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lone pregnant traveler-best aisle/seat to sit in with a lap baby

ccapulli26
Explorer C

I am pregnant and will be traveling alone with my 17 month old in a couple of weeks. Will I get priority seating since I am pregnant? However I understand that it may be best to board last (less time on a plane with a toddler).  Where is the best place to sit in my situation..isn't the first aisle bigger and would it be more suitable for me? What are the odds of an extra seat being available and being able to sit next to it? 

3 REPLIES 3

Re: lone pregnant traveler-best aisle/seat to sit in with a lap baby

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

You can certainly ask to preboard, but I'm not sure they would allow it. I'm smart enough not to wade into the debate of pregnancy being a medical condition so I'll move on to seat suggestions. You would certainly be able to utilize family boarding which is after the A group if you don't have an A boarding pass. My recommendation would be to go back to a row or two before or after the emergency exit row and take a window seat. Front rows almost always get filled so you won't get extra space there and an aisle opens up two ways for a little one to run. Up against the window you've got just one path to block and the window might provide some level of entertainment. Going back a few rows makes your row no different than another row and therefore it's more likely people will find another place to sit if the flight isn't completely full.

 

And lastly, don't deliberately board last, EVER. That's just asking for trouble.

 

Good luck, come back and post how it went after you finish traveling.

Re: lone pregnant traveler-best aisle/seat to sit in with a lap baby

DancingDavidE
Aviator A
Solution

@TheMiddleSeatwrote:

 

And lastly, don't deliberately board last, EVER. That's just asking for trouble.

 


If we ever meet in person and with a beverage in front of us I have a couple of stories, one in PHL and one at MCO that were pretty exciting and basically had me pull the cabin door shut behind me as I boarded.

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: lone pregnant traveler-best aisle/seat to sit in with a lap baby

DancingDavidE
Aviator A
Solution

@ccapulli26wrote:

I am pregnant and will be traveling alone with my 17 month old in a couple of weeks. Will I get priority seating since I am pregnant? However I understand that it may be best to board last (less time on a plane with a toddler).  Where is the best place to sit in my situation..isn't the first aisle bigger and would it be more suitable for me? What are the odds of an extra seat being available and being able to sit next to it? 


With a 17 month old you can definitely do the "A61" family boarding. 

 

If your doctor recommended that you pre-board (for instance to reduce amount of time standing) that could be a reason to request pre-boarding. You don't have to bring a note or provide any document, just let the ticket agent know when you check-in that the doctor recommended you ask for it.

 

I would consider taking a window seat to minimize disturbance from a neighbor getting up/down, especially if it is a shorter flight. 

 

Also check at the counter before boarding how full the flight is.

 

1) Having a young child on your lap gets you more likely to keep one of the remaining middles open. People tend to avoid sitting by kids, but if you were going someplace like Orlando it will be unavoidable so that won't be an advantage for you.

 

I like the first third of the plane for an empty middle on a relatively full flight - the last people from C-group that are boarding often have carry-ons, but the bin space up front will be full - they'll keep going to the back and take a middle seat there many times.

 

2) If there will be lots of empty seats on your flight I would be fine putting your child on the middle seat to start with. Make sure when the flight attendant comes through for the passenger count that you identify as a lap child though or else the count will be off by 1.

 

I agree with @TheMiddleSeat - don't board last, definitely board as early as you are entitled to and get a comfortable seat. There will be plenty of waiting around either way, you won't gain that much by waiting to board.

 

There is quite a bit of information on traveling with young children on this community as well - you didn't mention if you are looking for suggestions with gate checks, baby gear, formula, etc. or if you have that down already.

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.