home rental in Greece (through Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy) which was our main destination on this trip. Now I wanted to talk a bit about the return flight, which was also his first time flying as a two-year-old.
As you can tell, this isn’t a traditional review series, because quite honestly, the trip was stressful enough without documenting every little thing. I learned a ton from the entire journey, so let me share a few tidbits about our return, which ended up being significantly more stressful than the outbound.
In this post:
The return journey we booked to get home
When we planned our trip to Greece that coincided with our son’s birthday, we initially booked the outbound portion of the trip, and decided to leave the return open. Why?
- We wanted to see how the trip was going, and if it went well, we figured we might stay in Europe a bit longer, and maybe even visit family in Germany
- We had planned this trip a few months out and were able to find good award availability in one direction, but there was nothing even half decent on the return; the best time to book is way in advance or last minute, so I figured we’d finalize something at the last minute, especially given that we were flexible
We had visited Germany, and when we decided that it was time to go home, I looked at award availability. Unsurprisingly, pickings were rather slim across the board. For the day we were looking to go home, I saw one somewhat convenient flight with award availability, from Frankfurt to Boston. Funny enough, there was first and business class award space, but not economy award space (and premium economy awards with partner miles are rarely a good value).
I noticed something unique about this flight — the day before departure, not a single first class seat was occupied, and business class was wide open as well. So I ended up booking our family (including grandparents) five award seats in first class, for 90,000 Aeroplan points per person.
Okay, I’ve gotta be honest. While I absolutely think young ones should be allowed in first class, it’s something I’m not terribly comfortable with personally, since I’m often overly concerned about not disturbing others (or at least that’s what Ford tells me).
But my hope here was that we’d get a private cabin, and there would be no other passengers. That would be an absolute dream, in terms of minimizing the potential disturbance for others. I figured odds were around 50/50, since there were no additional award seats available, there aren’t that many ways to upgrade with Lufthansa, and it’s not like the airline typically doles out free upgrades.
The Lufthansa FCT is surprisingly toddler friendly
Since we were flying Lufthansa first class out of Frankfurt, we could use the First Class Terminal, which allows you to entirely skip the regular terminal. That seemed super convenient, since it would make the whole airport process much easier. However, the First Class Terminal can be quite stuffy in terms of the vibe, and so quiet that you can hear a pin drop, so I was worried about bringing our son there.
Well, I was shocked to find out that the FCT actually has a dedicated play area for kids. I don’t think you guys understand the extent to which my jaw dropped to the floor when I found this out. I’ve been to the FCT more times than I can count, and it’s not that big. So when our PA showed us to this area, I couldn’t believe that this existed, because I was convinced I had seen every part of this fairly small lounge.
This is a really great space and is ideal for families. It’s located behind the bar area, and is totally separate from the rest of the lounge, so you don’t disturb others. It’s also adorably designed, and even has a crib. Most importantly, there are lots of activities for little ones, so they’ll happily stay occupied.
Of course we collected our Lufthansa first class ducks, which were specially themed for the Olympics (and which Miles now enjoys playing with during his nightly bath).
We even had a little meal with him in the restaurant area. He had to have his first “proper” German pretzel, and they had an adorable duck dessert, which I couldn’t help but order for us to share.
Then when it was time to depart, we were driven to the plane. The airline had already set up a car seat for him in the van that took us to the plane. He seemed more interested in the material of the car seat than the gorgeous jumbos we were passing… grrr, c’mon Miles! When you’re grown up, these beauties won’t be flying anymore, so enjoy them while you can!
Our Lufthansa first class flight was… *gulp*
So, how did my hope of having a private first class cabin work out? Well, the night before departure, just hours after booking, I knew things were a bit off. The flight that previously showed as being wide open in premium cabins suddenly showed as being zeroed out across the board, even though there were no changes to the seat map.
Lufthansa had canceled one of its other transatlantic flights the previous afternoon, so lots of people had been rebooked. When we arrived at the FCT, the PA even said that we were the only ones in first class so far. However, an hour before departure, the airline started processing operational upgrades, so people got bumped up to business class, and then others got bumped up to first class.
First class ended up being totally full. Is it wrong that I felt a little less guilty about having a toddler since no one else had actually paid for first class? I dunno, you tell me…
How did the flight go? Honestly, I’d say it went about as well as I was realistically expecting (though not as well as I dreamed of it going). For one, the crew was helpful and friendly, and the other passengers didn’t scoff when they saw a toddler, and were even friendly. Still, there were some challenges.
