Am about to take a complicated international trip with multiple stops and am all set to buy the tickets on British airways (with many of the flights actually operated by American Airlines). But I just noticed on the website that car seats can't be installed RF according to BA policy. I will be traveling with two kids, and the baby will be a few days shy of one year old when the trip begins. I'm obviously concerned about this restriction, as I don't want to FF the baby. However, the baby is already the size of a two to three year old (really enormous!) and so the only RF seat of the three that we have in which she still fits is the Evenflo Sureride, which I'm positive will not fit rf in standard economy seats (been there already with my older daughter, who at least thankfully fit into smaller rf seats until she was over 2yo). I can't afford a first class ticket, so I'm not sure what other options I have--I guess in theory if the airline at least allows rf, I could hope for being able to bargain for a bulkhead seat (although I have never been given these seats even when traveling with an infant because I have always bought seats for my kids and my impression is that they won't give these to you unless you have a lap baby, so I'm not sure that I should hold my breath on this one). There also were not really other good options with other airlines that didn't require 2 or more layovers on each leg (I'm traveling with both kids by myself for this trip) and/or cost twice as much. We ae flying in and out of Berlin, so we will have to cope with European airline tendencies probably no matter what airline we fly...
I guess I'm looking for reassurance here that if they really do enforce the ff only rule and/or I can't get a seat where the car seat will fit rf, that given the overall safety of flying that I am not somehow taking a terrible risk with the baby. (I really really hate how vulnerable as a parent we are to the whims of airlines and flight attendants!). Also, anyone else with a really large baby--what did you do when the child was too big for rf car seats that still fit in economy airline seating, but still too young to sit ff?
I guess I'm looking for reassurance here that if they really do enforce the ff only rule and/or I can't get a seat where the car seat will fit rf, that given the overall safety of flying that I am not somehow taking a terrible risk with the baby. (I really really hate how vulnerable as a parent we are to the whims of airlines and flight attendants!). Also, anyone else with a really large baby--what did you do when the child was too big for rf car seats that still fit in economy airline seating, but still too young to sit ff?