catshep

I booked tickets (with expedia) in July to fly to Australia, leaving from Dublin, for a family wedding in Januray 10.

At the time I booked for me, wife and the two kids.

My wife was pregnant at the time and we didnt want to wait until the baby was born as we would end up having to pay more. I explained this at the time and was told to ring back when the baby was born.

So I have rang back, now the baby has been born. At first everyone seemed stumped but eventually we were presented with two options

1) Cancel one of the adults and rebook paying that days price and include the infant at 10% ticket price and pay cancellation fee (which varies depending on who I have been talking to)

2) Turn up on the day and the airline will just add on the infant for 10% of ticket price.

Leaning towards the first option as I reckon it will be stressfull enough trying to catch a 6.40 am flight (with possibly 2.5 hr drive to airport) without then having to get the boy added to the ticket - plus I have no experience or have heard of anybody turning up with an infant and getting it added onto the ticket for a multi-stop long haul flight.

Just wondering has anybody any experience of anything like this ?

Cheers
C.

Rossi

Don't forget to ad the littl'un onto your passport too

Pomster

You mean get infant its own passport....you cannot add children to passports nowadays.

Ozzidoc

And get a ETSA visa for the baby, unless he/she already has one or has an Australian passport

Rossi

Now you're making me show my age

SydneySwede

I did the same thing with Virgin Atlantic when I was pregnant with my daughter. Booked Sydney- London and when she was born (approximately 2 months before departure) called up and added her to my ticket. Had to pay an admin fee and relevant taxes but that was it at the time (2008). I say try calling again and see if you get the same answer from another agent....both options sounds bad to me...Good luck

viviennef

I just called and added my daughter on. I was flying back from HK to UK with 2 kids under 2 on my own having spent some time there with my husband. I got to Heathrow and they called me into customs to discuss the baby. They wantd me to prove the baby was mine.

I offered to breast feed her if it helped but that wasnt cutting it. Or wait for blood tests. I didnt have a birth certificate with me and therefore spent the whole day in a small room being interviewed. It was great fun.

Luckily for me my husband flew in the next day and had paperwork in his luggage so they put me up at heathrow.

Bloody pain. My daughter had a australian passport and I was on a british one and I never took my husbands name when we married

anyway point is - I usually carry copies of their birth certs - never been asked since though

Viv

Family of 3

I've just got back (to Singapore) from a lone trip to the UK and carried a letter of authority from my husband as our son was adopted and looks nothing like me (or my husband). Didn't need it and no-one's ever batted an eyelid at immigration (which never ceases to surprise me).

Back to the original topic - we flew somewhere with Qantas when our adoption was ongoing. I rang and explained that our son's name would change somewhere between the fligh booking and the date of travel. They said just to book flights for ourselves and then call to add an infant ticket once it was all sorted.

Have you tried calling the airline direct rather than expedia?

catshep

Have tried ringing expedia (between me and the mother-in-law many many times !!) they are unable to "break into" a booking - they require us to cancel and rebook

The airline - Malaysia Airlines - are unable to change the booking because we booked with expedia. They say just turn up on the day and add him on. The problem with this is that it takes them to go through a bit of "hmmming" and "umming" and "ahhing" before they come up with that.

Just not entirely comfortable with turning up with no official confirmation that the baby will be allowed on the flight, plus my wife isnt a good flyer at the best of times so this probably add to her stress - though it might take her mind off the flying

thanks for your thoughts
C.

Zenshin

I flew to Australia (home) when I was 35 weeks pregnant and had a return ticket back to the UK. I had my daughter in Australia and we waited until she was 6 weeks old to fly back. We got her a passport at 5 days old and then when we received that back we went into the Singapore Airlines office in Perth to add her to my ticket and pay the 10% fee and taxes. It was all very simple. I did book with the airline direct originally though.
Sounds like expedia are trying to get more money out of you and making it into something much more complicated than it should be.

It might be worthwhile going into the airlines offices to see if you can make arrangements. I find actually doing these kinds of things in person much more effective than trying to sort it out over the phone. They may be less likely to refer you back to expedia also since you are already there.

SillyOldBag

Did you ask Malaysia airlines if they would give you something in writing to confirm what they are telling you that you could turn up on the day and add your baby and there would be no problems? They should understand your concern at the vagueness of the suggestion they are making - it's stressful time anyway, and a fear that you may not be allowed to fly would be too much! Are you near the airport? would you be able to nip in and have a word to staff face-to-face?

SydneySwede

I'm not married to my partner and my daughter has his name as well as an Australian passport (I've got Swedish passport). Every time I've flown with her by myself I've been asked to prove she's mine. Luckily someone warned me and I always carry her birth certificate with me. Better safe than sorry!!

catshep

A really really helpful lady at expedia managed to get us sorted. She liaised with Malaysia Airlines and she got the boy added onto the ticket for the princely sum of £80.

Not 100% sure what the whole hoo haa was for but we got there in the end. His passport should be with us before Christmas - bring on the sunshine :-)

SillyOldBag

Glad it's all been sorted out for you - does make you wonder why they couldn't just have done this in the first place. Some people are just more helpful and practical than others! Hope you have a great trip!