Can Your Travel Companions Visit You In First Class?

Can Your Travel Companions Visit You In First Class?

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Say you’re traveling with friends or family, and you’re split between different cabins. Is it appropriate for someone in economy to visit someone in first class, for example? Generally speaking, the rule is that you can visit guests in a “lower” cabin, but you can’t go up to a “higher” cabin to visit someone. The exact details of the policies vary by airline, but I don’t know of any airline that officially allows guests to visit someone in a higher cabin, at least as a rule.

Let’s talk a bit more about why that’s a rule, and if there are any exceptions.

Why can’t you visit passengers in a higher cabin?

On the most basic level, passengers pay extra to travel in first & business class so that they have more space and privacy, and that’s possible thanks to there being fewer people. If you start allowing visitors, that takes away from that, and potentially makes the environment less peaceful. Furthermore, when you have a person visiting, it’s much more likely that they’re going to be talking, and they could be noisy.

Admittedly there would be a difference between letting one guest visit for 10 minutes, and letting two guests visit for the entire flight. But the issue is that it’s a slippery slope. Should one guest be allowed? What about two? Or should it be as many as you can fit in your suite?

Etihad’s A380 first class suite could fit the whole Brady Bunch

Should the guests be allowed to visit for five minutes? Five hours? The entire flight? Can they sleep at your seat if there’s room?

Singapore Suites
Slumber party for six in Singapore Suites?

Should your guest be allowed to order food or drinks from the first class menu? What if it’s only water and packaged snacks?

What food & drinks can be shared with other passengers?
How about a to-go class of Dom Perignon?

As you can see, it’s just a very slippery slope, which is why airlines don’t generally allow this.

I think it’s also important to state that respect goes both ways when it comes to visiting others. If you visit someone in a lower cabin, you should still be respectful of other passengers, their personal space, etc.

Are there exceptions to this rule?

I know many people subscribe to the “it can’t hurt to ask” theory when traveling.

On a case-by-case basis there are instances where I’ve seen the crew briefly allow guests in first class. For example, if parents are traveling in first class and kids in business class, I’ve seen the kids briefly come up to get something from their parents. Personally I don’t understand families that intentionally split up when flying, and then still want to be together for much of the flight, but that’s probably a topic for a different post.

I’ve also sometimes seen crews take special care of those traveling in economy who are family members or friends of a first class passenger. And I’ve even seen them bring up those passengers before landing to allow them to deplane with the first class passenger. But that’s the exception rather than the rule.

First class crews on most top airlines are trained not to say no to first class passengers with any reasonable request, and you’re putting the crew in a very uncomfortable situation if you’re asking for a guest from a lower cabin to be allowed to visit. For example, picture the following scenario:

  • A first class passenger asks the crew if someone could visit from economy
  • The crew makes an exception and agrees, but says that the visit has to be limited to 15 minutes
  • The first class passenger then isn’t considerate of the time, and after 15 minutes the crew has to remind the passenger from a lower cabin that they have to leave
  • Then the first class passenger might become rude, even complain about how they’re not causing a disturbance, and perhaps threaten to complain to the airline

That’s probably why most crews will draw the line here, since they’re ultimately responsible for ensuring a relaxing experience for all guests, and there’s not much upside to breaking the rules.

Years ago I had the (dis)pleasure of sharing a Singapore Airlines 747 first class cabin between New York and Frankfurt with the former First Lady of Zimbabwe, Grace Mugabe. Her entourage (ranging from her assistants to her security detail) kept coming up from economy and business class. Suffice to say that the crew was put in an incredibly awkward situation, as her people just kind of bulldozed their way into first class. In fairness, she wasn’t sharing anything with passengers from other cabins — she wanted all the caviar for herself.

Everyone has a different tolerance for how much they’re willing to push boundaries. Personally this is an area where I wouldn’t want to put the crew in an uncomfortable position — if I were traveling with someone else I’d want to be in the same cabin, and if I weren’t, I’d meet in the lower cabin, in a way that’s still respectful to other passengers.

Some guesting exceptions may be made, but it’s rare

Can you change seats between cabins?

