I recently wrote about whether it’s okay to fly in first class, and leave your spouse in economy. I shared my take, and I’ve read the responses of OMAAT readers with great interest.
In this post, I want to address a topic that’s in the same general sphere, but different — is it okay to fly in first class and leave your kids in economy? I think this is a bit more nuanced, and there’s also not a correct answer.
I’ll share my take, and then I’m curious to hear what OMAAT readers think. Let me say upfront that while I’d always want to travel with my kid (since I’d like to spend time with him, regardless of where we’re seated), I don’t judge those who feel differently.
In this post:
When you shouldn’t fly in a separate cabin from your kids
If you are going to travel in first or business class and leave your children in economy, the most important thing is that they’re old enough to take care of themselves. You have to be realistic here — that doesn’t just mean that they’re potty trained and can follow instructions. If your child is going to bug their (stranger) seat mate for the entire flight, then they’re probably not old enough to fly alone.
For example, on a flight some time ago, I saw a fairly young kid (maybe eight years old) in economy, while her parents were in first class. While she was old enough to sit alone, it was kind of awkward, as she talked to and played with her adult seat mate for most of the flight. While the adult was a good sport, I can’t imagine that’s how they hoped to spend their flight.
There’s no consistent reasonable age cutoff for that, in my opinion, as it very much depends on the kid. I’d generally think that a kid in their teens or older can be pretty self sufficient, while younger than that it’s more iffy.
I don’t think it’s wrong to fly in a separate cabin from your kids
Assuming your kids are old enough to take care of themselves, I don’t think there are any ethical issues to leaving your kids in economy, while you fly in first or business class. That ultimately comes down to a parenting choice, and I think the logic is fine.
There are potentially a few ways that people seem to justify this, all of which are valid enough:
- “I worked hard, so I deserve to sit here”
- “You should be happy you’re coming along at all, and if you work hard some day, you can buy this for yourself too” (or get good at the miles & points game)
- “I don’t want my kids to get spoiled, so I don’t want them flying in first or business class”
While I don’t think I need to explain this, I think there’s an important distinction between this, and flying in a premium cabin while leaving your spouse in economy. A relationship should be a partnership of equals, regardless of who is paying for or “earned” a particular privilege. It’s a little different when you have kids.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t treat them well, but I think there are certain things that people would splurge on for themselves, but not for their kids. For example, I don’t think your 16-year-old would expect that because you drive a certain car, they’re entitled to have you buy the same car for them.
As a parent, this is something I’m thinking about
As the parent of a toddler (who is now nearly three years old), this is something that I’ve been thinking a bit about. So far, most of our travel with him has been domestic or short haul international, and up until now, I don’t think he has been at the age where he understands that there are even different cabins on a plane.
Personally I value spending time with my son whenever I can, and I could never see myself flying in a different cabin than him. If I couldn’t get him into a premium cabin for whatever reason, then I’d rather just sit with him in economy.
What I’m trying to figure out, though, is the best way to find balance over time. Thanks to miles & points, I’m able to travel in premium cabins a vast majority of the time:
- Of course I’d love to travel with him in premium cabins on long haul flights when he’s older, as I’m sure he’d love it
- At the same time, I don’t want him to expect that’s how he’ll always be able to travel, or take that for granted; as they say, a luxury once sampled becomes a necessity
So I’m curious how other parents navigate that over time. All the time I see adorable, well behaved little kids in premium cabins, who don’t necessarily seem jaded.
My initial instinct is that the trick is to just mix things up over time, so that flying in a premium cabin is never an expectation. Maybe I’ll do more of a split between economy and business class, and heck, maybe this is the push I need to review more premium economy products eventually, since it seems like a good middle ground.
Bottom line
It’s not uncommon to see parents flying in first and business class, and then seating their kids in economy. Assuming the kids are old enough to take care of themselves, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It’s a perfectly valid perspective.
Personally I think I’d always want to fly with my kid, and I’ll probably find myself in economy a lot more as a result. That’s both a function of cost, and also because I don’t want him to become totally accustomed to premium cabins, and expect that this is always how he’ll fly.
