Parents in business, kids in economy

duchy

dickydonkin wrote: »

I'm sure they are - but I bet they would be even more 'content' sitting with their loving parents in relative luxury rather than being abandoned and having to slum it at the back crammed into an economy cabin.

!

Ha ha

I suppose anyone who makes their kids get the bus to secondary school rather than Mummy and Daddy chauffeuring them is abandoning and neglecting them too !

No wonder kids are so hopeless -Too many parents keep them wrapped in cotton wool too long.

Mojisola

duchy wrote: »

I suppose anyone who makes their kids get the bus to secondary school rather than Mummy and Daddy chauffeuring them is abandoning and neglecting them too !

That's not the same thing. It would be more like the parents getting a taxi to go to a family event while their kids had to catch a bus.

[Deleted User]

Yup,once the kids were teenagers we did it all the time when I worked for a living and racked up frequent flyer miles.

This nonsense on here about everyone being equal in a family is exactly that - nonsense.They're children and you are adults.You are paying for their travel.

My kids appreciated the fact we considered them mature enough to travel on their own while we indulged in the free booze at the pointy end.:beer:

Managed to upgrade them once on a memorable holiday to Barbados thanks to a mate in British Airways.

Nowadays with all travel on my own dollar I never get to turn left on plane any more.

Goldiegirl

I don't have kids myself, but this attitude that parents can go first class and the kids go cattle class really surprises me.


What's the point of having a family if you don't stick together

duchy

A lot depends on your definition of kids. From the emotive "abandoning the poor wee toddler alone" (which was never actually suggested by anyone) to "teens enjoying athe feeling of people thinking they are old enough to travel alone" (and mortified when Mum or Dad pops back to check on them ��) there's a lot of ground inbetween. Of course there are anxious parents just like there are some children who could never be trusted to behave . As usual though there are some people who feel their style of parenting is the only right way and feel the need to condem anyone who gives their kids more freedom. These more inflexible parents tend to be the ones who end up with rebeling teens compared with parents who have raised their children to respect the views of others and to gently give them freedom (or the illusion of it) gradually. Every child ...and parent is different and what works for one family doesn't work for another.

Voyager2002

One (amazingly) my son and I were upgraded by Air France for an overnight flight to Beijing. I really enjoyed the selection of fine wines and the haute cuisine meal, not to mention the opportunity to sleep on a flat seat. None of these benefits meant anything to him: he was young and small enough to sleep well on an economy seat, and would have been just as happy with the catering in economy.So if I were to spend money on giving him a treat, I would not spend it on a premium air ticket. In short, I don't see any particular problem with putting teenage kids in the back while sitting in the pointy bit... so long as the parent is confident about the child being OK during the unsupervised flight, and so long as some other treat is on the way.

Blue264

Deleted_User wrote: »

Yup,once the kids were teenagers we did it all the time when I worked for a living and racked up frequent flyer miles.

I guess this a very personal perspective that people seem to have on this subject.

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with teenagers doing this. It's a decent learning experience for them. 10 and 11 yr olds are still vulnerable to my mind, and under 10 would be unthinkable. There's absolutely no way I would allow it. No matter how mature they think they are, the kids would likely come running at the first bit of turbulence.

sandsy

My kids have been lucky enough to experience the occasional long haul flight in business class and really appreciate the extra space and comfort. I wouldn't dream of leaving them behind in economy.

The travel is part of the holiday. The holiday is a family affair. So we all travel together, usually in economy (unless we have enough frequent flyer points to upgrade us all). One day, they might do the same for me!

dickydonkin

duchy wrote: »

Ha ha

I suppose anyone who makes their kids get the bus to secondary school rather than Mummy and Daddy chauffeuring them is abandoning and neglecting them too !

No wonder kids are so hopeless -Too many parents keep them wrapped in cotton wool too long.

I don't agree with your first point but I definitely do with your last sentence. In these days of computer games, internet and endless TV, it is a sad fact that kids have no hazard perception in the real world.

I concede it is a difficult balance to ensure a kids safety without mollycoddling them but you still have to evaluate the potential of harm (physical and mental) and it is perhaps unwise to assume they are 'safe' just because they are sitting in a full cabin of passengers and crew.

I think I have made my views on the subject clear and if parents wish to leave their kids in the economy cabin then that is their prerogative.

What opened my eyes, a few years back, my wife and I were flying to Bangkok in the economy cabin of an Emirates flight.

We were sitting on the left side of the cabin opposite 3 intoxicated lads taking up three of the four middle seats of the B777.

One of the female members of the cabin crew was assisting a passenger replacing a bag into the overhead locker just in front of our row when one of the lads sitting on the aisle seat leaned over from his seat put his hand up the poor girls skirt

Unbelievably, the girl did not react and my wife and I just looked at each other in disbelief.

I expected the police to board the aircraft on arrival into Bangkok and arrest the passenger, but the party of three exited the aircraft without repercussion.

But back to the topic, someones teenage daughter could have been sat in the proximity of this weirdo and his pals and it perhaps something to consider for those parents who seem content sitting up front while assuming their kids are safe in the rear of the plane.

A child/young person/teenager (or however you wish to define them) in a full cabin may look safe, but if they are sitting in the vicinity of someone who I described earlier, they would certainly feel more comfortable with their parents sat next to them.

Deleted_User wrote: »

My kids appreciated the fact we considered them mature enough to travel on their own while we indulged in the free booze at the pointy end.:beer:

Hopefully your kids were indeed 'mature enough' not to annoy their fellow passengers and they were not embarrassed by their parents who were p*$$*d once they arrived at their destination.

duchy

I do see your point but the same thing could happen to your teenage daughter on a crowded bus, in the cinema or any crowded place...... you can't escort them everywhere for ever.

Frankly all teenage girls should be taught how to deal properly with unwanted advances -before it happens- most aren't unfortunately - at least not by parents although possibly by their peers (whether this is a good thing or not is another matter).

EDIT Access to free drink doesn't mean automatically getting drunk to most normal people though. I've seen many more drunks in economy cabins where they've had to pay for booze than in business or first class where it's free.