While it won’t help with letting people hang out together, I should note that some airlines allow you to trade seats between cabins, meaning that if you’re traveling with someone you could each spend half of the time in the premium cabin. As a general rule of thumb:

  • You’ll always want to check with the crew first, and ask for their permission
  • If you’re going to ask to switch, limit it to one switch per flight; don’t ask to trade every hour
  • More premium airlines usually won’t allow this; for example, this might be allowed in domestic first class within the United States, but don’t expect this to be allowed in international first class

I think this is a perfectly reasonable request to make, though it’s also perfectly reasonable for a crew to deny it.

Some airlines will let you trade seats between cabins

Bottom line

If you’re traveling with someone in a different cabin, it’s generally advisable for the person in the higher cabin to visit the person in the lower cabin, rather than the other way around. That’s because airlines market privacy and exclusivity around their premium products, and having extra people in those cabins can take away from that.

On a case-by-case basis crews may make exceptions, but that’s about it. You can ask, but also don’t be surprised if you’re denied. It ultimately puts the crew in an awkward situation, especially if there are other guests who may be put off by this.

What do you think airlines’ policies should be when it comes to visiting guests in a higher cabin?

Conversations (52)
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  1. DL Guest

    Wow. The comments here are full of douche-bags. Most people should be embarrassed by what they wrote, though I doubt they ever would be.

  2. Daniel O'DONNELL Guest

    I'm always grumpy when I see people in economy come up and use the bathroom in first class! We paid premium for first class and it would be nice if everyone respects that! Save your money kids!

  3. S S Guest

    No. Not at all. Never. No exceptions of any kind.

    I pay A LOT extra for space, peace, quiet, exclusivity and (usually, though certainly not always) a better behaved and more considerate class of passengers.

    All of these benefits -- these extremely expensive benefits -- are adversely impacted (and perhaps destroyed) by any unpaying interlopers !

    And so ....

    No. Not at all. Never. No exceptions of any kind.

    I do not understand why anyone...

    No. Not at all. Never. No exceptions of any kind.

    I pay A LOT extra for space, peace, quiet, exclusivity and (usually, though certainly not always) a better behaved and more considerate class of passengers.

    All of these benefits -- these extremely expensive benefits -- are adversely impacted (and perhaps destroyed) by any unpaying interlopers !

    And so ....

    No. Not at all. Never. No exceptions of any kind.

    I do not understand why anyone would consider ANY alternative reasonable or tolerable.

  4. Azamaraal Guest

    This only becomes a problem when purchasing travel in First on CX. With Alaska points they only release 1 F seat until 48 hours before the flight. On two occasions my wife and I have had to travel with one in J and one in F because there was no way to book the vacant F seat. Unfortunately 12-14 hour flights with separate cabins.

    We didn't attempt to visit but when I was in F...

    This only becomes a problem when purchasing travel in First on CX. With Alaska points they only release 1 F seat until 48 hours before the flight. On two occasions my wife and I have had to travel with one in J and one in F because there was no way to book the vacant F seat. Unfortunately 12-14 hour flights with separate cabins.

    We didn't attempt to visit but when I was in F I was able to gift my caviar to my spouse with a glass of 'better' champagne.

    Wish they made more seats available.

    For those who suggest paying for the seat in F please remember that this is a frequent flyer blog, not am I'm so rich I can afford the $10,000 ticket showoff blog.

  5. NSL Guest

    I have a very low tolerance for visitors. They must be seated immediately upon entering and stay seated until they leave, and when they leave they just have to go, with no lingering conversation, no blocking the aisles at any time and they have to talk quietly enough that like Watson, I can't hear them when I'm wearing my headset. In addition, no food, snacks or drinks to guests. Once on a flight to Rome...