Where do you stand on the topic of splitting parents & kids between cabins?
to add to the discussion about kids feeling entitled - I grew up with a father who worked for UA. Because of this, to my young mind, we traveled a lot, back and forth to our home town (Chicago) and great vacations every summer. This was back when we wrote our own paper tickets, called to be put on the space available list the night before, and flights were not over sold like they are...
to add to the discussion about kids feeling entitled - I grew up with a father who worked for UA. Because of this, to my young mind, we traveled a lot, back and forth to our home town (Chicago) and great vacations every summer. This was back when we wrote our own paper tickets, called to be put on the space available list the night before, and flights were not over sold like they are now. Most of the time we got our flight and were in First Class where I enjoyed my hot fudge sundays and when I got a little older, sneaking mimosas. As an adult, while I would love to fly first or business, its not in my budget. I've never felt a sense of entitlement (at least not traveling, I haven't become perfect, entitlement shows up sometimes in other areas for me). I'm just grateful that I'm in a position where I can travel at all, in the back of the plane, economy seats.
A flight attendant told me in a party that Madonna would fly in First Class, and her children (when young) would fly in Business Class. Is that acceptable?
I fear Will, that Eskimo might have to agree with me and say a firm No!
However, what do the majority of ‘celebrities’ know about responsible parenting anyway?
Definitely, as long as the kids are old enough or mature enough to handle being by themselves for the duration without needing any coddling. Hard to say what the cut-off is for American kids, raised to be "children" until their mid-20s...
More broadly, I resent seeing kids in the premium cabins- just so they can play with their parent or guardian? They don't benefit from or need the comforts of the extra space, privacy, lie-flat...
Definitely, as long as the kids are old enough or mature enough to handle being by themselves for the duration without needing any coddling. Hard to say what the cut-off is for American kids, raised to be "children" until their mid-20s...
More broadly, I resent seeing kids in the premium cabins- just so they can play with their parent or guardian? They don't benefit from or need the comforts of the extra space, privacy, lie-flat bed, most (American at least) won't appreciate the variations in menu, and obviously they can't drink. So they'll do exactly what they would comfortable do back in economy. The child who could sleep on the floor as readily as on the seat doesn't need the memory foam mattress topper. The one happy staring at an ipad for the whole day doesn't need the extra-large screen. Extra luggage allowance? Not like most kids are toting around tons of shopping or a mass of suitcases. Lounge access? The child can accompany their parent into the lounge in most/all cases.
And more to the point, now that seat isn't available for the adults for whom all the upgraded features DO matter.
Omar, Childism is a despicable affliction, please seek help for your condition.
Omar, Childism is a despicable affliction, please seek help for your condition.
Yes, wife and kids in the back!
A typical third world mentality or posted to illicit a negative reaction perhaps?
I'm interested in people's comments, especially when you consider that most parents in my country don't even let their kids walk to, or home from school, even when they are in their teens. Personally my view is when travelling with non-adult children at least one parent must be within a row or two of their children, as they are responsible in every way for their safety and their actions. It's not OK to delegate your...
I'm interested in people's comments, especially when you consider that most parents in my country don't even let their kids walk to, or home from school, even when they are in their teens. Personally my view is when travelling with non-adult children at least one parent must be within a row or two of their children, as they are responsible in every way for their safety and their actions. It's not OK to delegate your children as unpaid responsibility for the cabin crew.
Well said OnlyFirst.
Parenting is a responsibility which cannot be offloaded onto all-and-sundry.
Have another kid. Our boys are 5 and 8. They are well traveled. Sometimes on Southwest, and sometimes domestic or carribean F. We haven’t done international with them because they aren’t the right age year.
When we fly first now, we buy 4 seats. We are training them to sit together—presently they sit next to each other (usually in bulk head) and we are a row behind supervising closely. Goal is to move them...
