If you have followed this blog for a while, you will ascertain that I am a fairly seasoned traveler. I’ve been in some hairy situations in my voyages: severe food poisoning in Malawi, potentially kidnapped in the back of a cab in Cairo, and intensely interrogated at passport control in Moscow. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever been as nervous as I was to bring a baby on a long-haul flight for the first time.
Our baby had been on a handful of short-haul flights before we tested him out on his first transatlantic jaunt, so at least we knew that his ears would not be a problem given that he did quite well on the short hops. Flying on a Delta Boeing 767 with a bassinet was a huge plus given that we didn’t have to carry the baby for the entirety of the flight, and my wife and I were extremely pleased and relieved that the flight went so well.
Requesting a baby bassinet on a Delta flight
In my experience, the way that Delta agents are supposed to handle requests for a baby bassinet is to note your request in the reservation but not actually unlock the bulkhead seats where the bassinet is until check in at the gate.
So, until we actually arrived at the gate, we were not guaranteed a bassinette or bulkhead seat so I’m not sure how the Delta handles it if they receive multiple requests. Sure enough though, at the gate, we received new boarding passes which had us at the bulkhead, seats 35C and 35D (on the Delta 767-300 (K) configuration), where the bassinet was installed after takeoff.
We held our baby during takeoff and at cruising altitude, the flight attendants came by to install the bassinette. As a word of advice, it might be wise to just forgo your own blanket and put it in the bassinet because goodness knows how often they are cleaned and you probably don’t want to inspect it too closely for stains.
During turbulence, you are supposed to take your baby out, but this is not too strictly monitored by flight attendants and there is a belted webbing that keeps the baby secure. Then, as the descent is beginning, the flight attendants come by and retrieve the bassinet, and we had to hold our baby for the rest of the flight.
The seat on Delta’s Boeing 767-300 (K)
While our baby had a lovely time in his “seat,” our own seats were not quite as comfortable. The seats push you forward in an incredibly uncomfortable manner. The forward position of the seats make it impossible for you to take the cabin crew’s advice to “sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.”
Making up for this however, was the plentiful legroom that we had in the bulkhead and the fact that the cushioning on the seat itself was thick and comfortable.
And of course, for such a long flight, there were times that our baby got a little fussy and wanted to walk around. While I love the excuse that a baby provides to walk around the cabin, I don’t really like getting in people’s way or standing in someone else’s bulkhead area
This is where Delta’s unique arrangement of the Boeing 767 -300 (K) came into play. Right in front of our center bulkhead was one of the restrooms. And in front of that restroom was a small aisle that separated the two restrooms, without anything else like a galley. It’s out of view of any seats and completely private unless someone is coming to use the restroom and I spent many minutes rocking our baby here.
The food and drink on Delta’s Boeing 767
I really think that airplane food in economy has improved in recent years. While a decade ago, I think it was really inedible, now it’s simply tasteless unless you hit the black pepper packet hard. I ordered the cheese pasta with spinach which was fine. It is certainly not going to win any awards and I wouldn’t be thrilled to get it on the ground but it wasn’t the worst thing either.
I think one of the reasons that airplane food is improving is that airlines are beginning to turn to name brands for at least some of their offerings. A viral and recent indication of this trend is Delta partnering with Shake Shack. A more pared down version on this Brussels to New York light was a small block of local Belgian Beemster cheese.
A hour or two before landing the flight attendants came by with a snack which took the form of a pizza pocket and a chocolate biscuit. Again, totally fine and I had gotten quite hungry by this point!
The service on Delta’s Boeing 767-300
The other improvement that I have noticed on Delta in recent years is the attentiveness and cheerfulness of the cabin crew. It seems like ten years ago, the flight attendants wanted nothing more than to finish up with service to go play candy crush in the galley. Now, however, you come across more and more flight attendants who seem to really enjoy their job. They cheerfully come through the aisles post-meal service with cups of water, and I even saw a flight attendant assist someone with getting their roller bag into the baggage compartment, something I have not witnessed on an American airline for a very, very long time. Keep at it, Delta!
The bottom line
Many people are terrified to fly with a baby for the first time and that is certainly an understandable fear. However, if your baby is fairly good natured, there is really nothing to be afraid of. Being able to use a baby bassinet, on a plane like a Delta Boeing 767, is also a huge bonus as it allows your baby to rest comfortably and lets you rest as well when you don’t have to sit with your baby on your lap. And, perhaps most importantly, most people have kids themselves so even if your baby lets out a few wails, people are generally quite understanding.
