Flying TG682 with the children

On this trip, our children were 5 years 4 months and 2 years 6 months old. Here's how the flight to Japan went.

We used miles to book our flights for the 2025 Japan trip. Between the flight times and the seats available, we ended up with a different airline in each direction.

For the outbound journey, we chose Thai Airways flight TG682, departing late at night and arriving in the morning. From the previous year's experience, the children were usually less restless on an overnight flight. They could fall asleep on board and arrive just about when they were ready to wake up.

We had 1 stroller to use around the airport, which we'd leave at the gate. We also brought a ride-on suitcase so the children had somewhere else to sit and we could carry what we'd need on the flight. It fitted in the overhead compartment.

A bite to eat before the train to SAT1

Our boarding gate was in SAT1, so we needed to allow time to find something for the children to eat.

We planned to use an airline lounge in the main terminal first. At the time, we looked for lounges covered by our Priority Pass cards where the children could join us free of charge. The age limits we found ranged from under 7 to 12, depending on the lounge. Choosing one near the train could save quite a bit of time.

There weren't many lounges in SAT1 when we visited. We'd checked Miracle Lounge, but only children aged 3 and under could get in free. That ruled out getting both children in for free as we'd hoped. 😅

Below is some of the lounge information we saved for the original post. Before your trip, check with your card provider and the lounge that your card is still accepted and what the entry rules are for children.

Row 31, and a stroller to collect at baggage claim

We chose front-row Preferred Seats in Economy Class. At the time of booking, they cost around 1,600 baht extra per seat. We hoped the position would help keep the children from disturbing other passengers too much.

We had plenty of space in this row. As for the seat itself, though, I found the AirJapan front-row seats we'd used the year before a little more comfortable. That's just how they felt to me.

Because we were travelling with young children, we were called to board before the regular Economy passengers. Before going aboard, we folded the stroller and put it in its bag. The staff asked us to leave it at the gate.

We had to collect it from the baggage belt with our suitcases. That surprised me a little. I'd expected to get it back at the aircraft door, so we could wheel the children away if they were asleep.

Toys out, then slowly off to sleep

Once aboard, we hurried to get settled and put our bags away before the next groups of passengers arrived. Then out came the toys to keep both little ones busy.

Things went much as we'd expected. We still weren't letting the children watch screens, so we'd brought things to keep them busy. That meant no screens for Mum and Dad either. About 1 hour after takeoff, our older child fell asleep, and we made sure they weren't sliding down the seat. Our youngest was still breastfeeding. Once they'd fallen asleep too, we got them settled into a better position.

Waking up just in time for Mount Fuji

We woke up just in time to see Mount Fuji. We hadn't even landed yet, and Japan was already giving us a lovely welcome. Not a bad start to the trip. 😊

The meal was served before landing, and this part was a little awkward. The flight attendant brought all 4 meal boxes at once. Mum and Dad ate quickly, then stacked the children's meals out of the way because they were still asleep. Even if they'd woken up, they might not have wanted to eat.

As we came in to land, our youngest woke up and wanted a feed. A crew member came over and reminded us that our little one needed to be in the seat with the seat belt fastened. The timing wasn't great.

We knew exactly what was coming: tears. 😭😭😭 But we followed the rule. Afterwards, I asked a friend who was a flight attendant. They told me that airlines had different rules, and we'd need to follow the crew's instructions on the flight.

The crying went on for about 10–15 minutes, and we didn't know what else to do. After touchdown, while the aircraft was taxiing, we quickly picked our little one up because we didn't want to disturb the other passengers.

Our youngest was still grumpy after we'd landed. 😅 Getting back in the stroller hadn't quite fixed things, so Mum kept trying to soothe our little one. We'd made it to Japan, but Mum and Dad weren't off duty yet.

We flew home with Japan Airlines. I'll save that for the next post, before this one gets too long. 😅