Have another kid. Our boys are 5 and 8. They are well traveled. Sometimes on Southwest, and sometimes domestic or carribean F. We haven’t done international with them because they aren’t the right age year.
When we fly first now, we buy 4 seats. We are training them to sit together—presently they sit next to each other (usually in bulk head) and we are a row behind supervising closely. Goal is to move them to the back, but it’s purely financially motivated. The will be on devices so we aren’t missing out on time with them. Not worried about them being spoiled because we raise them well. And it’s not about them not having worked for it—the economy room seat is plenty of room for them, and they wouldn’t eat the meal up front anyway (let alone drink ).
Thinking at 8/11 they will be ready to be in the back on their own, together (nearby and within earshot and eyesight). For overseas we will book them up front to get them the bed.
My father's job took him all over the world for work. My brother and I were fortunate that when he had to travel during school breaks that he took the whole family with him as we got to see much of the world starting when I was 8 and my brother 4. When we traveled with them we traveled with them. If they were in FC we were in FC.
They took many vacations...
My father's job took him all over the world for work. My brother and I were fortunate that when he had to travel during school breaks that he took the whole family with him as we got to see much of the world starting when I was 8 and my brother 4. When we traveled with them we traveled with them. If they were in FC we were in FC.
They took many vacations without us during the summer when we were going to summer camp.
My parents rule of thumb was simple, until we were legally adults (18), we sat together. Once I was in college, we still flew with them on a family trip no matter what class we were in.
My wife and I had the same rule at first, though it changed since the kids became adults. Fortunately, we could afford it, so if we flew FC domestically, the kids were in FC and when we took an international family vacation, the kids were right with us in BC.
Our last full family vacation was international and by then our older son was married. All five of us flew BC.
So the rule now is if we're traveling for a family vacation we fly together and we stay in the same hotel together and while we might do different things during the day, we all end up at dinner together. We have one coming up this summer to celebrate my wife's big B-Day, we're all flying BC, all six of us (no grandkids at this point). I made the reservation a couple of months ago, so it's already signed, sealed and paid for, as are the hotel reservations.
We never had a problem with the kids understanding how lucky they were that we could afford it. The understood the value of hard work and the value of a dollar as teens and what a fortunate life they had. I think teaching that takes good parenting and can easily be done whether the kids fly in economy or FC/BC.
Easy. Can you afford it? Yes or No. Do you want to treat your kids to a nice experience? Yes or No. Same two questions I ask about everything I do for them.
I think that "the Misses" or "the wife" deserves to be in the back. The rest of the family should be upfront away from "the wife" or "their mother".
There is another aspect to this very interesting and complex issue: Those kids' seat neighbors. During boarding a few years ago, a flight attendant asked me to swap my boarding pass-assigned 38E seat –to help a family fly together– for an aisle seat on coach class' first row. Sweet!
A little later the flight purser came by, said hello and asked me which were my own kids. I told her none. Her face quickly...
There is another aspect to this very interesting and complex issue: Those kids' seat neighbors. During boarding a few years ago, a flight attendant asked me to swap my boarding pass-assigned 38E seat –to help a family fly together– for an aisle seat on coach class' first row. Sweet!
A little later the flight purser came by, said hello and asked me which were my own kids. I told her none. Her face quickly changed from a smile to a frown –I'm an adult male– and in a lowered voice told me: Sorry but you shouldn't be sitting here.
I calmly explained that her colleague had moved to that seat. She said that shouldn't be. I shrugged.
She found a woman flying by herself and asked me to swap seats. I did, of course –I understood her prejudice about a male flying solo.
I had 2 rather famous clients (you would recognize the names) who like many San Francisco families of a certain station in life traveled to Hawaii for the Christmas holidays. Mom & Dad in F, teenage kids in Y and everyone was OK. with that. Most of these families traveled this way.
It was the same way when I grew up as well, only I remember being 9 years old and flying Y alone when the folks where up front. I was REALLY OK with that LOL !
