[sak9645]

I used Korean Air from Hong Kong to Los Angeles and United from Los Angeles to Washington, DC.

As I traveled without a companion, and took a very large suitcase, a carryon, and a stroller, it would have been very difficult to bring a car seat. Car seats are not required on the planes, and are pretty much useless in China, since many of the vehicles don't have seat belts. Also, if your child travels on a lap ticket, you may not even be able to use the car seat on the plane, since a seat is not guaranteed.

For the flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, I flew coach. I used a lap ticket for my daughter. I requested a bulkhead aisle seat and a bassinet.

It worked out just fine. From Hong Kong to Seoul, the wonderful Korean Air people were able to arrange to keep an empty seat open next to me, so Becca could recline or sit in the bassinet, sit on the empty seat, or use my lap.

I lost the empty seat in Seoul, because more people boarded the plane. However, it really wasn't a problem. There was a Korean family in my row. Although the wife did not speak English, she was able to communicate her willingness to watch Becca while she slept, so I could use the bathroom if I needed to go. And Becca played with her three year old in the aisle for a while.

The nightmare began when I reached Los Angeles and found that my United flight to DC was canceled. The airline claimed that there was a mechanical problem. However, experienced travelers tell me that United does this frequently when the flight isn't full, and they suspect it's to avoid losing money. Becca and I, and another single Mom and her new daughter, were booked on a flight leaving several hours later.

I had not slept a wink the night before leaving Hong Kong, because Becca had a tummyache and was up all night. I also had not slept a wink going from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, because I simply don't sleep well on planes. Also, Becca didn't do a lot of sleeping; she was too curious about everything. As a result, by the time I got to Los Angeles, my eyelids kept falling down.

I suppose I should have broken my journey in Los Angeles, gotten my luggage, gone to a hotel, and rebooked us on a flight the next day. However, both Becca and I were ill, and I really wanted to get us home and to our doctors. And the United people made lots of promises about how they would try to leave an empty seat next to me, etc.

So I hung around the airport. I was afraid to doze on a bench, lest someone kidnap Becca! And the other single woman was busy washing her dress in the ladies' room and drying it with the hand dryer, because her daughter had overflowed her diaper, all over her.

When I finally boarded the flight, I quickly learned that the plane was full to the gunwales. There was exactly one empty seat on the whole plane, and it wasn't next to me. And as you can't get bassinets on domestic flights, that meant I would have to sit in a cramped coach seat with Becca on my lap, all the way to DC.

Fortunately, the man next to me did not like the notion of spending several hours next to a rather pleasant baby and her cranky Mom, so he moved to the vacant seat. That did give me an empty seat for Becca. I felt sorry, though, for the other single Mom, who did not have this luxury.

Unfortunately, I could not doze on the flight, as I feared that Becca would fall off my lap or the adjacent seat. And the flight attendants were about the worst I ever encountered, in terms of helpfulness. I could not even go to the bathroom, as it seemed that every time I wanted to do so, there was a cart in the aisle.

I was SO glad to arrive in DC. Fortunately, the friend who was going to drive us home had good sense. He collected the luggage, brought my car around (he used it because he had installed the car seat in it), got us settled, and headed straight to my home. He then brought in the luggage and the mail, said goodnight, and LEFT.

Within about 20 minutes, Becca was happily in her new crib, falling asleep. And without opening the suitcase or anything, I fell into my own bed.

No matter how you travel, the trip home with your new child won't be easy. But you WILL survive. And the joy of having your child will gradually erase your memory of the journey.

Sharon