back2dmatter:
Congrats shawlar

Please help answer these questions:

1) Did you buy a one way or return ticket for mini-shawlar to Nigeria?

2) Was his ticket booked using his US passport info or ETC or both?

3) Did the US immigration officials give you any issues on you using ETC rather than naija visa for ur baby's trip outside US

Please respond.

Thanks.

1) It was a one way ticket... They just attached it to his mother's itinerary
2)I gave them his passport info when booking the ticket but I don't think it was used.
3) There were no issues at all with the immigration peeps

firsttymum:
Shawlar ur infant ticket was it from naija u did it or in Houston? How many weeks or days before travel day? I'm guessing it was at that point u requested for bassinet

It was done from Naija... I moved our initial departure date forwards and booked the infant ticket then; that was like 5days to the new departure date. Since it was done in Naija, i didn't bother to request bassinet from them. I called the US office 3days b4 departure to request the bassinet.. some peeps said I was lucky to get it though (maybe cos the flight wasn't full) and that I should ave called earlier.

How far ur side..?? shey d baby is kicking...?? He/she is keeping us waiting oh..

nefertitiram:
For me o:
1; one way ticket
2: u use ur ticket n baby ticket to get the ETc
3: nobody at the airport checked anything only us passport, it is in Nigeria you tender the ETC. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COPY

For me it was different, they asked why there wasn't a visa on mini-me's passport and I had to show them the ETC. They even asked twice, @check in and @ the boarding gate. It was in Naija that the immigration woman didn't ask and I had to remind her.

tosinajib:
Good morning people,

I got PTA yesterday at Sterling bank at the rate of 199. I plan on going to travelex to get some more dollars. Does anyone know if am qualified for dollars from travelex bearing in mind that I just collected PTA from the bank?

I don't think so oh as long as you got the limit (i.e $4k) from sterling bank. They would have stamped it on ur passport already and travelex would check

Pls, can I pay for my ticket directly to BA office instead of GTB? If yes, any idea of their office address? I have to pay by 2mao.

I have also booked on travelstart, my fear is the probability of difficulty in choosing my seat since I will be needing bassinet on my return leg.

shawlar:


For me it was different, they asked why there wasn't a visa on mini-me's passport and I had to show them the ETC. They even asked twice, @check in and @ the boarding gate. It was in Naija that the immigration woman didn't ask and I had to remind her.

Hehehehe, imagine. This was even at d almighty Chicago! Dem do gra gra so tey forget to do dia work

Thanks a lot Shawlar.

shawlar:


1) It was a one way ticket... They just attached it to his mother's itinerary
2)I gave them his passport info when booking the ticket but I don't think it was used.
3) There were no issues at all with the immigration peeps

Hello Mum2bee
Any luck with this?

Mum2bee:
Hi all, i know I read somewhere that it's cheaper to book baby's ticket from naij. How do I go about this? I sent someone to British airways office in Lagos and it's like N60k plus. Which comes to about the same thing when I call them over the phone from here. Please help a mama who has not slept more than 2 hrs at a stretch in over a week

shawlar:


It was done from Naija... I moved our initial departure date forwards and booked the infant ticket then; that was like 5days to the new departure date. Since it was done in Naija, i didn't bother to request bassinet from them. I called the US office 3days b4 departure to request the bassinet.. some peeps said I was lucky to get it though (maybe cos the flight wasn't full) and that I should ave called earlier.

How far ur side..?? shey d baby is kicking...?? He/she is keeping us waiting oh..

Ok thanks
Baby is fine and kicking o... Count down.... Lol

firsttymum:
nope

Please does one need to have an account with sterling bank to get the pta?

anizi:


Please does one need to have an account with sterling bank to get the pta?

Yes off course

Thank u so much. So far, so good. I am making progress. I later called one of the hospitals I contacted before now and they have agreed to send their cost and also an appointment letter to my Frnd in the US. I av also contacted Wycoff hospital as advised by Customised87 and fruitilicious, so whichever comes first. I think I need to relax til I get my desired responses and will then decide which to use. I will take the break to read tru again . I know I will need info abt flight booking. Also want to c if I can get the meaning of ETC

twingirls:
Pls, can I pay for my ticket directly to BA office instead of GTB? If yes, any idea of their office address? I have to pay by 2mao.

I have also booked on travelstart, my fear is the probability of difficulty in choosing my seat since I will be needing bassinet on my return leg.