I remember flying BA with my parents when I was 16 and they flew biz while I was in economy. Quickly learned the flight attendants would serve me alcohol and a fun flight exploiting that. Parents laughed at how “tired” I was the next morning from economy
Solve the problem and help your fellow travelers, leave the kids at home.
When my kids were 16 or younger we always flew with them in economy. When they got older that was when i started traveling enough for work to earn status. When flying with them at that point if upgraded with only myself Id usually give my husband the upgrade because he's tall and appreciates the space while my kids and I are shorter and fine in economy. There's been 2 times with my kids who...
When my kids were 16 or younger we always flew with them in economy. When they got older that was when i started traveling enough for work to earn status. When flying with them at that point if upgraded with only myself Id usually give my husband the upgrade because he's tall and appreciates the space while my kids and I are shorter and fine in economy. There's been 2 times with my kids who were older than 16 flew in economy while both my husband and I were in business and they understood we were upgraded. We talked it over and they were fine. We often change who is sitting next to who on different flights to minimize perception of favoritism, to be clear we dont rotate seats during a flight just one flight we might sit certain people together and differently on another flight.
I think when younger they need support and when older its about communication and fairness.
There are creeps all over the world and an airplane is no exception. If you're ok with having a potentially sick adult sitting next to your child on a long haul flight, then go right ahead. If your children are old and large enough to defend themselves then I guess it's ok. I can't imagine putting my 8 year old girl in that kind of a scenario intentionally.
The bottom line is that if you...
There are creeps all over the world and an airplane is no exception. If you're ok with having a potentially sick adult sitting next to your child on a long haul flight, then go right ahead. If your children are old and large enough to defend themselves then I guess it's ok. I can't imagine putting my 8 year old girl in that kind of a scenario intentionally.
The bottom line is that if you can't afford to fly your entire family in the same premium cabin, then you should all fly together in the back. It's safer and way cheaper.
Depends how old the kid is.
More relevant to me is to get perspective of kids in first class (with their parents). I don't see it that often but fully expect to be doing that with my son after he's born for both domestic and int'l travel.
8yo? Poor Kid. That's f'd up. They probably spend a lot of time without their parents in real life too or their parents never would have abandoned them to strangers on an airplane.
By the teen years, I get it if you feel comfortable your kid won't be next to a perv. A teen can put their headphones on and ignore their seatmate just like they would put their headphones on and ignore their parents.
Parents should always sit with their kids until kids are at least 19 years old.
We traveled a lot when we were growing up (2 kids). We're from NY but have family in both CO and the UK. Both of our parents had lived and worked abroad and had tons of airline miles, especially with BA. When we were little, we flew economy so my parents could keep an eye on us. As we got a little bit older, it really just came down to if my parents felt like...
We traveled a lot when we were growing up (2 kids). We're from NY but have family in both CO and the UK. Both of our parents had lived and worked abroad and had tons of airline miles, especially with BA. When we were little, we flew economy so my parents could keep an eye on us. As we got a little bit older, it really just came down to if my parents felt like splurging or using miles, but they made it very apparent to us that flying in Business class was a special treat. It didn't happen often, but we definitely appreciated it more when it did happen. I think they did a great job with it and getting us to understand the difference.
“You should be happy you’re coming along at all, and if you work hard some day, you can buy this for yourself too”
this is a wild thing for a parent to say lmao
Ben have you considered sending the kid on mileage runs like you used to do, so that they can earn their own points and earn their business class seat?
Home Alone 2!
Simple rule to me: if the child can't administer their own oxygen mask and follow crew instructions in an evacuation, they shouldn't be sitting on their own.
Whether they panic or not, well, honestly, there's no guarantee the parent or any passenger isn't going to either. Hell, a bunch of adults can't even leave their carry on behind in an evacuation from multiple times that's happened and documented from videos.
They should leave the kids on the plane, ideally.
Honestly my only concern is possible disruption to your fellow passengers. I don't think any kids below 16 should sit in the cabin without any supervision from parents or grandparents. I also don't think parents should walk back and forth between first/business class and economy class cabin just to check on the kids. If your kids need you to check on them, you should sit in the same cabin with them.
