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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Kids in economy, Adults in Business ! Is this allowed !

331 replies

RubyViolet · 27/07/2019 13:48

Friend is taking her Grandchildren to the USA to holiday with their Dad. Dad lives full time on West Coast, it’s a long flight.
Granny and daughter/ Auntie have bought Business Class returns for themselves but Dad has paid for the 12 and 14 year old to sit in Economy.
Is this even allowed ? I know BA have ruled that no under 14’s can fly unaccompanied now. I don’t know who they are flying with but l can’t help feeling that this is unfair on the other passengers who will have 2 very lively unaccompanied kids amongst them for 14 hours.

OP posts:

HappyHammy · 29/07/2019 21:55

Will adults be sitting in the business class lounge while the kids sit somewhere else, that would bother me a bit but the flight is ok. They might get upgraded anyway and it's a lot of money if they dont really need the extra room or fancier food. Why dont they all just fly premium economy and compromise.

fancynancyclancy · 29/07/2019 21:56

Very true, but it is too big for you to be able to see or speak to family members on the other side without leaving your seat. Quite different from just a curtain.

But how is that any different to being in the same class but 3 or 4 rows away?

LaurieMarlow · 29/07/2019 21:57

Do all the posters who treat their children equally let them have the masters & biggest beds?

DS's room is about the same size as ours. But I'm not even sure of the relevance of that comparison.

There's usually one 'biggest' bedroom in the house so someone has to get it (and if the parents share the room, there are two of them in there).

But it's not the case that only 1 (or 2) per family can fly business. No need to exclude anyone from the comforts. (Except for cost obviously, but if you can't afford it all fly PE).

Windbeneathmybingowings · 29/07/2019 22:00

My kids have the master as two single beds fit in there better.

The thing with the bedroom analogy is they are next to you and easy to get to should there be an emergency. You aren’t fighting against a hundred people going the other way to get to them. If you are even allowed that is because you’d have to stay in your seat with your own oxygen mask.

fancynancyclancy · 29/07/2019 22:07

DS's room is about the same size as ours. But I'm not even sure of the relevance of that comparison.

Posters have compared leaving the kids in economy akin to letting them sleep in a shed or having to share some gum for dinner whilst the adults chose the most expensive option.

Personally I think it’s ok for teenagers to rough it a bit, although I don’t actually think a holiday to America is roughing it.
I can look back at journeys I’ve made, places I’ve stayed, even my uni accommodation, first home furniture etc with horror but I had no problem with it then & it makes me appreciate what I have now even more I’m sure.

No wonder we have an issue with resilience!

LaurieMarlow · 29/07/2019 22:14

No wonder we have an issue with resilience!

Well if you think that leaving youngish teens to deal with the not catastrophic but far from pleasant stuff Venus describes up thread is building 'resilience' well okaaay then.

I hope you enjoy your champagne.

I couldn't do it. But I would class it as a dick move rather than actual neglect, so knock yourself out.

fancynancyclancy · 29/07/2019 22:22

Well if you think that leaving youngish teens to deal with the not catastrophic but far from pleasant stuff Venus describes up thread is building 'resilience' well okaaay then.

Well the aviation industry seems to think it’s ok as you can fly alone at 14... I flew alone & with friends from the age of 16 upwards.

LaurieMarlow · 29/07/2019 22:30

I wouldn’t have my kid fly long haul alone at 14 either, no matter what the airline says.

But again knock yourself out.

fancynancyclancy · 29/07/2019 22:44

I wouldn’t have my kid fly long haul alone at 14 either, no matter what the airline says. So short haul is ok?

Fruitbatdancer · 29/07/2019 22:44

Each to their own. But when we go on holiday we go on holiday, as a family! And I enjoy flying with my son in business class (If we've been able to get a good deal. If not we’re all in PE together). Why would you spend what amounts to 24 hours of what is often only a 7 day holiday away from each other I don’t get it. But then I work and every second of holiday time is precious.

dreichhighlands · 29/07/2019 22:44

My dc are flying long haul unaccompanied aged 11. With the right support this isn't that unusual.
Flying is a lot safer than being in a car or a bus and I don't always accompany my dc on those modes of transport either.
My dc wouldn't be happy if we traveled a different class to them and I wouldn't feel great about it but DH often gets upgraded to a different level with his ff card. Dc and I survive although it is usually short haul.

LaurieMarlow · 29/07/2019 22:47

So short haul is ok?

No. I seem to be a bit focused on LH tonight, but no, short haul not ok either.

LaurieMarlow · 29/07/2019 22:48

Why would you spend what amounts to 24 hours of what is often only a 7 day holiday away from each other

Yeah I don’t get that either

fancynancyclancy · 29/07/2019 22:51

No. I seem to be a bit focused on LH tonight, but no, short haul not ok either. What about school trips as I forgot I was younger than 16 when I went on them?