First of all, with Miles having turned two before this flight, he had to sit in his own seat for takeoff and landing, which he was absolutely not a fan of. That was honestly the hardest part of the flight. Getting a two-year-old to do something they don’t want to do is perhaps one of the biggest challenges any parent can deal with. Like, why would he want to sit in a chair with his seatbelt on, when he can instead continuously open and close the seat belt or the window shade?
Obviously we did everything we could to keep him entertained in a non-disruptive way, by giving him plenty of TV time, bringing new toys he hadn’t played with, etc. But on an eight hour flight, he understandably got bored.
As I explained when I wrote about the outbound portion of the trip, one of the challenges is that Miles is an incredible sleeper at home — I think he’d win the Olympic Gold medal in the “sleeping 12 hours interrupted at home every night” category. But the second he’s not in his normal environment, he just doesn’t want to sleep.
That’s a blessing and a curse. Obviously it would be great if he were more flexible when traveling, but we also can’t take for granted how amazing he is at home.
So honestly, it was a really exhausting eight hours. He got absolutely zero sleep. On the plus side, he didn’t have a single meltdown. However, he was also extremely restless. Like, he was happy watching TV for an hour, and playing with toys for some amount of time, etc., but there’s only so much to do on a transatlantic flight. Eventually we also checked out the “cargo hold” bathrooms, just for a change of scenery.
This trip was a learning experience
We’re so happy we took our soon on his first transatlantic trip, and of course we learned a lot, and would do some things slightly differently if we were to redo it. Here are a few takeaways:
- We’re so happy that we took the trip, because we had an amazing time on the ground in Europe, and I feel like Miles grew from the experience
- We’re not going to take Miles on another long haul trip until he’s a bit older; many people had warned us that it’s really hard to travel with a two-year-old, but it gets easier when they’re three(ish), so we’ll see
- I absolutely don’t want to get Miles used to exclusively traveling in first and business class; I think he’s not yet at the age where he can get jaded, and my goal here was that he’d have somewhere comfortable to sleep in hopes of that minimizing disruptions, but that didn’t really work out
- We’ve taken several domestic trips with him since this journey, and we honestly find it easiest to fly in economy, since the typical 3-3 configuration is ideal, since he can sit between us
- Even in the few months since he has turned two, I feel like he has already grown quite a bit, and we’re now somewhat able to negotiate with him when he wants to do things a certain way
- I can’t overstate how tough it is to get a two-year-old to sit in their own seat with their seat belt on, and it’s quite a transition compared to traveling with an infant
Bottom line
We had such an amazing time taking our son to Europe for the first time. The flying was all a bit more challenging than I was hoping (he just doesn’t like to sleep when he’s stimulated), while our time on the ground was easier than I expected (he had no issues with jet lag).
While we’re happy to have had this experience, we’re going to wait until he’s a bit older before we take him on another long haul trip, so that it’s perhaps a little bit less stressful and more predictable. We’ve been doing a fair bit of domestic economy travel with him lately, and I think for the time being that’s our sweet spot. It’s amazing how quickly kids grow up, because he’s already quite a different person now compared to when we took this trip.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and now I’m going to get started on publishing one of my “real” review trips!
It’s essential to take a car seat onboard!!!! Honestly the best way to travel with young kid. They’re so much more comfortable being strapped in than squirming in a seat. They’ll sleep well too.
A seat with a seatbelt is just far too squirmy. We have three kids and only realised this with kid 3.
“many people had warned us that it’s really hard to travel with a two-year-old, but it gets easier when they’re three(ish)”
That breakpoint seems irrelevant to me, and meant nothing for my 2 kids, which were admittedly pretty easy to travel with.
I’d say the big breakpoints in child travel are:
1. Pre-mobility. Can’t walk/ crawl. Super easy travel.
2. Potty trained. Leaving the diaper industrial complex and all its hassle behind is great.
3....
“many people had warned us that it’s really hard to travel with a two-year-old, but it gets easier when they’re three(ish)”
That breakpoint seems irrelevant to me, and meant nothing for my 2 kids, which were admittedly pretty easy to travel with.
I’d say the big breakpoints in child travel are:
1. Pre-mobility. Can’t walk/ crawl. Super easy travel.
2. Potty trained. Leaving the diaper industrial complex and all its hassle behind is great.
3. Stroller unnecessary. You can travel without extra gear to many places.
4. Can be reasoned with. I forget how old my kids were, but it was past 3.
As a parent of a under-2, I'm appreciating these reviews and other related guidance.
We also just got back from a transatlantic trip. One thing we've done when traveling that has really helped was bringing his car seat. This puts him in a familiar setting since he's used to his car seat, and it keeps him in his seat since he can't get out on his own. It means we had another thing to...
As a parent of a under-2, I'm appreciating these reviews and other related guidance.