I don't care...
Honestly my only concern is possible disruption to your fellow passengers. I don't think any kids below 16 should sit in the cabin without any supervision from parents or grandparents. I also don't think parents should walk back and forth between first/business class and economy class cabin just to check on the kids. If your kids need you to check on them, you should sit in the same cabin with them.
I don't care what your parenting style is. My only concern is to make sure that your family and you are not disrupting other passengers.
That should only be your sole consideration.
From the comments so far, bunch of hypocrites, as usual.
You don't want to spoil the kids but you claim you deserve it or earned it.
You're only teaching entitlement.
If you can't afford for the whole family, means you can't afford it.
You can afford it but want to teach your kids, fly in coach with them. Teach by example.
If your kids can't learn to live without parent support when they're...
From the comments so far, bunch of hypocrites, as usual.
You don't want to spoil the kids but you claim you deserve it or earned it.
You're only teaching entitlement.
If you can't afford for the whole family, means you can't afford it.
You can afford it but want to teach your kids, fly in coach with them. Teach by example.
If your kids can't learn to live without parent support when they're old enough, your kids have bigger problems. And that's your parenting problem. Teaching them in their tween about entitlement is a good start.
If you "don't think kids should be in First or Business to begin with. Period." you're just discriminating people by class. Why do kids belong in economy more than the rest of the plane. What a good example you're setting for society.
And if you view your spouse as equal but not your kids. Why have kids. They are not your inferior, not your slave.
But if you didn't have bad parents, we wouldn't be in this mess today.
Very well said
Esk, please do not burst a blood vessel as you read this response to your post …. I actually find myself agreeing with you for once.
The simple fact is that as a parent one can delegate one’s parenting authority to another person, however, one cannot delegate the responsibility a parent has for their children.
A responsible parent will always put the welfare of their children before their own …. that is often...
Esk, please do not burst a blood vessel as you read this response to your post …. I actually find myself agreeing with you for once.
The simple fact is that as a parent one can delegate one’s parenting authority to another person, however, one cannot delegate the responsibility a parent has for their children.
A responsible parent will always put the welfare of their children before their own …. that is often called love as well as the acknowledgement of one’s responsibility as a parent.
Esk, you have just earned a brownie point or two bro.
“But if you didn't have bad parents, we wouldn't be in this mess”
Damn Ben, you really need a moderator for your comments, this has to get exhausting and draining
SpeedBird, please tell the readership what you find “Exhausting and draining” about the comment posted by Eskimo?
There is little doubt in my mind that bad parenting can lead to children’s bad behaviour.
Children learn by example and it is the responsibility of all parents to set a good example for their children to follow, yes?
Maybe I misread his comment, but it sounded to me that Eskimo was implying that Ben had bad parents
Thank you for your response SpeedBird.
@Eskimo, @Mason, @AeroB13a - Agreed weather a kid grows up to feel entitled to a premium cabin or not, is all about the parenting. As a kid my father was posted overseas a lot and the company paid for the family to fly F (in the days before Business Class) or J once that was a consistent product on airlines. However whenever we vacationed outside of annual home-leave or moving from one posting to the...
@Eskimo, @Mason, @AeroB13a - Agreed weather a kid grows up to feel entitled to a premium cabin or not, is all about the parenting. As a kid my father was posted overseas a lot and the company paid for the family to fly F (in the days before Business Class) or J once that was a consistent product on airlines. However whenever we vacationed outside of annual home-leave or moving from one posting to the next, we nearly always flew Y. It was always clear to us that when we were flying in premium cabins that it was a privilege of his job, and we were to be on our best behavior or it could look poorly for my father.
The gravy train of flying J on the company ended when I was in college and he took a senior position at the company's home office. However the love of travel was already ingrained in me, and i got my fix in what ever way and seat i could afford, as the destination was the point not the seat.
Now that i'm married, got a kiddo with a year left in college, a wife that loves to travel too, and I've reached a point in life that I can afford it (on miles and points or occasionally in cash) I'm looking forward to more opportunities to turn left at the L2 door.