LaurieMarlow · 29/07/2019 22:53

That might be different as he’s be with his friends and supervised by teachers (who I presume wouldn’t be living it up in business!).

It would depend on the particular trip.

fancynancyclancy · 29/07/2019 22:57

Why would you spend what amounts to 24 hours of what is often only a 7 day holiday away from each other The thing my family & friends tend to do on flights is sleep & watch films.

fancynancyclancy · 29/07/2019 22:58

That might be different as he’s be with his friends and supervised by teachers (who I presume wouldn’t be living it up in business!).

But the ratio of teachers/staff to kids on trips is low & they could easily be sitting rows away from them. Why is a friend different to a sibling?

LaurieMarlow · 29/07/2019 23:23

But the ratio of teachers/staff to kids on trips is low & they could easily be sitting rows away from them

I’d be happier if there was an adult in the same cabin frankly. But I know you don’t get that .

Lots of friends would be more comforting for him than one (possibly younger) sibling.

Look I appreciate there will be times I can’t protect him and that’s ok, but that doesn’t make it alright for me to swan around in business when I could be there for him in the same cabin.

fancynancyclancy · 29/07/2019 23:27

I’d be happier if there was an adult in the same cabin frankly. But I know you don’t get that

I’ve never flown separately from my young dc but may consider it when they are teenagers, who knows. I just don’t get how it makes you a shitty person/parent.

EveryoneButSam · 29/07/2019 23:55

There's a lot of infantalising teenagers going on here. As many pps have said, of course they're not going to be "lively". The chances of them disturbing other passengers is probably lower than another adult doing so (based on the number of times I've been annoyed by an adult on a flight vs a teenager). They are perfectly capable of applying an elasticated mask to their own face.

I wouldn't do this, I would prefer us all to sit together. But I have flown unaccompanied from 11 (long haul from 13) and it was fine. Even with turbulence and bumpy landings.

ineedaholidaynow · 30/07/2019 00:28

Annoying adults are probably another reason why I wouldn’t like to leave a 12 year old on their own in economy while I live it up in business class. If there is a difficult passenger near them that wouldn’t be nice for them to deal with or put up with.

Also I know we keep going back to the mask thing. I am sure my DS would be perfectly capable of putting it on, but I am sure if we were ever in the situation where masks had to be used it would be pretty damn scary and I would want to be near my DC and I would feel guilty as hell if I had left them in economy just so I could have a more comfortable flight. Are people saying they wouldn’t mind that at all?

Parrakeet · 30/07/2019 00:29

Mymycherrypie
Haha- so the people in economy are not humans?

DreamingofSunshine · 30/07/2019 07:47

Are 12 and 14 year olds not capable of putting an oxygen mask on? Say if they were flying unaccompanied?

Purplejay · 30/07/2019 08:55

A 12 and 14 yo are very unlikely to be lively or disturb other passengers. They will be watching films or playing games.

Personally I think families should travel together although I apply this more to parents than to grannie/auntie as in this case.

There may be some preparation going on here for if the kids travel alone later. It may have been discussed, or not. As the same person didn’t book the seats, Dad may have assumed all would be in economy.

Personally I want to be sitting with DS who is 12. He would not like to be in a different part if the plane. He is 5’8 btw. Same as me. Next year when we fly long haul we are having extra legroom seats which I am sure we will both appreciate.

Of course kids appreciate nice things. He would love to fly bc but we can’t afford it. No way I would do it for adults but not kids.

I can never understand parents who only let their kids have cheap food or drink when out while having fine food and wine/beer themselves either. When we go out, we all have what we want. If we can’t afford to do that, we don’t go. I have known parents cook a roast dinner for the adults and then give the kids pasta and pesto for tea. DS has never got over the disappointment of getting a small bowl of pasta and pesto with cheese (no veg) at his mates house when he was about 8 or 9 and not getting the dinner he had been smelling/anticipating for an hour lol 😂

Windbeneathmybingowings · 30/07/2019 09:13

I flew alone at 12 and it was awful. I remember the hostess poured me a coffee when I hadn’t asked for one (I’d never had a coffee before) and didn’t listen to me when I said no thankyou. I didn’t know what to do. I just wanted to get rid of it, we had such little space because the guy next to me was enormous and it was spilling and seriously hot. The man sat next to me looked annoyed and told me to just **ing drink it then. I just downed it and sat silently waiting for it all to just end. There was no film to watch.

It was only a short haul. I wouldn’t do it. I think it’s the weight of responsibility that makes me say that. Like in my position, they might find themselves sat next to a horrible person and because they are a kid, the balance of power is against them.

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