to be annoyed that malyasia airlines

[catgirl1976]

have been allowed to ban babies in first class?? 1st airline to do it and I bet it starts a trend. How is it ok to be sat next to a crying baby if you fly economy but not if you go first? I suppose they think people travelling 1st would be happy to dump the baby in economy with the nanny. Nice family friendly policy there......

Why is it annoying?

I don't think there is a risk of your apocalyptic scenario to be honest.

If they had banned breast feeding women (which in effect they have) I bet more people would think it was out of order.............

But they haven't, and it isn't.

Short of something to be enraged about this week?

You are waaay over thinking this. Banning bf for the whole plane is not the same as banning babies from one tiny section of the plane.

I think it is a bit annoying too.

We regularly travel first/business class. And get filthy looks form everyone because we have small children.

And no, I do not let them shriek/run around/wail their heads off for the whole flight. In fact, the only time that dd1 (6, severe ASD) has been noisy on a flight in recent memory was on leg 2 of our flight to Australia - business class, A380 (for info). Qantas had stuffed up, and we did not have seats together. we (a party of 6) had: two seats together and 4 singles. dd1 was then 4, dd2 was 2. I sat with dd1, and dh managed to swap with someone to be able to sit with dd2. the cabin crew were great, and asked everyone if they would swap to let dd2 at least see me (she was getting upset), and no one would.

the flight took off, and dd1 started to get distressed because she could hear her sister crying. the man across the aisle from dd1 (who had previously refused to swap with dh/dd2) got really narky that she was upset, and told her off. dd1 shrieked. a lot (serves him right emoticon - dd1 was wearing a t shirt that said (clearly) "I am autistic, please be patient with me", and tried to turn away form him - he leant over further, and told her she should listen to adults, and not be so rude. wanker.).

there was nothing I could do until the seatbelt signs went off, and then we showed dd1 that dd2 was ok.

so yes, she made a noise. but if the airline had not been stupid and split us, and if the rest of the cabin had not been so self-righteously indignant about swapping seats to alleviate distress in a 2 year old, then no one would have been inconvenienced at all.

children are a fact of life, and our money (as a frequent-travelling family) is as good as anyone else's. all we ask is that people do not assume that our children will behave appallingly, and give half a thought as to why they might be acting up (eg a tot distressed at being separated from mum, or an autistic child scared because a stranger is insisting on invading her personal space - he was asked to stop and not talk to her again, or leave the cabin, btw - by the crew, and not as a result of complaint from us)

Thank you silverfrog

I love babies but having to sit on a train with one who bawled all the way from London, I can understand the point of their policy. It is bloody expensive to fly first class and a number of people work on laptops on the journey...

I have had a bawling baby in the past and my biggest worry is that I need not to disrupt other people - not that I have a right to be wherever I choose, regardless...

...I mean MY OWN bawling baby!

But you DO have the same right as anyone else to be somewhere. Having a baby does not mean you have less right to be somewhere. Just because you are a mother (or father) with a baby should not mean you do not have the right to fly first class if you can afford it. Babies should not engender automatic filthy looks on transport and people shouldn't be made to feel ashamed of them which they clearly are.

You are very sexist to assume that it will be mothers affected by this. What about fathers?

erm - i said fathers - if you read my post i said mother (or father)

Not sure how I feel about this but mumsnet is funny sometimes. Not long ago there was an thread about a passenger saying she didn't want kids in first class and she got slated.

I wish there were more parents like you punkatheart, half the time when you see a baby/young child crying their parents are ignoring them. I have every sympathy if the parents are obviously trying to do something about it but when the parents are just sitting there doing nothing while their child gives everyone else headaches I just want to throttle them (the parents not the children). In most situations people have the option to move away from a crying baby but not on a plane and some people find the sound unbearable - I have really sensitive hearing so it takes about 2 minutes in a confined space with a crying baby for me to get a headache.

I don't think it is the thin end of the wedge in that I really can't see babies being banned from all sections of all flights, the loss to business would be huge. Maybe now they are getting some of these huge aircraft they could have a special family area with play things/children's films etc.

I think catgirl has a classic case of 'precious first child syndrome' eg: it's my baby and the world shall bow to whatever I want and deem fit for me and my precious first born'

Get over it love, the world does not work like that. It is no discrimination or the thin end of the wedge. It's you being a selfish snoot.

Would you like a business person to get out his laptop and tell you all to sush as they are trying to work in the middle of your mother and baby group coffee morning? I doubt it.

They would struggle carocaro as I don't go to mothers coffee meetings. I am the business person with the laptop you refer to

"Well don't say I didn't warn you when babies (and by extension their mothers) are banned from all airlines / restaurants / public transport in general......."

BA and Virgin both said back in February they were considering making some flights on some routes children free; if that does come to pass it'll reduce the options open to those travelling with kids. It'll also make their other child friendly flights a lot more kid heavy, which won't be much fun for anyone.

I read this story and my first thought was hope I am seated next to someone like Orlando Bloom and his baby when they can't fly first class.

Personally, I don't think this policy will become standard throughout the industry. Airlines must know what proportion families make up of their first class passengers compared to business travellers. There is no point in alienating one customer base to appease another. And isn't the official line that there isn't enough room for sky cots in the first class cabin?

I understand its increasingly becoming an issue as parents are increasingly unwilling/unable to control/parent their kids on aircraft, so complaints are rocketing. All those unused airmiles are being used to fly babies in busisness class and first class which really impacts those who are trying to work/arrive at destinations for meetings.

There is a market.....

"I understand its increasingly becoming an issue as parents are increasingly unwilling/unable to control/parent their kids on aircraft, so complaints are rocketing."

Out of interest where does that understanding come from?

I travel a lot for work and with family across most classes (not often first admittedly(!!), business + economy usually) and haven't noticed a demonstrable difference in the behaviour of kids or their parents over the years; in fact better in flight entertainment has made things easier all round in my experience. I have seen more children travelling on long haul flights than I remember.

silverfrog you are awesome! Good for you, and you have my deepest respect for flying all that way.

I also fly regularly (to the US, last time with 3 DC's, 4, 2 and 4 months) and yes, they DO behave. The eldest have been doing it since babyhood and are used to it. I think this makes all the difference.

However if this does become a rule, bang goes my dream of taking them in first class...I'd just love to see the looks on the other passenger's faces...

people shouldn't take babies and small children on aircraft, full stop - it's selfish and very irritating to others. i would ban all under 5's from aircraft.

@Chen good question - I read it somewhere a few months ago, can't recall - but thus wasn't surprised re Air Malaysia. It was more about more young kids in Business/1st class and being poorly behaved, and business people being very annoyed and moaning.

Agree re Economy class, in flight movies have helped a lot.