Just to clarify.
I didn't direct this at Ben or anyone in particular. You meant all of you.
It's our current society state in general. I get it life is harder than before but that's not an excuse. Having children is a huge responsibility. It's not an achievement check box that you just need to accomplish. You're directly responsible for them growing up and indirectly responsible for their lifetime and their children's lifetime to...
Just to clarify.
I didn't direct this at Ben or anyone in particular. You meant all of you.
It's our current society state in general. I get it life is harder than before but that's not an excuse. Having children is a huge responsibility. It's not an achievement check box that you just need to accomplish. You're directly responsible for them growing up and indirectly responsible for their lifetime and their children's lifetime to the least.
If you want to whine about DEI climate tariffs MAGA China Russia Gaza or other stupid political divide. Most of the time we're just a political pawn on a political chess board.
At least start by using contraception. A lot easier than stop being a hypocrite or not being brainwashed by propaganda.
They'll always be well behaved children and misbehaved children in any cabin. Parents, that's on you.
Esk, one cannot find anything to argue against when it comes to your statements on parenting, however, please don’t stop spouting your other nonsense as you can be so entertaining, bro.
Fantastic comment, fully agree!
As a husband and father of two kids I couldn't agree more to Eskimo's comment.
I don't see that happening except for short flights or when they are older (14+). I don't think its faire to ask the FAs to look after your kids. If you can't afford J/F for the entire familly, then fly coach. Sure, I get the entire "don't want to spoil them" but the way I see it, they will have to make their own choices and work hard to afford J/F on their own dime...
I don't see that happening except for short flights or when they are older (14+). I don't think its faire to ask the FAs to look after your kids. If you can't afford J/F for the entire familly, then fly coach. Sure, I get the entire "don't want to spoil them" but the way I see it, they will have to make their own choices and work hard to afford J/F on their own dime later. Kids actually really benifit from being able to sleep on flights. Makes shorter getaways possible.
My ten year old will always have someone with him- be it premium cabin or not. If our family of three can’t all secure seats in a premium cabin, then it’s mostly my husband that gets relegated to the lesser cabin. I see the argument against spoiling a child. But I also use our approach as leverage. We once all had to take a 5 hour flight in Coach. Today, I raise that as something...
My ten year old will always have someone with him- be it premium cabin or not. If our family of three can’t all secure seats in a premium cabin, then it’s mostly my husband that gets relegated to the lesser cabin. I see the argument against spoiling a child. But I also use our approach as leverage. We once all had to take a 5 hour flight in Coach. Today, I raise that as something he can avoid in the future if he does really well in school, gets a good job, yada yada.
5 hours in coach! The horror! ;)
Hahaha. You got me there.
Too high of a risk of a Home Alone situation.
This. Or what happens on the event of a depressurisation: does the parent stay in their F seat and trust the kid in Y will put on a mask too…..or will the parent run back to coach in a panic, probably putting others at risk?
Maybe it applies to some kids, but I don't think the "they'll get spoilt and used to it" argument really applies to everyone. My dad would always fly us economy or premium economy, but it only took me doing one overnight flight in business class in my adulthood to realise I never wanted to do that in economy again (what do you mean I get to actually get a good night's sleep and don't have...
Maybe it applies to some kids, but I don't think the "they'll get spoilt and used to it" argument really applies to everyone. My dad would always fly us economy or premium economy, but it only took me doing one overnight flight in business class in my adulthood to realise I never wanted to do that in economy again (what do you mean I get to actually get a good night's sleep and don't have to ruin the first few days of my holiday?!). I still happily fly daytime flights in premium economy, but it took literally one flight to "spoil" me :D.