I bought my ticket on travel start too. When they send you the booking reference, go to the website and input it and then choose ur seats. I bought emirates and I was able to choose my seats on their website. As for the bassinet seat, they said I can't choose dat until I include the infant ticket.hope this helps.

bmanbaba:
Thank u so much. So far, so good. I am making progress. I later called one of the hospitals I contacted before now and they have agreed to send their cost and also an appointment letter to my Frnd in the US. I av also contacted Wycoff hospital as advised by Customised87 and fruitilicious, so whichever comes first. I think I need to relax til I get my desired responses and will then decide which to use. I will take the break to read tru again . I know I will need info abt flight booking. Also want to c if I can get the meaning of ETC

ETC means emergency travel certificate. It's a second option for bringing baby back to Naija if you don't want to apply for Naija visa.

twingirls:
Pls, can I pay for my ticket directly to BA office instead of GTB? If yes, any idea of their office address? I have to pay by 2mao.

I have also booked on travelstart, my fear is the probability of difficulty in choosing my seat since I will be needing bassinet on my return leg.

I think it's better you pay at gtbank than at the BA office, cos payment at the BA office attracts an extra charge. Their only office I know is at the airport. But I guess they have another one inside lagos.

shawlar:


I don't think so oh as long as you got the limit (i.e $4k) from sterling bank. They would have stamped it on ur passport already and travelex would check

Please where is the travelex office? And do i need to have an account with sterling to get pta?
Thanks

Cuteaidomo:

ETC means emergency travel certificate. It's a second option for bringing baby back to Naija if you don't want to apply for Naija visa.

Oh! I see. Thank you

Please where is Travelex office in Abuja, they are not at the address that popped up on Google.

twingirls:
Pls, can I pay for my ticket directly to BA office instead of GTB? If yes, any idea of their office address? I have to pay by 2mao.

I have also booked on travelstart, my fear is the probability of difficulty in choosing my seat since I will be needing bassinet on my return leg.

Pay at Gtbank

You won't have any problems booking a bassinet or a seat choice. All that can be done online with your booking reference

All my ba flights Iv never gone to ba office for any reason

It's on ur returned when you have your baby with you and have booked the baby's ticket that u can request for a bassinet

i suffered in this POE when i went to the US for the first time.. i vouched never ever to go there again. crazy crazy place! 3:30 of me seating, no touching phone and drilling. Never ever again

maswii:
Hello all, (warning this post is really long )

If you're thinking of avoiding Chicago POE, that's a good decision . If you want to use Chicago, have all the documents in the world and pray hard

Arrived at Chicago POE at about 4pm few days ago. Queue wasn't so bad or maybe it moved fast

When I got towards the front, a uniformed lady asked ; pregnant? (I was almost like are you blind?) , I said yes and she said queue here. I was the only one waiting for that CBP. She passed a family without issues , so my hopes went up

tosinajib:
Good morning people,

I got PTA yesterday at Sterling bank at the rate of 199. I plan on going to travelex to get some more dollars. Does anyone know if am qualified for dollars from travelex bearing in mind that I just collected PTA from the bank?

You wont be qualified if you have bought the maximum $4000 PTA for the quarter ($5000 if BTA).

If you still have some time before travelling, you could look out for friends or family members who want to buy PTA or BTA but won't fully utilize their own quota. They can help you buy additional dollars.

Otherwise, buy the rest from black market or use Mastercard

richpearl:
Hello to the gurus and Nairaland family. I am grateful for all the information on the trend which I took advantage of although I have been a silent observer. So to give back here is my POE story!

Flew BA on the 21st of Oct from Abuja to London transit to Altanta. ( requested for wheelchair service but didn't get because of my 17month infant) so I had to walk all the way cos I checked in my stroller all the way to Atlanta.

On arrivals noticed I had to input my details on a computer but got a cancellation on my ticket(because my facial features weren't rightly done) after registering my detail /biometric ( same info as in landing card). The wait was like 1:30mins , cos they had to stamp the people who had no cancellations on their receipt/ticket and then the US citizens. I was asked to join the queue cos they noticed I was pregnant and sweating like a Christmas fowl lol! Wen i approached the CBP I heard the other office whisper it's a 7! The guy responded let's see how it plays out.

CBP: why are you going to Houston?
Me: for child birth
CBP: how long are you here for?
Me: four months
CBP: where will you be staying?
Me: with my relative
CBP:how much cash do you have on you
Me:$1400
CBP: how will you be paying for your bill?
Me: I have a form A from my bank to settle my hospital bill and I have my card for my dr's bill upon arrival.
CBP: he calls out to someone saying she's a yellow and Sends me for secondary inspection.

Met other people waiting and after 5mins I was called
CBP: why are you here?
Me: for child birth
CBP: do you have a Dr confirmed ?
Me: shows him Dr F's correspondence and package
CBP:how much cash do you have on you?
Me: $1400
CBP: how will you be paying ?
Me: dr's fee via my card Upon arrival and hospital via my form A which I will scan to my hubby after getting all the details completed. ( trying to bring out my statement and cards he waves at me to forget it)
CBP: stamps me and my daughter for 6 month , wished me safe delivery and told me to always carry my receipt every time I travel .