    I have a very low tolerance for visitors. They must be seated immediately upon entering and stay seated until they leave, and when they leave they just have to go, with no lingering conversation, no blocking the aisles at any time and they have to talk quietly enough that like Watson, I can't hear them when I'm wearing my headset. In addition, no food, snacks or drinks to guests. Once on a flight to Rome the FAs allowed a couple of guests who they fed. The problem was I had ordered a non-dairy meal due to my allergies and they were seated three rows ahead of me with their friend. They gave my dinner away to one the guests who said they couldn't eat dairy and I was stuck with nothing to eat. There wasn't a point of going crazy because it wouldn't have helped at that point. The guests were then expelled but it was the FA at fault. I eventually got a $500 refund in large part because I was a top level FF with the airline which is now defunct, TWA. Fortunately, I had a few snacks with me, and they didn't give away my breakfast. Since then I remind the FA in FC or BC where I'm sitting if there is a meal on the flight that I've special ordered.

  6. Expat Guest

    @Nick, many celebrities and television anchors rubbed shoulders with Trump for many years and never had *too much* bad to say about him beyond being an unscrupulous/unsuccessful businessman. Many even joked about being friends and based on their body language, they meant it more than they did not. They only turned on him when he decided to slap a R on his badge instead of a D.

    Either you were really bad at history class...

    @Nick, many celebrities and television anchors rubbed shoulders with Trump for many years and never had *too much* bad to say about him beyond being an unscrupulous/unsuccessful businessman. Many even joked about being friends and based on their body language, they meant it more than they did not. They only turned on him when he decided to slap a R on his badge instead of a D.

    Either you were really bad at history class or there is very little critical thinking going on in that head of yours for you to believe Trump is one of the "worst human beings in history." This is most likely beyond you at the moment, but you think about how profoundly your worldview has been affected by the narrative spun by the self-serving hypocrites in mainstream media.

  7. dee Guest

    NICK your a liberal leftsided IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. INS Vikrant Guest

    I had the (mis)-fortune of sharing an F cabin with Gavin Newsom and his immediate family.

    The adults were taking pills and getting blackout drunk. The kids behaved awfully (with no discipline from parents).

    I had the side with 2 seats + aisle to myself (them on the side with 4 seats + aisle), but that didn’t stop Governor Hair Gel from coming over every few min to force an autograph on me.

    The crew was mortified.

    1. INS Vikrant Guest

      This was on CX

    2. dee Guest

      LOL liberal governor exempt democ rat

    3. Mudi Guest

      Yes, sure you did! and then you woke up in the economy section, right by the toilets.

    4. Expat Guest

      Sorry INS Vikrant's experience hurt your fragile ego and need to believe that Newsom is a good human being and not just a career politician in it for his own personal gain.

  9. AA Guest

    BA certainly allow this, outside of any busy meal service times (which is dine on demand in F anyway). Politely ask the FA and they will go get them from their seat, and enjoy the buddy seat for a drink.
    Done it many times.

  10. iamhere Guest

    Agree regarding visiting in lower classes. And also agree with the awkward position that flight attendants are put into.

  11. Watson Diamond

    I don't care if another passenger has a guest as long as they're seated and reasonably quiet. ("Reasonably quiet" means I can't hear them with my headphones on.)

  12. Aussie Guest

    It’s completely inappropriate for the cockroaches from economy to visit the upper classes.

    Part of the fare difference is for peace and privacy!

  13. Cmorgan Guest

    Nick I am putting you in the class as well due to your remark about our former POTUS. There will never be healing in this country with comments such as yours Disgusting.

    1. dee Guest

      right on Cmorgan....!!!so many peeps on these travel blog have so much hate for the other side...very disturbing.

  14. juliusg Guest

    On a long haul virgin Australia flight Sydney to LA, once everybody was out of the bar and a sleep in business class, I politely asked to lead a tenant if my boys could come up and join me at the bar for a little while. They came up from E and the delightful flight attendant made them both a hot chocolate with marshmallows. It was really nice.

  15. V Schwatka Guest

    I was very fortunate on a first class suites flight on Singapore Airlines. I asked the flight attendant if my fiancé could visit from business class. I was told that he could after dinner. The FA went upstairs and brought him to my suite. Not only was he offered the champagne tasting of Krug versus Dom, there was no time limit on the visit. When we landed, the FA went back upstairs to get my...

