A mother revealed a “free” travel hack for parents flying with toddlers.
Social media influencer Gabrielle Rashbaum shared the helpful flying tip to TikTok after her own family traveled from Los Angeles to London with a toddler in tow. Although the video was posted back in September, it has recently gone viral with more than two million views and 135k likes.
In the clip, Rashbaum explains that her family was flying with Delta Air Lines, which allows for bassinets to be used free of charge on international flights. “Our favorite toddler travel hack is taking red eye flights,” she captioned the TikTok. “Pro tip: on international flights bassinets are available free of charge.”
The mother-of-one went on to share how to ensure your baby has a bassinet for their long flight:
- Reserve the bulkhead seats when booking
- Follow up with the airline to confirm bassinet hooks are available in selected row
- At the airport, request the bassinet with the gate agent
Rashbaum added that her family didn’t run into any issues reserving the bassinet, but noted that there are only two available on every international flight.
According to the Delta website, onboard bassinets – also known as SkyCots – are available for passengers in select seats with infants or children under two years of age. The airline states the bassinets are ideal for babies weighing up to 20 lbs (9 kg) and up to 26 inches (66 cm) long.
A bassinet can be requested by contacting the airline before arriving at the airport and then speaking with an agent at the boarding gate. However, all infants must be held during takeoff, landing and whenever the seat belt light is on.
TikTok users praised Rashbaum in the comments section for her helpful travel hack, and shared their own experiences using an in-flight bassinet for their little ones.
“Looks like the best seat on the plane!” one person commented.
“This is genius for traveling with babies!” another user said.
“We did this on United while traveling to Ireland! It was a life saver,” another TikToker shared. “Free upgrade to the bulkhead too.”
One parent didn’t have such a pleasant experience, writing, “My son was NOT having that. I had to hold him for eight hours.”
Another Delta Air Lines passenger recently went viral after she refused to move seats for a family on a plane. In a series of TikTok videos, Maresa Friedman explained that a family had asked her to move from her first-class seat so that they could sit together. But Friedman insisted that being a parent did not give people the right to order other passengers to move around the plane.
“No you can’t have my seat!” she wrote over the TikTok video. “I am not a villain for moving from the seat in first class I paid full fare for. I’m also a mom, so it’s called PLANNING AHEAD.”
