To be shocked at this

[Grennie]

I went on a long haul flight. There was a mum there with two children aged about 8 and 12 years of age. She settled the two children into seats in economy and then went to her lie down bed in first class.

Both DP and I were shocked that someone would do this. We all fly economy. But if we were going to pay for first class, we would not separate children and adults.

So AIBU?

I would probably be inwardly a bit too, but I think YABU to care enough to go public with it. Broadly under the heading not really your business, I would say!

I reckon they'd be pretty safe on a plane. It's not like they could wander off and get lost.

I wouldn't want to do that, but each to their own.

There could have been many reasons for this. She may be ill/have a disability which means economy seats are a problem, or perhaps need to be well rested at the other end to drive a long distance. Perhaps she is flying for work and to take her children needs to buy seats for them separately. Many, many reasons so overall unreasonable to judge without full facts.

Perhaps she badly needed a rest for some reason, such as illness or pregnancy or something. It's not as though she left toddlers.

My thinking is this: the children know where she is if they need her. They were probably excited to be left alone and treated like grown-ups. 8 and 12 is not that young. Children will fall asleep anywhere, and I have never managed to fall asleep on a plane. They had each other for company.

Besides, it may have been a business trip or something, but she decided to take her children too.

YABU to be shocked.

I didn't think they were in any danger. I just felt sorry for the kids in economy while their mum lived it up in first class.

Would it bother you if they were flying alone, that they were not in first?

At eight and twelve they are far older than my sister and I were when we sent all over the place on planes alone, (they use to stick labels on you so when you got hand over to other airlines, you wouldn't get lost.

If be a bit judgy tbh but then I lack the collective MN ability to think through every possible reason for a situation before ever turning so much as a hair

YABU to be shocked - the most I could muster would probably be mild surprise followed by not giving two hoots. As other posters have pointed out, there are a number of reasons that it could have been worked out like this which would be perfectly understandable and even sensible.

She was probably sleeping or working or reading a book, not 'living it up'. There are loads of people who couldn't afford to upgrade 2 extra people to first. It's not that shocking.

WHAT IF THERE WERE SNAKES ON THE PLANE!!!!!

Maybe she gets upgrades through work etc? Personally I think the extra cost of business class flights is probably a bit wasted on kids who will most likely watch the inflight films or play on electronic games. At 8 and 12 I'd have thought they'd be fine.

I have never flown first class for a long haul flight, but have never felt sorry for myself in economy either. just bored

Don't companies sometimes pay for flights in this way?

So a contract may stipulate x number of business/first class flights per year for employee + partner or something. If the children are being paid for out of the pocket of the parents then economy v's first is a huge difference in cost I wouldn't expect parents to give up their expensive (company) flight though simply to sit with dcs presuming dcs were happy to be left in economy.

I know my dad flies business twice a year but if step mum was to travel with him there's no-way she or he would pay for business class. They do usually travel separately though. (For reasons of domestic & work arrangements btw, not because they are royals )

daddyman

LOL at all the posters saying that it's none of your business. As if most things talked about on MN are anyone's business.

I am on the fence myself. Children sleep more easily on planes, are smaller so don't feel the discomfort of cramped economy seats so perhaps the mother felt she couldn't justify the expense of 2 first class seats for children. Plus, have you ever tried taking children into first class areas on planes? You get a lot of glares from other first class travellers who certainly don't want to share their space with potentially noisy children.

But yes, I agree with you that the principle of the thing is a bit off.

Not something I'd do but no reason why she shouldn't. At 8 and 12 they're old enough to be left and so long as they behaved it wouldn't bother me.

Yeah I know it is none of my business. But then most things talked about on MN are nobody else's business. We still give our opinions though

I wouldn't care if the children were travelling alone. I just object to children being treated in such an inferior way to adults.

Well I don't know about shocked exactly but I think it's pretty poor show, I have to say. I wouldn't do it to my 2, I'd stay with them.

At 8 and 12 it may be their idea. They may have negotiated a new game console or spending money with the difference. At that age I can't imagine leg-room or fancy food commands much of a premium as life experiences go.

But is it really such an inferior way? Children have different priorities; they may be perfectly happy with the situation.

Don't worry Grennie I have been told today that I have "too much time on my hands" for starting a thread about "naice" ham. No shit sherlock....if I was really busy I wouldn't have bothered.

I would initially, probably hoik a bit - and then (thanks to MN's influence) hoik them back down again and ignore.

Well I suppose it's natural that there will be a few raised eyebrows over this. But good point that the adult would need the extra leg room but the children wouldn't as much. Or they might have been given the difference to spend on something else. Who knows.

Fishfingers - Yes we should only post about serious stuff.