    I was very fortunate on a first class suites flight on Singapore Airlines. I asked the flight attendant if my fiancé could visit from business class. I was told that he could after dinner. The FA went upstairs and brought him to my suite. Not only was he offered the champagne tasting of Krug versus Dom, there was no time limit on the visit. When we landed, the FA went back upstairs to get my fiancé so we could be in airport lounge together during our layover. Singapore Airlines is the best!

  16. David Guest

    The most ridiculous policy was in a recent (thankfully, soon to be defunct) Alitalia flight. Parents had business class tickets and 2 children (14 year old twins) had economy tickets. "Airline Policy" did not allow such a split - only one adult + one child in every class. I have never heard of such ridiculous policy which could be understood if they were 3 years old but two teenagers can not fly 20 yards away...

    The most ridiculous policy was in a recent (thankfully, soon to be defunct) Alitalia flight. Parents had business class tickets and 2 children (14 year old twins) had economy tickets. "Airline Policy" did not allow such a split - only one adult + one child in every class. I have never heard of such ridiculous policy which could be understood if they were 3 years old but two teenagers can not fly 20 yards away from their patents? Has anyone heard of such "policies" in other airlines?

  17. SBS Guest

    I was the only passenger in the 4 seat F cabin on a SYD-SIN 777. Crew sent F champagne to my 2 companions in the second row of business and invited them to join me about an hour before landing so we could deplane together. When connecting in SIN, they we allowed into the F lounge with me, but not into the Private Room.

    When there are no other passengers in F, allowing guests is...

    I was the only passenger in the 4 seat F cabin on a SYD-SIN 777. Crew sent F champagne to my 2 companions in the second row of business and invited them to join me about an hour before landing so we could deplane together. When connecting in SIN, they we allowed into the F lounge with me, but not into the Private Room.

    When there are no other passengers in F, allowing guests is purely a matter of policy - there is no one else whose privacy/comfort would be affected by a visit.

    Not an unreasonable policy, too. Otherwise, why not allow self-upgrades into an empty higher level cabin? On a very recent Lufthansa flight, a person-of-size moved from his economy middle seat to an empty premium economy seat shortly after takeoff (premium economy was less than half full). Apparently the crew counted the number of meals, sent him right back 20 minutes after dinner, to the great disappointment of his neighbors.

  18. Debra M Casillas Guest

    I would prefer it NOT to be accepted protocol to visit those in First Class from lower categories. And I am also appalled when people from Business and Economy feel it is their right to come to First to use the lavatories...which I have experienced many times.

  19. Claudia Mont Guest

    The Bridesmaids!

  20. WBW Guest

    In most situations the split is voluntary. When you voluntarily choose to split by initial ticketing or opting to accept an upgrade later you need to accept that you will be siting apart and stay in your respective cabins. If you need to "visit" just stay together in the first place. This visiting is far too common and many are extremely disrespectful to their fellow passengers and the crew.

  21. Dave Guest

    Was travelling Business class with a friend from Mumbai to London on the now defunct Jet Airways. Got upgraded to First class coz of FF status. Asked whether my friend in business could join me for lunch. They were extremely courteous and set up the table for two. Brought both our meals together and we shared it.

  22. Chris Guest

    BA have a long-standing unofficial policy of allowing F passengers to invite others into the cabin for a drink (outside of meal times). Becoming less and less relevant as they phase out seats with buddy seating, but it has nonetheless been their policy for at least 10+ years.

    (I don’t like it, incidentally. I tend to think that if you want to spend time in an F cabin, you should pay for it!).

  23. D3kingg Guest

    Visiting someone in first class or switching seats inflight is tacky.

  24. RB Guest

    This is a tricky one. Saying that, I've had friends join me on many occasions when I traveled in F and they didn't. British Airways were great, handing out F drinks and snacks to my friend while he sat with me for an hour or two. JetBlue let my friend come and join in the new Suites, and even Emirates let my friend come and join upstairs at the bar. It's all about how you...

    This is a tricky one. Saying that, I've had friends join me on many occasions when I traveled in F and they didn't. British Airways were great, handing out F drinks and snacks to my friend while he sat with me for an hour or two. JetBlue let my friend come and join in the new Suites, and even Emirates let my friend come and join upstairs at the bar. It's all about how you ask, and knowing that it's not the normal thing to do. I usually ask the purser if I can join them down the back, and more often than not, they invite them upfront.

