Reserving a bassinet for a flight not bought directly from airline

I want to book a transatlantic flight and reserve a bassinet for my newborn. I've noticed that I can get a significantly lower price if I buy the tickets online, from a website like Expedia or Orbitz. However, when I called one of the airlines I was considering (British Airways), they said that if I get the tickets indirectly (not from British Airways' site) they cannot help me reserve the bassinet; that in such a case I need to reserve it through the "third party" (in this case, probably Expedia or Orbitz). When I talked to Expedia (I haven't talked to Orbitz yet) they said that things like bassinet reservations should go through the airline, after buying the ticket.

This seems strange to me. Has anyone bought tickets like I describe and then talked to the airline to reserve the bassinet? Were there problems?

In case it's relevant, my plan when booking is to book a "lap ticket" for my baby.

UPDATE:

What I did was book the flight on Expedia, and go to the British Airways website. I could see there that my seat was facing the bulkhead, with a bassinet icon next to it. I confirmed that these were the seats I wanted; here's hoping nothing will change till the flight :-)

Best Answer

Requesting a bassinent is normally done directly with the airline. It is not an alteration of your booking (as DCTLib aluded to) rather it is a special request that is tied to the seat you are assigned. Bassinents are ONLY available in bulkhead rows and most airplanes only carry a couple.

So to request one, you need to first request bulkhead seats, then request the bassinent. BUT seat requests are just that, requests, so there is no guarantee you will have that seat on the flight and hence no guarantee of a bassinent.

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Can you add an infant after booking a flight?

When flying domestically inside of the U.S., most carriers will allow you to add a child under the age of 2 to your reservation for no extra cost as a \u201clap child.\u201d There is a limit of 1 lap child per adult.

Can you get a bassinet in premium economy?

You can request a bassinet on long-haul flights in the Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins, subject to availability. Bassinets are designed for infants weighing less than 10 kg/22 lbs and measuring less than 70 cm/27 in.

How do you book travel with an infant?

Adding an infant to your airline ticket is very simple\u2014just add the infant as a passenger using the online booking system for the airline or travel site. You'll need to input the baby's age and name and indicate whether she'll be a lap infant or have her own seat on the plane.

Do I need to book a ticket for an infant?

Infants, which are defined as younger than 2 years old, don't always need a plane ticket as long as they are seated on their parent's or a designated guardian's lap. Requirements vary by airline.

AIRPLANE BABY BASSINETS | HOW THEY WORK \u0026 HOW TO BOOK THEM | INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL DURING COVID 19

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