I am truly ashamed for the prolonged absence of posts . On the flip side I need not bother about making excuses because I have no readers. So onward. I decided to go home to my parents house in Chennai for two weeks to escape from the freezing weather in Delhi. Vishal had a conference to attend in Chennai in January , so we combined our plans.Both of us would be available to handle Vihaans first flight but I would have to tackle the return flight alone. In preparation, I bought a baby sling from Mothercare. I figured Vihaan was ready for a sling now as he has good neck control and it would help keep my hands free at the airport. We took him in it for a trial run to the mall and it went well. He seemed comfortable and looked at the world goggle eyed for about ten minutes before falling asleep. I was even able to eat pizza over his head although I wound up dropping some crumbs on him.
We took an evening flight on Indigo airlines. . Fun fact- infants on your lap travel for free but have to be mentioned when booking the ticket. They also get a separate boarding pass. Vihaan was drowsy in the sling during airport formalities.I had a coffee and doughnut at the Cafe Coffee Day ( I know, I know. No hot fluids over the baby, but I was careful ) which delayed us for boarding. The new Terminal 3 is awesome but I hadn’t realized how far you had to walk to reach the boarding gates. I have new respect for the kangaroos jumping around nonchalantly with a joey in their pouch. Vishal had called the airline in advance to request for seats in the first row as we thought that would give us more leg room and be easier to manoeuvre around with the baby. I plugged Vihaans ears with cotton and decided to feed Vihaan during take off and landing to prevent his ears from getting painfully blocked. I carried formula in a bottle and pacifiers so I wouldn’t have to feed him in front of hypothetical lecherous old men. I took him out of his sling and settled him on my lap. Then I gave my baby 1 ml of Phenargan syrup to SEDATE him. I know this is a controversial move and will invite lots of ‘What kind of mother are you’ hisses. I think a sleeping , comfortable baby is better than an inconsolable wailing baby who gets cursed at by the entire passenger contingent. I have done more than my fair share of silent baby voodoo to not want to subject my son to the same. I started feeding him the formula once the plane started moving on the runway. However,there were so many false starts and stops that the bottle was empty long before take off. Then, I tried to make him suck on the pacifier to induce him to swallow. He loathed the pacifier and spat it out. I kept trying to repeatedly force the pacifier in his mouth which finally made him throw up all the milk he had just ingested. We frantically cleaned him up and now I had a slightly damp, hungry and sleepy baby to deal with. Oh, I forgot to mention that Vishal and I didn’t get adjoining seats. There was an elderly TamBram sitting in the window seat adjoining mine who point blank refused to shift to Vishals aisle seat as he wanted a window seat ! People, not cool to refuse a lady with an infant anything. Because what happened next was that I practically ordered him out of his seat, shifted to his seat and fed the baby. I fed him during the descent as well, so the rest of the flight was pretty uneventful. We even got complimented by a couple of passengers on Vihaans model behaviour!
On the return flight, it was just me and Vihaan because Vishal had left after his conference. Vishal in his infinite wisdom booked us on Indian Airlines instead of Kingfisher Airlines because the former had a refundable ticket. Following the same system detailed above, I called Indian Airlines a day before the flight and they noted that I needed extra assistance. They also said that seats could only be allotted on check in but I would automatically get a seat with a provision for a bassinet as I was travelling alone with an infant. I was pleasantly surprised by this thoughtful gesture and my misgivings regarding travelling by IA were quelled for the moment. I reached the airport early and reported to the IA office. They immediately sent someone to help with my luggage. The trouble began at the check in counter. I was informed that I could not get a window seat in the first row as they had already been allotted and that bassinetts were available only on international flights. When I protested that I had called in advance to request for a seat, the lady rudely told me that it had been noted that I needed assistance and had been provided the same. If I had any further issues I could talk to the manager. Stunned into silence, I looked around to realize that my baggage handler had meanwhile disappeared. So, lugging both the baby and my carry on luggage I made my way to the security check. I politely stood at the end of a long, winding queue and waited for someone to wave me ahead. Since nobody seemed inclined to do so, I just walked ahead. The security personnel were very helpful and I finished the formalities rapidly. As an aside, have the rules regarding carrying fluids on board changed because I passed through unremarked with a bottle of infant formula and a vial of Phenargan ) When waiting for boarding, it was announced that the flight was delayed by twenty minutes. The IA counter was unmanned till the last minute so I had to rely on the announcements for any updates. Upon entering the flight, the cabin crew seemed to consist of a portly middle aged gentleman who I requested for help in settling down in my seat. An air hostess was conjured up and soon we were settled in our seat. I requested for a pillow and a blanket. The pillow when it eventually made an appearance consisted of a rolled up sheet in a disposable cover. I was also told to request my co-passengers when they appeared for a change of seat. I finally lost my cool, bullied the nice man in a Rajnikant get up out of his window seat and indeed managed to keep the other two seats in my row empty as well. I administered the sedative dose to my baby and fed him during take off. The couple seated in my row appeared to be senior beaurecrats judging by the number of cronies flitting around them. Soon, the cabin host with much bowing and scraping ushered them off to be seated in business class. The upgrade was not offered to anybody else on the flight despite the number of empty seats. Throughout the flight, no staff member ventured to enquire whether I required any help. Upon landing there was a fifteen minute delay for deplaning as no passage was available. I stood up to call for an air hostess to assist me in gathering the baby and my luggage but other than the anonymous voice assuring us that we would be able to get off the plane soon, there was no one in sight. Due to the delay, many passengers missed a connecting IA flight to Chandigarh.The ground staff were busy attending to these passengers so it took another half hour before I got a baggage handler to help me collect my luggage and finally made my way out.
If our national airlines has a reputation as an overstaffed, inefficient, loss making behemoth then it is well deserved. Later, I conducted an unofficial poll among other young mothers and the staff of Kingfisher Airlines was voted as being the most helpful. My top tips for travelling by air with infants-
1. Book in an airline where your seat can be confirmed in advance. A window seat in the first row offers the advantage of some privacy for feeding the baby, ample leg room and being able to get up without disturbing the other passengers to go to the bathroom or to walk the baby.
2. Carry minimal cabin luggage preferably in a back pack so that you can carry it by yourself when required. Just carry your phone, wallet, diapers, wipes, plastic packets for disposal of waste, a change of clothes for the baby, changing mat, any essential medications, bottles, soothers and a shawl or a warm blanket.
3. Travel at a time when your baby is usually sleepy so that there is minimal disturbance of his routine.
4. Avoid long flights and connecting flights when possible
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| At Chennai airport |
5. Be aggressive about enlisting help where and when you can from airline staff and helpful co-passengers. Now is not the time to be squeamish about jumping the line or rude comments from other passengers.