  25. Barry Guest

    Once while on a Qantas 380, my wife was in biz while i was stuck in economy. The crew graciously let me join my wife in the small lounge area at the front of the upper deck. It was a courtesy much appreciated.

  26. Burgh Guest

    I had two unpleasant situations while flying La Premiere with AF ...

    1) CDG-GRU. Load in F was 2/4, with both window seats taken. My fellow passenger decided to ask his wife (from J or Y) to join him for lunch and they were very loud, to the extent that I could overhear with my headphones on. This lasted for over an hour, when I called the purser and complained. To my surprise, they were...

    I had two unpleasant situations while flying La Premiere with AF ...

    1) CDG-GRU. Load in F was 2/4, with both window seats taken. My fellow passenger decided to ask his wife (from J or Y) to join him for lunch and they were very loud, to the extent that I could overhear with my headphones on. This lasted for over an hour, when I called the purser and complained. To my surprise, they were just asked to be silent, but the guest stayed visiting for probably another hour. When I was escorted to the luggage belt, I could hear a discussion on the radio that the same guest was making a scene because he wanted to guest his wife and three kids into the lounge. I made an official complain to AF, which was never responded to.

    2) SIN-CDG. Load was 3/4 ... I has the window seat, and this gentleman, a professor that I actually know, had one of the middle seats. He was travelling with a friend (both probably in their 70s), and the lady stayed visiting from boarding through doors close, when she was directed to her seat by one of the FAs. During the 30 minutes or so, she kept staring at me and making remarks that the professor should have taken the window seat, that the middle seats were no good, bla bla bla. She came visit after dinner and had a coffee, with no real disturbances, probably for around 5 minutes or so. But then she came about 30 minutes before descent into CDG, occupied the lavatory for 15 minutes and took some of the toilet amenities as souvenir. She was also allowed to take the unoccupied middle seat for landing. Another e-mail to AF, with no reply.

    So yes ... it happens, and most of the time it is not a peaceful visit for those who pay to have more privacy, silence and better amenities.

    My take is: want to fly together in a particular cabin, buy it. Period.

  27. Greg Guest

    The reason that sometimes families will spilt themselves up between business and first class cabins is because there often is not award availability for 4. Finding award availability for 1 or 2 is much much easier then trying to find 4 seats in one cabin. So if there are 2 seats in F and 2 seats in J on the same flight, families sometimes are forced to take this option.

    1. Florian Guest

      Yes. So, if they still want to sit together...they could also pay for 2 more tickets if there is no award availability.

      If I had 8 kids I couldn't even fit the whole family into some of the F cabins out there. My problem, not that of other passengers.

  28. Donna Diamond

    Pre pandemic, I can’t recall a single flight where there were empty seats in F or J, domestic or international. It’s not like passengers from economy can find space to sit down for a quiet visit. They’re going to be hovering about in the aisles and talking. On international F and J, I’ve seen the “no visit” rule consistently and strictly enforced, thankfully! Hard to get any sleep with people hovering about the aisles and...

    Pre pandemic, I can’t recall a single flight where there were empty seats in F or J, domestic or international. It’s not like passengers from economy can find space to sit down for a quiet visit. They’re going to be hovering about in the aisles and talking. On international F and J, I’ve seen the “no visit” rule consistently and strictly enforced, thankfully! Hard to get any sleep with people hovering about the aisles and talking. On domestic flights, I’ve noticed occasional short visits but not anything that would be highly annoying or disruptive to other passengers.

  29. Charles Guest

    What an odd post. You pose a lot of questions, but act like there are not any answers.

    Can a guest visit a companion in a higher cabin? Maybe. Not sure if different airlines have different policies, but have we lost all human decency? How about if they aren't bothering anyone, we just don't care?

    Can a guest order off the higher cabin's food/drink menu? Umm, no. Didn't think this had to be asked.

    How...

    What an odd post. You pose a lot of questions, but act like there are not any answers.

    Can a guest visit a companion in a higher cabin? Maybe. Not sure if different airlines have different policies, but have we lost all human decency? How about if they aren't bothering anyone, we just don't care?