I thank God for favour and journey mercies as I am settled in Houston after spending the night in Atlanta. Dr's Appointment is next week. Using Oak bend and already opened an accnt and dr's fee is ready for 20% discount. Wishing other mums a safe trip and success POE story as well as safe delivery.

Welcome to Houston richpearl, its nice to know that you settled in quite alright , thanks on the info it sure do help.

favoredgal:


Pay at Gtbank

You won't have any problems booking a bassinet or a seat choice. All that can be done online with your booking reference

All my ba flights Iv never gone to ba office for any reason

It's on ur returned when you have your baby with you and have booked the baby's ticket that u can request for a bassinet

Hello Moms, I have been reading and i just have to ask? Why are moms paying for Airline bassinet they might not use?
Anyway, I paid for my first baby and didn't really use it. I later found out that all i needed was my travel baby bed i bought for about $39 would have done a perfect job carrying my baby to nija lol. Seriously all you need is the travel baby bed it is affordable and can be carried along side with your carry on. Wish you all a safe travel back home.

Hi Nairaland Fam,
I have accommodation along High way 6 and Sugar Land. Its not too far from Oakbend, Methodist and WHMC. I have two rooms vacant and i'm looking for room mates. PM me if you are interested. Thanks.

bbiz:





Hello Moms, I have been reading and i just have to ask? Why are moms paying for Airline bassinet they might not use?
Anyway, I paid for my first baby and didn't really use it. I later found out that all i needed was my travel baby bed i bought for about $39 would have done a perfect job carrying my baby to nija lol. Seriously all you need is the travel baby bed it is affordable and can be carried along side with your carry on. Wish you all a safe travel back home.

The bassinet is free o! You don't need to pay a dime for it

Where will you put this travel bed? Does that mean you will buy a full seat for the baby

bbiz:





Hello Moms, I have been reading and i just have to ask? Why are moms paying for Airline bassinet they might not use?
Anyway, I paid for my first baby and didn't really use it. I later found out that all i needed was my travel baby bed i bought for about $39 would have done a perfect job carrying my baby to nija lol. Seriously all you need is the travel baby bed it is affordable and can be carried along side with your carry on. Wish you all a safe travel back home.

Hi bbiz.

Bassinet use is free. Nobody has to pay for it. You are entitled to it once you pay for baby's ticket. But it's subject to availability on first come first served basis.

bbiz:





Hello Moms, I have been reading and i just have to ask? Why are moms paying for Airline bassinet they might not use?
Anyway, I paid for my first baby and didn't really use it. I later found out that all i needed was my travel baby bed i bought for about $39 would have done a perfect job carrying
my baby to nija lol. Seriously all you need is the travel baby bed it is affordable and can be carried along side with your carry on. Wish you all a safe travel back home.

Hello dear, no one is paying for baby bassinet. It's free and the airline do not require you to pay. What mothers here are saying is that you have to call the airline to book/reserve one for you on your travel date because it's usually given on a first come first serve basis especially where you have a lot of babies onboard

favoredgal:


oh really? so maybe i should just go ahead and buy then..a lot of people have shared unpleasant experience on this thread as per adding baby ticket with wakanow hence my reservations

First week of Dec - 3rd week of Jan

you are good to buy from them if you know you will never ever change your ticket

I didn't pay for a bassinet. It's free, u only book in advance

bbiz:





Hello Moms, I have been reading and i just have to ask? Why are moms paying for Airline bassinet they might not use?
Anyway, I paid for my first baby and didn't really use it. I later found out that all i needed was my travel baby bed i bought for about $39 would have done a perfect job carrying my baby to nija lol. Seriously all you need is the travel baby bed it is affordable and can be carried along side with your carry on. Wish you all a safe travel back home.

Cuteaidomo:


I bought my ticket on travel start too. When they send you the booking reference, go to the website and input it and then choose ur seats. I bought emirates and I was able to choose my seats on their website. As for the bassinet seat, they said I can't choose dat until I include the infant ticket.hope this helps.

call the airline after you ve booked your babys ticket to request for bassinet. I bot my airfrance ticket tru travelstart, I was able to choose my seat online from abj to houston but while checking in for return leg, there was no option to choose seat.

favoredgal:


The bassinet is free o! You don't need to pay a dime for it

Where will you put this travel bed? Does that mean you will buy a full seat for the baby

I just wanted to ask same kwesion.

I used Gwinnett and Dr soyoola last year. A friend used them this year June and d bill was almost the same. I don't think it's expensive