A furious mother has spoken out and claimed that the airline she booked premium tickets with had a change of plan and told her that she would have to hold or place her 5-month-old infant on the floor during the 8-hour flight.
As 34-year-old Kate Haussauer revealed in an interview with MailOnline, she booked her tickets with British Airways to travel from Heathrow, England, to Toronto, Canada, with her child.
Despite ordering a premium economy seat that supposedly offers a bassinet for the baby, the mother was later on called by the airline and told that they would be using a different plane than expected and that the new plane’s bassinets for babies aren’t safe.
As Kate claimed, the airline then went on to suggest that she could hold her baby for the entire flight or wrap him in a blanket and place him on the floor.
“Six months ago I booked to fly to Toronto on Saturday with my husband, an active soldier in the Army, and baby son, to introduce him to family for the first time,” Kate explained in an interview with MailOnline.
“I have been called by British Airways to be told they have taken delivery of new Airbus planes for the route from Heathrow to Toronto, but the bassinets in economy and premium economy are not safe to use. So, my son will have to be held for the whole flight.”
After asking about the alternatives, the British Airways allegedly told the mum she could “put some blankets down,” an advice that outraged the mum.
“When I said that my five-month-old son is not flying on the floor, and pointed out the hygiene issue, I was told if I want to cancel it will refer to my conditions of travel and so, because of the late notice, I will lose all but the taxes,” Kate added.
“Given BA’s tagline is ‘To fly, to serve’ I am outraged that they are putting planes in the sky with the knowledge that bassinets are not available and suggesting putting babies on the floor as an alternative.”
After the mother’s story went viral, the airline denied the allegations that the baby could travel on the floor and came up with the following lame reply:
“As a responsible airline, we would only ever advise that a baby can safely travel on an adult’s lap, in a bassinet or in a suitable car seat. We cannot guarantee the availability of a bassinet on board and have been in contact with our customer to discuss their options.”
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Replaced!