    Can a guest order off the higher cabin's food/drink menu? Umm, no. Didn't think this had to be asked.

    How long should a visit be? If people are not bothered, does it matter?

    An airplane is a public forum, so certain seats might offer additional privacy than others, but let's stop pretending it isn't a public place. It's a public form of transport, not a hotel room.

    Seems odd to actually care so much about the different "classes" and what people choose to do. How about we just not be dolts and coexist peacefully?

  30. BookLvr Diamond

    Thank you for covering this topic. It's one I have wondered about and I appreciate your experience and wisdom.

    This summer, I would have been tempted to ask. My spouse, daughter, and I were flying in the four-seat La Premiere cabin and were the only three guests in that cabin. My daughter had a 17-year-old friend who was supposed to be flying on the same flight, but not in La Premiere. It definitely would have...

    Thank you for covering this topic. It's one I have wondered about and I appreciate your experience and wisdom.

    This summer, I would have been tempted to ask. My spouse, daughter, and I were flying in the four-seat La Premiere cabin and were the only three guests in that cabin. My daughter had a 17-year-old friend who was supposed to be flying on the same flight, but not in La Premiere. It definitely would have been fun for all of us to have that friend join us for at least part of the flight. We in general try to be low maintenance passengers, though, and I couldn't decide whether requesting that the friend be allowed to visit would be a high maintenance type of request. I will admit I was also hoping that we might be allowed to have the friend join us as we deplaned so we could go through the immigration queue together.

    As it turned out, her friend's first time passport was delayed (part of the great US passport backlog of 2021) and had to fly out three days after the rest of us, so the issue didn't come up.

  31. stogieguy7 Diamond

    Agree with the slippery slope premise; because many (most?) people will try to take advantage of someone's generosity in such a case. And where does it end? A visit? I guess so, if it's brief. But it's clear that this should be cleared with a crew member. Why? Because abuses aren't fair to the other people who paid a lot (one way or another) to be up there.

  32. Nick Guest

    Grace Mugabe is somewhere between Donald Trump and Hitler on the list of worst human beings.

  33. Steve Guest

    It is my experience that when flying British Airways in first class, both my wife and I could guest one person each to the first class lounge at LHR. This enabled our travelling companions to join us. This does not extend to the Concorde Room.

  34. Peter Bruinewoud Guest

    Inter-class interaction is more or less frowned upon, but the approach can be softened. I remember flying business class some years ago and during a layover met a delightful couple on their first trip to Europe. When we re-boarded they came to visit me in business class. No problem, but after about 10 minutes the FA came that they would have to take their seats in economy. They understood , no hassles, no drama.
    ...

    Inter-class interaction is more or less frowned upon, but the approach can be softened. I remember flying business class some years ago and during a layover met a delightful couple on their first trip to Europe. When we re-boarded they came to visit me in business class. No problem, but after about 10 minutes the FA came that they would have to take their seats in economy. They understood , no hassles, no drama.
    FA comes during dinner and suggests bringing them a bottle of wine - with MY compliments. I was surprised that they would do that. Not as surprised as they were nor the passengers around when the FA said “compliments of your friend in business class” . Admittedly business class was only 30% occupied. But still!

  35. Phillip Guest

    I became ill on a delta international flight recently. My friend cleared her upgrade to delta one and I was in economy. She was nice enough to switch with me and the crew allowed it as I was viable ill.

  36. Mark Guest

    I think it would also depend on the definition of a "visit". If someone just comes up to get something from the higher cabin passenger and returns to their seat, no problem. If there was an extra seat they could sit down in briefly, i wouldn't personally care. But if they're going to stand in the aisle chatting while hovering over the people around them, I wouldn't consider that to be ok.

  37. Truptravels Guest

    It is a slippery slope.
    Wife and daughter were in Etihad First, while son and I in Etihad Bus. We went up to visit wife and daughter for 2 minutes and the FA had no problem. I went back to my seat and the FA said my son could stay up there. i fell asleep back in Bus and 6 hours later my son is still up there with his face painted and eating lots of cake.

