I don't like children in 1st class airport lounges!

[Sunnsoo]

Just that really....

A lot of airport lounges let people bring a kid in for free if the parent has a pass/1st class ticket.

I have a Loungekey because I have anxiety and need to relax/clear my head before flying.

However, I have noticed a sharp increase in the amount of kids in these lounges recently... Running around, picking at the buffet, spilling fizzy drinks... I find it stressful to watch!

AIBU to think that if you take your kid into a quiet/luxury area, then you make them be quiet and behave?!?

It's a tiny, regional airport.

OP you haven't paid for first class tickets; you just have a lounge key... Is that right?

It's not a problem for me, ryanair's biggest customer here, I cheat on them only to fly easy jet!

but if I were stumping up large amounts of cash to fly somewhere and I was sitting next to a squawking child I'd be so disappointed.

YABU - badly behaved children are an annoyance wherever they are. First class lounges merely ensure you only have to put up with badly behaved children whose parents have first class ticket, not that the possession of such a ticket means they care about how their children behave.

So glad we fly cattle class. DS has autism and has been known to meltdown. Lovely people help out. Similarly, another passenger and I helped out a man flying alone with his 6-month-old baby.

Do you not think parents are those more likely to need first class?

Adult flying on their own v adult with two small children.

In first it's all more pleasant for everyone if I take my children in there. They can sleep properly as have space and can lay down, so on night flights they then sleep most the way. In regular cabins they can't sleep well as uncomfortable and Wrigle more.

We fly 2-4 times a month with our children. European flights we don't mind where we sit particularly as most under 4 hours. But anything more then yes we will try to get something with more space. For example often we will do a long haul flight home the day before school starts again at need of half term/ term. A seat that reclines means my children can sleep better on the plane, and start school the next morning again more refreshed. Dh or I will often be working during the flights on laptops.

If a baby cries it cries. That's life. The parents with it are trying their best to calm it I'm sure. And why should anyone in non first class or business have to hear all the crying instead?

My last flight I had a family with 4 children and two nannies all in first, so the whole children in cattle class with nanny is not what always happens. I also had very loud rude businessmen who drank and got louder as the flight went on.

Expat- in real life nobody in any seat in any area on a plane would be bothered by your son.

I recently took a 14 hour flight First Class with a woman who hiccuped very loudly for the entire trip. The hiccups were slightly irregular which made it worse.

I didn't complain because I wasn't sure who should deal with her.

1. It's all public transport.
2. Children behaving badly anywhere is not ok.
3. I'm most disturbed by entitled businessmen on their phones when in lounges.
4. Most big lounges have kids areas.

OP here.

First of all, I am very sorry for any offense caused. I am not against children being in the lounge, I am against naughty children misbehaving in there.

Secondly, no I don't have children yet. I have five nieces/nephews and I am a trained teacher though, so I do know a bit about children.

Thirdly, no I don't usually fly first class/ business class. I have Loungekey which I get free with my credit card. It lets me into most lounges in the UK/ Europe for free.

Thank you for all the suggestions though. I like the prayer room idea,, I might try that next time!

'Expat- in real life nobody in any seat in any area on a plane would be bothered by your son.'

People were really helpful. I'd asked for priority boarding but there was a mob scene at boarding time. A Dutch lady with her older son stopped me and asked, 'Is your son autistic?' I said, 'Yes, how did you know?' (I was on my own with him and our daughter). She said, 'Because my son is, too,' then she marched us to the front and fired off a bunch of Dutch at the clerk and in we went.

The man with his son was en route to his native Paris. His mother was very sick and his wife in America was unable to leave her work so quickly, so he was on his own with the baby, who was quite fractious. No problem, he was in the bulkhead and we were just one row behind. I asked if he would like me to hold the baby in the emergency exit area in front of him so he could at least eat because he hadn't been able to. He was like, 'Sure!' Baby stopped crying in a bit and other passengers came over to coo at him. Most people like babies.

Another lady offered to pass him things when he went to change the baby as the lavs are too small for laying down a baby and getting the bag in.

I don't think children is the issue - it's badly behaved children. I'll never understand why so many parents can't control their kids, or often don't even try to. My 2 were great in restaurants, on planes, in airports....because they knew full well, that these were not places to run around screaming. Poor/lazy parenting, imo.

I'm afraid I can't really comment as I'm still in awe of PaulDacresMicroPenis's user name

I noticed this a few weeks ago. Children under 2 are often free in the lounges you can pay to go in eg Escape type lounges. I was sitting in the 'quiet zone' and I could clearly hear every word of the toddler's iPad, and her whinging.

As a parent of 2yo DTs this was exactly what I was trying to escape from, but I could also see the appeal - the terminal was rammed and the family had seats and free snacks and drinks and I wouldn't begrudge them that at all.

I just put my headphones on and shut it all out - do you have any noise cancelling headphones? I recommend the Bose Quiet Comfort ones - they're great for onboard too, even if you just have the white noise on.

I am not against children being in the lounge, I am against naughty children misbehaving in there.

Then maybe your thread title "I don't like children in 1st class airport lounges!" should be ammended then.

Thirdly, no I don't usually fly first class/ business class. I have Loungekey which I get free with my credit card. It lets me into most lounges in the UK/ Europe for free.

PMSL- so you haven't even paid to be in the lounge, it's just a freebie on your credit card and you think you have a divine right to silence!

I agree it is preferable that children are well behaved in these circumstances but, like many situations in life, you can't control that.

I'm sure the staff in the lounges will really appreciate how important your 'lounge key' makes you and will happily ask regular, premium rate flyers to behave as you prefer as they'll want to bend over backwards for your custom.....not.

A teacher who can't tolerate naughty or noisy children and who has anxiety ?
What age group do you teach ?

peachpudding would you care to define "creepy old adult" and explain why such people should not be able to access the lounge with the first class tickets they paid for?

W8woman what a nasty bit of inverse snobbery about nannies in cattle class. Extra points for reverting to actual snobbery re who paid for the tickets. You sound delightful.

I regularly see older children in business class.

Perhaps you don't fly business class very often

We flew first recently (waste iof money not my choice) and screaming kids in lounge. I felt the same when I saw the patents sheepishly grinning as I would in a Costa. Shut the fuck up!!!

I don't work as a teacher, but I am trained as one.

No different from children kicking off elsewhere. It happens, get over it.

YABU.

"You never see kids over 2 in First or Business class ."

Yes, you do.

OP, within larger lounges there is often a business area where most will be on laptops etc - you could try sitting there as children will usually be on any sofa type seating instead.

Would you be better off in a corner of one of the restaurants, maybe somewhere less appealing to kids?