We also just got back from a transatlantic trip. One thing we've done when traveling that has really helped was bringing his car seat. This puts him in a familiar setting since he's used to his car seat, and it keeps him in his seat since he can't get out on his own. It means we had another thing to manage on the ground, but once we got to the hotel it basically just staying the in the closet the entire time. It also really helped with sleep since we're able to drape a blanket over the car seat to darken the environment for him and prevent him from focusing on all the new and interesting things around him.
Ben, good for you for taking Miles on a trip like this! I agree that age ~12 months until about 3 years is the hardest. They are mobile at that point, but too young to understand that “we’re taxiing right now and FAA regulations require you to be seated, and not climbing over the seat in front of you or rolling on the floor.” I promise it gets better soon.
We took our three kids...
Ben, good for you for taking Miles on a trip like this! I agree that age ~12 months until about 3 years is the hardest. They are mobile at that point, but too young to understand that “we’re taxiing right now and FAA regulations require you to be seated, and not climbing over the seat in front of you or rolling on the floor.” I promise it gets better soon.
We took our three kids (including a two year old) from the East Coast to Cairo last year - while there were some challenges, it went better than expected and I’m glad we did it. Kids need to be exposed to the world and you can’t stay home because you’re worried that they might make noise on an airplane.
Zero problem with toddlers in F/J, *as long as* the parents are giving some effort to keep the kids entertained. Letting them talk loudly without trying to shoosh them, cry without trying to comfort them, just about does me in. I feel the same about grown ass adults talking at full volume or loudly laughing in the middle of the night on a TPAC flight. Just plain rude for not trying to be a decent passenger.
What's wrong with babies/toddlers flying premium cabins, when they (or their parents) paid either a cash or a mile for the valid flight ticket?
But like George Romey suggests, lack of discipline provided by parents is the problem.
Even in Japanese domestic flights you might encounter some discomfort caused by a (Japanese) toddler nowadays.
I think this alone explains how serious this has become.
If that happens in Japan than what would...
What's wrong with babies/toddlers flying premium cabins, when they (or their parents) paid either a cash or a mile for the valid flight ticket?
But like George Romey suggests, lack of discipline provided by parents is the problem.
Even in Japanese domestic flights you might encounter some discomfort caused by a (Japanese) toddler nowadays.
I think this alone explains how serious this has become.
If that happens in Japan than what would it be like in the rest of the world?
So many comments about kids shouldn't be allowed in business or first, are they all coming from adult toddlers that can't understand that they were toddlers (or maybe mentally still are) themselves?
Post kids behave better than the adults I've seen on flights and I find that it's adorable to have a bub as a distraction to the otherwise uptight and snooty flight filled with people who think too highly of themselves.
FYI...
So many comments about kids shouldn't be allowed in business or first, are they all coming from adult toddlers that can't understand that they were toddlers (or maybe mentally still are) themselves?
Post kids behave better than the adults I've seen on flights and I find that it's adorable to have a bub as a distraction to the otherwise uptight and snooty flight filled with people who think too highly of themselves.
FYI - for the misogynistic people out there who wants to impress the flight crew - it goes a looong way to show a bit of geniune friendliness to kids instead of scoffing at them,
I may or may not have claimed toddler status and played in that room before.
Ben - Miles is adorable!
Hi Ben, as a fellow father with a 2 year old and a 10 month old, I've really been liking this different kind of trip report. We've done several long-haul flights with our 2 year old since he was born, going to places like Canada, Japan, Maldives, UAE, and Philippines, and our latest trip was the first time we traveled with both our kids. I definitely feel for you on getting your son to actually...
Hi Ben, as a fellow father with a 2 year old and a 10 month old, I've really been liking this different kind of trip report. We've done several long-haul flights with our 2 year old since he was born, going to places like Canada, Japan, Maldives, UAE, and Philippines, and our latest trip was the first time we traveled with both our kids. I definitely feel for you on getting your son to actually sit for take-off and landing! That's something my 2 year old also likes to fight. I know you said you would wait a few more years for your son to get older before going on another long-haul but trust me, they do get better at it the more they experience it, so I wouldn't necessarily let that keep you from taking him anywhere if you planned on doing another family trip overseas in the near future.
Also, definitely agree with the bit on economy actually being easier, to some degree. We mostly fly business/first for our long-haul trips but many configurations make it hard to actually be within hands-reach of your child when sitting down unless it's an older or "worse" product such as Lufthansa J or Turkish's 2-3-2 J. For our last trip, we flew American Premium Economy on the way back from Japan and it felt like a pretty good compromise.
Maybe we will see some Premium Economy Class reviews on OMAAT soon !