  38. Mike Guest

    I think quite a number of airlines are much more relax if the difference in class was smaller, like from Business visiting someone in First. I have done this before on what I consider strict protocol Asian airlines - like Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore. But these were really only when First was quite empty or it was a long haul flight. Most of the time, I do use commonsense and if there is...

    I think quite a number of airlines are much more relax if the difference in class was smaller, like from Business visiting someone in First. I have done this before on what I consider strict protocol Asian airlines - like Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore. But these were really only when First was quite empty or it was a long haul flight. Most of the time, I do use commonsense and if there is a need to see my travel companion on such long haul flights, I would prefer the "downgrade version" i.e the pax in the higher class visits the lower COS.
    Although on some carriers I had times where after the crew spots this, they invite the person to the higher cabin on their own initiative. This is what I call a great crew!

    Cheers!

    1. khatl Guest

      Yep, had the crew offer it as well, which was great. Also had a first class crew member offer to send glasses of the first champagnes back to someone in the biz cabin so that they could do a comparison taste test with the biz class champagne!

  39. khatl Guest

    I've traded seats a few times before when there are no seats left in intl biz, and I had been upgraded, so I let my spouse have the seat as I flew biz all the time, my spouse didn't and I didn't mind premium economy. Crew never really mentioned it on any occasion, so I think it must happen regularly. Also sent drinks back to friends and family when in first/biz class (once to a...

    I've traded seats a few times before when there are no seats left in intl biz, and I had been upgraded, so I let my spouse have the seat as I flew biz all the time, my spouse didn't and I didn't mind premium economy. Crew never really mentioned it on any occasion, so I think it must happen regularly. Also sent drinks back to friends and family when in first/biz class (once to a friend who was traveling economy with two very young kids and I thought she needed a good drink!) but only do so rarely. As for visiting, will generally go to the lower cabin, though sometimes the other way around, but again limit doing that and never for meals or nighttime, as I just think that's inappropriate/inconsiderate to others

  40. credit Guest

    Personal feeling: I think any visits should be disallowed, regardless of cabin.

  41. Devarsh Saraf Guest

    It would be interesting to note that many Business/First Class seats do give the option of dining with a companion. In such a situation I do not think that it would be inappropriate for someone from a lower cabin to come share a seat and dine with someone in F/J provided of course that the same does not cause any disturbance to any passengers, and does not expect any service above/beyond that which one receives...

    It would be interesting to note that many Business/First Class seats do give the option of dining with a companion. In such a situation I do not think that it would be inappropriate for someone from a lower cabin to come share a seat and dine with someone in F/J provided of course that the same does not cause any disturbance to any passengers, and does not expect any service above/beyond that which one receives in economy. Maybe airlines could require guests to write an email to them/inform them ahead of time if they wish to exercise this option.

    1. Florian Guest

      Yeah or how about they just purchase the stupid ticket if they want to dine in F?

    2. khatl Guest

      That's just wrong. Had the opportunity to do it many times, and never done so. Plus, if there was another first passenger whose meal choice was unavailable because someone had done that, wow.

    3. Stephen Morrissey Guest

      @Devarsh Saraf
      My understanding is that what you suggest, is not an option.

      So why bother emailing a request?

      As previous poster wrote.

      Buy a ticket in the class you want to dine in....

    4. Eskimo Guest

      @Devarsh Saraf

      Has it ever occur to you that dining with a companion means a companion in the same class of service?

      Like the seat switching post, don't be an entitled I'm center of the world jerk kind of person,

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

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Truptravels Guest

It is a slippery slope. Wife and daughter were in Etihad First, while son and I in Etihad Bus. We went up to visit wife and daughter for 2 minutes and the FA had no problem. I went back to my seat and the FA said my son could stay up there. i fell asleep back in Bus and 6 hours later my son is still up there with his face painted and eating lots of cake.

3
Watson Diamond

I don't care if another passenger has a guest as long as they're seated and reasonably quiet. ("Reasonably quiet" means I can't hear them with my headphones on.)

1
Nick Guest

Grace Mugabe is somewhere between Donald Trump and Hitler on the list of worst human beings.

1
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