Baby sleeping aids on aircraft

General Transport Discussion not specific to one state
Post Reply
Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Baby sleeping aids on aircraft

Post by Roderick Smith »

Roderick.

Virgin Australia becomes first airline to allow children's sleeping devices on flights Nov 30 2017
Devices like this will now be allowed on Virgin Australia flights. Photo: Jet Kids .
In a backflip sure to be welcomed by parents, Virgin Australia has announced it will now allow children's sleeping devices on planes, after previously banning them.
The airline is the only one in Australia that will allow the devices - Plane Pal, Fly Tot and JetKids Bedbox - to be used on board, following a safety assessment.
Kid sleeping aids such as bed boxes, leg hammocks and inflatable cushions are still not allowed on other carriers including Qantas, Jetstar and Air New Zealand, due to safety concerns.
In a statement, the airline said the devices would only be permitted in a window seat or in the middle seat of a centre block and must be included as part of the 7kg carry-on baggage allocation. They are not allowed in Exit Rows.
"We know that travelling with kids can be a stressful experience and we want to make it as smooth as possible for the families that fly with us," Virgin Australia General Manager Inflight Experience Tash Tobias said.
"We recognise the importance of your kids getting some extra rest on a flight as it can make a world of difference when you arrive at your destination.
"These popular comfort items have been reviewed by our team of safety experts against our high safety standards and we're pleased to say that we've been able to give the seal of approval to three of the most popular items."
Tigerair, a wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Australia, is carrying out its own assessment of the sleeping aid devices.
Earlier this year, Australia's major airlines added the sleeping devises to their Dangerous Goods and other prohibited items lists citing safety concerns. The decision angered parents who often rely on the devises to ensure their children sleep on long-haul flights.
It's understood some airlines are currently reviewing their policies that could mean more good news for parents.
See Also:
Jetstar and Qantas ban kids’ sleeping devices .
Sleep gadgets that'll send your baby and toddler off to la-la land .
You can forget crying babies on flights .
http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/life-st ... 129-gzvmxo
Attachments
171130Th-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-inflatablesleepdevices-a.jpg
171130Th-Melbourne'Age'-babyaircraftsleepaid-a.jpg
171130Th-Melbourne'Age'-babyaircraftsleepaid-a.jpg (165.28 KiB) Viewed 3483 times
171130Th-Melbourne'Age'-babyaircraftsleepaid-b-ss.jpg
171130Th-Melbourne'Age'-babyaircraftsleepaid-b-ss.jpg (135.82 KiB) Viewed 3483 times
Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Re: Baby sleeping aids on aircraft

Post by Roderick Smith »

This one carries more information than the first one did.
I have posted just one of the three photos at the link.
Roderick.

December 5 2017 Business boost for Plane Pal as kids sleep devices for planes approved .
After six months campaigning to have the ban on her kids travel product the Plane Pal overturned, Samantha Cardone is celebrating a "huge win".
Last week Virgin Australia approved the use of Cardone's inflatable cushion which fits between airline seats enabling young children to stretch out and sleep on planes.
Samantha Cardone, the founder of Plane Pal, with two of her three children. Photo: Supplied .
Virgin also approved the use of competing sleep devices the Fly Tot and JetKids Bedbox.
'There must be a better way'
Launching her fledgling business and then having her sole product banned has been a "steep learning curve" for Cardone who started Plane Pal in December last year after a few traumatic flights.
Samantha Cardone says travelling with her three children was a nightmare. Photo: Supplied .
"The reality of travelling with three children didn't meet the fantasy, it was a nightmare to be honest," she says. "I found myself sitting on planes and thought 'there must be a better way to do this'."
Frazzled parents agreed and Plane Pal reached $500,000 turnover in its first six months of operation but in July Qantas banned the use of Plane Pal and other kids sleep devices with Virgin following suit by stopping parents from using them on its flights.
"It was really disappointing to have Qantas come out with a ban without any discussion, we weren't even informed of the ban," says Cardone. "That was a massive hurdle for us and led to a lot of negative press and a lot of people falsely believed the product was banned across several airlines."
Plane Pal's sales dropped by 70 per cent but Cardone was not prepared to give up without a fight and started lobbying the airlines.
The Legs Up Plane Hammock in use. Photo: Supplied "It actually could have ruined the business but I was not willing to let it break us," she says. "I knew if the correct information could be put out there the message would get through. It was our customers who saved us, they shared their photos and videos and they campaigned the airlines for us. As a business owner there is no better compliment."
Overturning the ban
A spokesperson for Virgin Australia told Fairfax Media the airline's turnaround came after extensive safety testing of the products.
The Legs Up Plane Hammock has not been approved by Qantas or Virgin. Photo: Supplied .
"We made this change because we believe the comfort of all of our guests is important, and provided these products met our safety requirements and are used appropriately by our guests on our flights then we're happy to welcome them on board," the spokesperson says.
The devices are permitted to be used only when sitting in a window seat or in the middle seat of the centre block and must be included as part of Virgin's carry-on baggage allocation. They are not permitted to be used in exit rows.
Jenny Cayzer is the founder of the Legs Up Plane Hammock Photo: Supplied Sales are back on track for Cardone who has grown the business from a "one man band" to a team of six and expects Plane Pal to turn over $1 million by the end of the year.
Desperate parents
Jenny Cayzer, the founder of the Legs Up Plane Hammock, still hasn't got approval for her sleep device from Virgin.
Cayzer launched her business in February last year after having the device, which hangs off the back of airline seats, assessed by a CASA approved aviation engineer.
"Our product was so new that the airlines were sort of taken unawares," she says. "Some airlines have embraced it and other airlines have not. That's up to them and I think eventually competition and awareness will drive them to have another look."
Cayzer says there is a real need for products such as the Legs Up Plane Hammock.
"It's not just you the parent, it's the passengers around, you think 'My gosh everyone is looking at me'," she says. "This can really solve a big problem for small children."
Cayzer says she hopes Virgin and Qantas will change their tune.
"[Qantas] wouldn't even look at our new prototype which I think for a big company is damning," she says.
"In the meantime other airlines are accepting them. Singapore Airlines accepts the product and gives guidance on where to sit, Emirates says it won't accept the devices on its website but on a day-to-day basis people will say 'I won't wake that sleeping child'."
Despite the ban The Legs Up Plane Hammock has hit $1 million turnover and Cayzer hopes her new prototype will be approved by the Australian airlines.
"You do have customers who are so desperate they will try it anyway," she says.
A spokesperson for Qantas and Jetstar said the airlines' ban on kids sleeping devices had not changed. Tiger Airways, which is a subsidiary of Virgin, is in the process of conducting its own assessment.
http://www.theage.com.au/small-business ... zy6td.html
Attachments
171205Tu-Melbourne'Age-aircraftchildbed-b.jpg
171205Tu-Melbourne'Age-aircraftchildbed-b.jpg (159.18 KiB) Viewed 3402 times
Post Reply

Return to “General Transport Discussion”