And on the flipside, we did always stay in really fancy hotels when abroad. And nowadays I stay in hotels a lot more than I ever did as a kid (I travel a lot for my hobby), and honestly I am usually happy with a budget hotel even today. I think my cutoff for what I would prefer to avoid has grown slightly but only since I started earning money and had one too many bad experiences in cheaper hotels; I will no longer do anything with a shared bathroom or any room without a window unless it's completely unavoidable. And in the height of summer I generally gravitate towards places that I know have good air con because I can't sleep when it's too hot at night (ironically, I think caused by a broken radiator in my bedroom during much of my childhood making me get really used to the cold :P).
For me the main reason is that my son learns humility and maintains ambition. Flying premium cabins and private can corrupt that. But that is only a part of the puzzle. If you raise a kid decently, make sure it is polite, kind and gracious, flying private or in a premium cabin every once in a while is OK. But I will ensure that we (my wife, my son and I) regularly also fly economy on a long haul day flight as well.
Since you're asking for opinions... I don't think kids should be in First or Business to begin with. Period.
There are just some places (e.g., white-tablecloth restaurants, bars, etc.) that are not appropriate for kids. It used to be that parents realized that when you make the decision to have kids, you're going to have to give up some of these. But today's clueless, dipwad parents don't care. Yes, there are a few who...
Since you're asking for opinions... I don't think kids should be in First or Business to begin with. Period.
There are just some places (e.g., white-tablecloth restaurants, bars, etc.) that are not appropriate for kids. It used to be that parents realized that when you make the decision to have kids, you're going to have to give up some of these. But today's clueless, dipwad parents don't care. Yes, there are a few who aren't like this, but they are in the 1-2%. And as I say on this subject, I'll spare those who are inclined from proffering the "I'll take a kid over a drunk" pseudoargument - it's not a choice between the two.
If you don’t want to fly with kids in First… work harder and fly private.
You could do the same, conversely.
About two years ago, I was traveling from San Diego to Washington in United’s 777-200. I was in the 4th row, business class. There was a family that had quite an interesting way of choosing their seats. Parents in row 1, 6 year old daughter next to me in row 4, and teenage brothers at the back of economy. Even the flight attendant was confused by why they didn’t sit with their young daughter.
The...
About two years ago, I was traveling from San Diego to Washington in United’s 777-200. I was in the 4th row, business class. There was a family that had quite an interesting way of choosing their seats. Parents in row 1, 6 year old daughter next to me in row 4, and teenage brothers at the back of economy. Even the flight attendant was confused by why they didn’t sit with their young daughter.
The mother asked me to “take care” of her daughter, I offered to switch seats with her, but she declined. Several times throughout the flight, the mother had to attend to her daughter, having to stand in front of me each time.
Ben,
I suggest you consider flying the kid and a babysitter type companion back in coach when y’all decide to travel together in a few more years. Even if you don’t plan on using that babysitter for most of the trip, the added help while flying and working will be worth it.
The main problem I see is it’s virtually impossible to happily fly coach if you’ve only been raised in business or...
Ben,
I suggest you consider flying the kid and a babysitter type companion back in coach when y’all decide to travel together in a few more years. Even if you don’t plan on using that babysitter for most of the trip, the added help while flying and working will be worth it.
The main problem I see is it’s virtually impossible to happily fly coach if you’ve only been raised in business or first (know of plenty of examples here), and I think its so important to raise kids so they have a strong desire to travel no matter their budget. The worst situation would be to have a young adult whom felt they must be in first class to travel (seen this all too many times in spoiled kids). And the babysitter idea keeps your child unspoiled over the years in this area, yet still allows you to bring them along in a different class. Hell, even if you never used the babysitter once you got there, I think it’s still worth it. Free economy flight & hotel for them, down to earth child for you.
I couldn’t agree more with that statement „ The worst situation would be to have a young adult whom felt they must be in first class to travel (seen this all too many times in spoiled kids).“
Many kids I know that travel in premium cabins start to feel entitled to it and are shocked of the idea of flying economy as a late teen or tween.
I was raised flying F/J since I was a kid and spoiled badly, but nowadays I’m happy as long as I’m in economy plus or a generous pitch economy product since I’m 6’4. The biggest thing I’ve been spoiled with is not having to sit next to a stranger, but it’s a non issue when traveling with friends or family.