Totally agree with this. I have a 2 year old and a 14 month old and have flown long haul now on 5 return trips to Europe. These are my takeaways:
1) Business class is more stressful than helpful because of "being seated" during takeoff, landing and turbulence rule.
2) Premium economy wins everytime when using a car seat and CoziGo (its basically a blackout tent that is airline approved and sits on top...
Totally agree with this. I have a 2 year old and a 14 month old and have flown long haul now on 5 return trips to Europe. These are my takeaways:
1) Business class is more stressful than helpful because of "being seated" during takeoff, landing and turbulence rule.
2) Premium economy wins everytime when using a car seat and CoziGo (its basically a blackout tent that is airline approved and sits on top of the car seat - game changer).
3) Only take flights departing after 7pm in both directions so the kids sleep.
We once flew back from Europe during the day - horrible!
Did he enjoy the caviar?
Infants should not be traveling. The benefits of travel are lost on them, and the health risks of air cabin pressurization, travel across time zones, and eating unhealthy and unfamiliar foods (thereby altering gut bacteria) are understated because there is not much medical research in this area.
Kids should take their first flight at maybe age 7 or 8 and it should be domestic to Disneyland or Disney World.
Redline "infants" with "infants, toddlers, and children under the age of ~7."
Thank you! Fully agree but would add they belong in economy.
What do you expect the parents to do ? My first flight was age 1. I imagine you were never an infant or your parents left you in a foster home for 3 weeks. At 3 plus we are learning to talk and possibly absorbing a second language. At 6 I remember visiting the Louvre and spoke some French.
"What do you expect the parents to do ? My first flight was age 1. I imagine you were never an infant or your parents left you in a foster home for 3 weeks. At 3 plus we are learning to talk and possibly absorbing a second language. At 6 I remember visiting the Louvre and spoke some French."
That's because you had/have good parents.
Paul Weiss is just a garden variety asshole sock puppet....
"What do you expect the parents to do ? My first flight was age 1. I imagine you were never an infant or your parents left you in a foster home for 3 weeks. At 3 plus we are learning to talk and possibly absorbing a second language. At 6 I remember visiting the Louvre and spoke some French."
That's because you had/have good parents.
Paul Weiss is just a garden variety asshole sock puppet. Ignore him and he'll go away for awhile before reemerging with a new name but the same schtick.
Based on this and his other comments here, I’m pretty confident that Paul Weiss demonstrates worse behavior towards flight attendants and other passengers on an airplane than a two year old.
My real issue isn't with the small child it's with the parents that refuse to do any prep work so that their children do not bother others. Like bringing toys, food items, videos (worn with headphones). If the child is old enough being given a talk to about "adult spaces." But most people today think they're heroes because they decided to have children and everyone else should make amends.
Years ago traveling in coach I...
My real issue isn't with the small child it's with the parents that refuse to do any prep work so that their children do not bother others. Like bringing toys, food items, videos (worn with headphones). If the child is old enough being given a talk to about "adult spaces." But most people today think they're heroes because they decided to have children and everyone else should make amends.
Years ago traveling in coach I and my three brothers were given the speech about proper behavior when flying. Today a screaming child is considered something that you should endure.
My real issue is with grown-ass adults who impose their views of what other adults should do in terms of prep work, giving talks. These grown-ass adults are seething with entitlement and they think it's other people who are wrong for not conforming to their own invented standards of behavior.
Yeah, commercial air travel is public transportation. You can pay the fare, you can fly. There are a few rules of decorum spelled out in...
My real issue is with grown-ass adults who impose their views of what other adults should do in terms of prep work, giving talks. These grown-ass adults are seething with entitlement and they think it's other people who are wrong for not conforming to their own invented standards of behavior.
Yeah, commercial air travel is public transportation. You can pay the fare, you can fly. There are a few rules of decorum spelled out in the contract of carriage that the flight crew can enforce when things get really out of control, but for the most part, you do need to endure other passengers, children and adults, on commercial flights.
I've had infants spill their entire meal in TPAC economy on my lap. The parents did not say a word to me.
If you don't want to endure that kind of stuff you can fly private. Oh what what's that, you are too poor? Oh no!
Typical quasi-liberal drivel. Just because something is public space, whether it be transport, building etc. doesn't mean anyone should be able to behave in whatever way they deem fit with zero regard for others. Not everyone subscribes to your nihilistic sociological views.
Clearly you’re American. The worst clients I deal with. Always whining and complaining — worse than infants. Mostly republicans of course like the baby in chief.
What a totally gratuitous remark.
Not sure I agree with all of this, but I definately agree "people today think they're heroes because they decided to have children".
The kind of derision and rage towards those who didn't is out of control. Go figure they lose their collective minds about "cat ladies".