DH and Business Class Flights

The dss is an adult. They don’t need to be holding hands. As people get older they sacrifice a bit of money for comfort. When they were younger they flew economy. Now they are older they fly business. The dss is younger and he isn’t paying so he can fly economy.
it’s such a weird idea that just because older parents want to fly with more comfort on their stiff joints and not so flexible backs, they have to pay for their adult kids to fly business also. Adult kids aren’t entitled to everything their parents have.

This!

Does he understand that your reason for not wanting to go yourself is to save the money?

There's business class; there's economy class; there's cargo; and then there's Scoot and Norse 🤭

(Edited to say I've never flown business class)

Quite!

Business class to Aus for me in my 50’s wouldn’t be a luxury it would be a necessity, but for my kids? No. Having said that, there’s no way if I was flying with just one of my (adult) kids I wouldn’t be sitting with them.. that’s just horrible.

A lot of my friends who fly business put their kids in economy. The thing here though is that it’s just the two of them. Just not nice. Is your dh’s back up to economy?

My parents are very wealthy, and we often travelled to New Zealand. They always flew business, and I was in economy. I remember once they sent a glass of champagne back.

OP, I don’t understand in your OP you said you fly home ‘pretty often as a family’ but you don’t seem to have a have a family to travel with apart from your Stepson.

You don’t want to visit with your husband’s family for their milestone but want to relegate your husband’s son to cattle class if he goes with his father to see their family for the milestone you can’t be bothered with……

Step-parenting is difficult but this comes over as being rather selfish. If you could afford for you and your husband to fly back Business then you can afford for your husband and his son to do the same. Your Stepson is only 18 for heavens sake.

You are married to your husband so input to finances is immaterial.

I’m at an age now where I will only fly BC long haul, DH the same. Our adult dc go in the back, as many have said they are young and don’t mind the relative discomfort, they watch movies and then they sleep. I was the same at that she, now it would put me out for days, especially with the huge time difference. We’ve both worked our arses off for decades to be able to afford this privilege and our DC need to realise BC is a reward for hard work.

Why not premium economy? Basic economy is tortuos on long flights as you get older, especially overnight ones. Premium economy is nowhere near the cost of business class but definitely better than economy. Just more space all round, wide, plus a leg rest that holds up your legs and more tilt on the seats

Premium economy on my recent return flights to India was about £850 extra on top of economy, businesses class was around £2k more.

When I looked at flights to NZ recently PE was a lot more than economy but quite a bit less than businesses class so am surprised that some people are saying there is little difference .

I don't end to book way in advance though so maybe it is that

I fly this similar route often enough. The mentality it's hard is ridiculous. It's 24 hours out of life and as a family we fly economy or premuum. For work it's bc. I would never dictate that kids can't fly the same class as us if we ever took the opportunity for bc. If we did otherwise, it'd be nothing but mean.

As this is a dss, you look ever meaner. They should both be in economy if you can't afford both in bc. It's such an unnecessary indulgence otherwise.

As a child my family used to fly to aus and back regularly. We usually went business as it was easier and we all collected air miles.

Once we had to go with little notice and not our usual airline. My dad got business for himself and we all had to go economy. We still hold a grudge and bring it up.

DSS will not be thrilled to be sent economy while dad is in business.

My aunt got into this argument a few years ago with her 3 kids when they travelled from
Aus as young adults. They got excited about the trip saying they couldn’t wait to fly business class, assuming they would be getting bc flights as she had started flying bc. She told them that she would not spend her savings upgrading them, that she flew economy for years and worked incredibly hard to get in a position to fly bc. As an older person she now has aches and pains so affords herself this luxury once a year but as young people with young healthy bodies they should be grateful that someone else is gifting them a very expensive flight that most people can not afford and say “thank you”. She added that if they worked hard and saved that they would be able to get their own business class tickets in the future. If people are giving everything for nothing they don’t learn the value or anything.

If your husband wants to sit beside his son they could both fly economy!

OP has said PE is nearly as expensive as Business so it’s a no go. As for the ‘chats’ and ‘company’, I don’t think you appreciate how teenagers and international flights go. They will eat, they will play some video games/watch something and then they will sleep like they’re at the Four fecking Seasons as you enviously look on (even from your business class seat) 🤣

If I was the DH I’d want to fly BC and I’d want to fly sitting next to my DS. It will be good fun for them.

Not sure what DH’s health you are referring to - the Op mentioned DH is getting older not that he’s ill - maybe I missed it.

My kids are my kids regardless if they are adults or not so I wouldn’t travel with them on the same plane in a different class. That’s how I see it and how I would handle it. Maybe because that’s how my in laws have always treated their children - even though they are all grown adults.

Why is both being in the same class more important than DH's health?

When there are young children, it is different, but the guy is an adult.

@DontReinMeIn

she’s funding his long haul flights to Australia. How the fuck does she sound selfish? Really?

Yep, id have real concerns taking umbrage to having their flights to Australia being paid for by their parents but not getting to sit in business class with their parent. I’d really worry about their level of entitlement.

we all need to know - You have to work hard to pay for nice things. End of.

FACTS!! 👏

Sixteen grand on flights - are you insane ???

Why don’t they both fly premium economy? This is what I would do with an adult child. This way it’s a bit more legroom but more affordable and each has the other to chat to. It’s a long time to sit on your own if a family member is on the same flight!

The actress Kate Hudson and her siblings turned right on the airplane on family travel , whilst Goldie and Kurt went in first class.

Funny how even a child of privilege got it drummed into their noggin that anything above Economy Class was something that was EARNED and not an entitlement.
In the meantime, flying with hoi polloi was not to be treated as anathema and anything above was regarded as something that is earned or something sacrificed for.
But never an expectation on the coin of family or laypeople.
Nothing wrong with a child ( child age or adult) being shown that there is a demarcation between responsibility and reward between the roles of parent and child.

And only a very warped adult is going to feel bitter because they wereade to turn right on flights that they never earned or paid for when younger.

Remember; ordinary people have also deal with young adults who lack perspective, due to their upbringing of never being shown that a child's place is a child's place.

'Bout " they never asked to be born" as if flying economy is the last rites.

I think bus class is a luxury and when you are young and parents are paying then economy is fine

OP, he sounds like a good kid - presumably your DH can say to him, sorry mate, we can’t really afford for you to be upgraded this time, especially because we didn’t factor it in initially, would still love you to come but you’ll have to be in economy? There’s not too many 18yo out there who wouldn’t get this surely?

Other PPs insisting both must sit together is fucking nonsense. You and your DH have made the adjustments in order to afford business class (there is no way I could fly to Oz and back in economy anymore, I just wouldn’t go if I couldn’t), and no doubt he’ll crash out the minute the cabin goes dark anyway