To Risk Upsetting Other Travellers

[JustPurple]

I am going back to work at the end of October and am looking to squeeze in a last minute holiday before I go back. We will be flying long haul and have an 8 month old baby.

We usually fly premium economy when we travel with TUI because I'm not great with large groups of people. WIBU to take an infant into premium economy? I feel like people would be cross if she made any noise when they've paid out for an upgrade, presumably for a calmer and more enjoyable experience. The baby doesn't usually cry for any length of time but she's never flown before.

Oh, and I don't understand the 'taking the baby to see its grandparents' argument either...the grandparents are more likely to have more time and money to travel to see their grandbaby than a young family tbh...

This wouldn't even cross my mind not to do. Why should people in economy (the poor) have to put up with a crying baby but good god we mustn't disturb the upper class (the rich) by making them rub shoulders with certain type of human being.

Do the posters saying children shouldn't be in upper class also apply this to Prince George and Princess Charlotte? And yes, the royal family, even the Queen have been know to fly on commercial flights.

You paid as much for your seat as them - If they have an issue with a baby that's their issue not yours.

They aren't paying for a child free journey it's still premium 'economy' - If the airline allow it then fly whatever standard you want to.

It not like your planning on putting headphones on and ignoring your screaming infant the whole flight?!?!

We have only flown short haul (3,5 hours) but have flown from when both children were 2-3 months old with no issues what so ever.

I wouldn’t worry, my daughter and her husband took one year old twins long haul in first class. There are no laws to stop you, you paid your money, do as you wish.

And if people think they're so important that they couldn't possibly share transport with other humans (children) they can go by private jet.

If I paid for business class seats and ended up next to an 8 months old baby, it's me who's be crying. It's not just the cry, they wiggle, fidget, expect you to engage with them etc... My idea of hell! Would I be angry? Yes but not at the parents as ultimately even I can appreciate that it is their same entitlement to be there.

I am laughing at the poster who hasn't been on a long-haul flight for 20 years because babies are allowed on planes, though. There's cutting your nose off to spite your face and then there's that.

I personally would take her you still have the right to fly premium regardless of been a parent. If I was flying with my DC I'd go premium. People pay for extra leg room not quiet. If they want quiet go business class.

Really CBA to read the whole thread because I will probably have my eyeballs stuck to the back of my head reading people saying that babies should not be in Premium economy or business because they paid good money to be there.

OP, just buy the ticket and don't worry about the other passengers. If you bought a coach seat, would you worry about the other passengers? Of course you would - as any normal person would. Just have the same courtesy to the other passengers as you would in any other seat - no more, no less.

the grandparents are more likely to have more time and money to travel to see their grandbaby health problems preventing them from travelling

Fixed that for you

@Sashkin

Far less likely these days given increased life expectancies and the general health of the population. I'm 32 and having my first baby (which seems quite 'old' compared to some!) and my parents are not 60 yet. We are not usually talking about genuinely elderly people now when we are talking about grandparents. If you were talking about people more my grandmother's age (88) then I might agree with you.

Angelil - we have always flown to visit both sets of grandparents and extended family as we do not have any family living in the UK. Yes, the grandparents have been regular visitors to stay with us but by flying back home we get the opportunity to see family and the friends we grew up with. My DT’s have been frequent flyers from birth, not for an privileged reasons but to keep in touch with our family and friends in two continents. And yes we fly business/club class because I have loads of air miles so we pay very little cost for doing so.

But we are talking about grandparents who live a long-haul flight away in this case. So not necessarily in a first world country.

And I’m 40, with an 18mo. My mother is 70, plenty old enough to have health problems. I have several friends with parents in their 80s, particularly children of second marriages.

My MIL died of cancer aged 64, and certainly wasn’t fit to fly for several years prior to her death (lung metastases). As a doctor I see plenty of people in their 60s with COPD, heart failure or renal failure who aren’t fit to fly. Just because you personally don’t know them doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Given that almost universally people who travel long haul frequently (like me) have said that it is other ADULTS who are a pain, how utterly SELFISH and what was the phrase, ‘fucking vile’ of other adults to travel? Surely they could just stay at home till they learned to behave in civilised society? I am astonished at the selfishness of those who deem that children shouldn’t travel.

Some very entitled and narrow minded thinking on here, and even a need to appropriate white male privilege to that end! We bought our children up 13 hours away. I once walked it in economy when my hyperactive eldest was 18 months and had the worst possible daggers looks from a mainly female SAGA tour group, who kept making loud ignorant remarks such as "that child needs a dummy". (Nope she just didn't want to miss anything especially those weird shouty people behind, and kept herself awake on nervous energy to the extent that she threw up the food she had had at Heathrow entirely undigested at our destination) Never again, definitely do not take your child in economy, those baby boomers need their sleep

In any case as a twenty something business woman often travelling to the west coast of the US in business class I was almost always put next to the babies. It was assumed presumably that I had some sort of maternal immunity to the noise. I didn't and didn't relish proximity to ankle biters, because of course I was not maternal and I was never going to have one of my own but actually they were rarely a problem, unlike the men in suits with an average of at least one instance of inappropriate behaviour every bloody flight.

Business and first class to and from where we lived was in any case full of families and unaccompanied minors especially at the start and end of the summer. None of the airlines would have wanted to miss out on that market which they very actively marketed too.......

If they want quiet go business class.

Rubbish! They can be in any class you can afford. I've taken my three in first, PE and economy. If anything it's MORE considerate of the other passengers to have them in first because they each get their own little pod thing away from other people so other passengers don't have your child pushed up close to them.

I did once witness one ae in a suit get shirty with a mother with a crying baby. It was actually in business class on a train, the Friday evening cattle truck back from the north. He had been braying loudly and self importantly a load of business twaddle (and manifesting that he wouldn't have known a sound and coherent business strategy if it came and hit him in the back of his neck) for a couple of hours when a baby went into one of those paroxyms of crying that nobody can stop. The mother was clearly distressed and though I knew nothing about babies I could see she was trying her best. The twunt pipes up with "Can't you shut that baby up, the noise is hurting our ears" To which I shouted back "I'd rather listen to that than the crap you have been sprouting" and the whole carriage cheered with a few "hear hear"s. The mother had not actually heard him then went and gave him a mouthful too accompanied by more cheers. I take that to have shown that even most men in suits are human beings, with empathy and perhaps even children of their own.

If Ipaid for business class seats and ended up next to an 8 months old baby, it's me who's be crying.

To be fair, anyone this uptight and unstable probably does need the holiday, but that's not anyone else's problem.

Most cc/bc seats have little pods and/or dividers between them so you are much less likely to have a DC invading your physical space than economy or economy plus, (which is just economy with a little bit more space).

What is with the "men in suits" bullshit? They are probably the ones paying the bills for the SAHMs flying on vacation with the babies. There is nothing wrong with being a working person who has to travel for work.

YANBU - it’s up to you. I wouldn’t feel bad. You’ve paid for your seat.