Funny enough I feel more grateful and less spoiled when I do fly Y...
I was raised flying F/J since I was a kid and spoiled badly, but nowadays I’m happy as long as I’m in economy plus or a generous pitch economy product since I’m 6’4. The biggest thing I’ve been spoiled with is not having to sit next to a stranger, but it’s a non issue when traveling with friends or family.
Funny enough I feel more grateful and less spoiled when I do fly Y nowadays, when I’m flying a J/F product I’m in a mature reviewer mode, criticizing everything in my head, but if I manage to snag a window seat with decent legroom in Y my main takeaway is “this isn’t that bad”
You are among the few my friend ;)
@SN there are more of us like @Speedbird than you imagine. Flew F and J a lot as a kid, because my father's job took us around the world and the company paid for it. Once he was permanently at the home office it was back to economy for me.
Never thought twice about it, my love of travel was a stronger desire than the seat i was sitting in to get there. I...
@SN there are more of us like @Speedbird than you imagine. Flew F and J a lot as a kid, because my father's job took us around the world and the company paid for it. Once he was permanently at the home office it was back to economy for me.
Never thought twice about it, my love of travel was a stronger desire than the seat i was sitting in to get there. I got to where I could afford to go in a manner I could afford. Did I look at those beautiful seats in F and J and wish I was sitting there, ABSOLUTELY!
Now I've worked hard, found a wife that also loves travel, instilled the same love of travel in the kiddo, and we are now able to afford to fly in J occasionally but more often we're in PE or use miles and points for J and I'm still counting the blessings that i even get to travel as much as I do.
I think kids that grow up "used too" traveling a certain way and feel entitled to it says more about their parents style of parenting than the fact they had the privilege of flying premium cabins as kids.
Some airlines offer a free bag of chocolate coated coffee beans and a kitten to unattended children.
I travel with my kids all the time (twin 5 year olds) but always in the same cabin as them. Sometimes they get "seats with buttons," or business class as we might call it, and sometimes they don't. We're flying to Tunisia Tuesday in AF J IAD-CDG-TUN, and then flying back in LH Y TUN-FRA-IAD. Award avail for 4 isn't always easy for business, so have to mix it up sometimes, and it also serves...
I travel with my kids all the time (twin 5 year olds) but always in the same cabin as them. Sometimes they get "seats with buttons," or business class as we might call it, and sometimes they don't. We're flying to Tunisia Tuesday in AF J IAD-CDG-TUN, and then flying back in LH Y TUN-FRA-IAD. Award avail for 4 isn't always easy for business, so have to mix it up sometimes, and it also serves a purpose as you allude to - mixing cabins will hopefully keep them from getting spoiled, and keep premium seats a treat
I think about how long the trip is. If it’s a one week school break trip, I’d sooner get business class for my teen and I for the long haul flights, to be more rested and ready to go upon arrival. I’ll consider PE for the return flight when jet lag is less of an issue.
As I commented on your other piece about travelling with spouse, I don't leave my kids in a different cabin when we travel together, regardless of their ages. Even though they've become used to travel in premium cabins, they aren't spoiled as they now often travel with their friends in economy and are probably happier doing so than travelling with us in a premium cabin :) I still occasionally offer to get them a seat...
As I commented on your other piece about travelling with spouse, I don't leave my kids in a different cabin when we travel together, regardless of their ages. Even though they've become used to travel in premium cabins, they aren't spoiled as they now often travel with their friends in economy and are probably happier doing so than travelling with us in a premium cabin :) I still occasionally offer to get them a seat in a premium cabin when they travel alone, but only if I can find a saver award (sometimes using their own miles). That way, I get them to appreciate the value of accumulating miles and points, and use them properly early in their lives.
Let the kid fly First. Parents in main cabin.
Note that if a kid doesn’t meet the age threashold for traveling alone, some airlines will require them to be registered as Unaccompanied Minor if parents are traveling in a different cabin.