The outrage about babies and children flying business class

[JPT96]

I always see people say that it’s not fair to fly business class with young children and they would be better off in economy. I find flying in business with my kids so much less stressful than Economy. They are comfy and less likely to whinge as we’re not all squashed in a tiny row of seats (plus the can have a proper sleep if it’s an overnight flight). If someone can afford it- why shouldn’t they be as entitled as the other paying passengers to be in business. Also, why is it ok to subject passengers in economy to crying babies. Their journey is stressful enough!

Why would you not expect a crying baby when nothing about buying a business class ticket gives any assurance that that will be the case? You must know babies are allowed. Seems odd to not expect them there.

Lots of people have flight preferences, it’s up to the airlines which ones they accommodate. They’d probably sell tickets very easily for child-free flights actually - I’m sort of surprised child free options don’t already exist tbh. And I’d personally pay more for a flight that wasn’t going to allow drunk people. But unfortunately for you and for me, these options don’t exist (yet!).

This doesn’t make any sense. Why would a need for quiet and a desire to be away from babies be the reason you’ve booked business class, when there is no ban on babies or children? It doesn’t make sense to say “I booked business class to be away from children even though I know children are allowed here”.

I agree loud children are a nightmare and parents should do everything they can to limit disruption. But paying more for a ticket that doesn’t ban children really doesn’t entitle you to not have children around you.

I’ve flown with my two kids business class back and forth from Australia numerous times from age 8 months to now, age 15 and 13. To be honest it wouldn’t even occur to me to consider what other passengers on public transport thought of my children. They generally slept, ate, watched tv. Business class isn’t like some exclusive adult club, it’s just a cabin with bigger seats.

Flew to Europe in first row of economy in aisle and middle seats. Couple sit in back row of economy and then the nanny appeared to sit in the window seat with a young baby. Dd and I looked at each other horrified and the mother had the good grace to take the baby from the nanny ‘because they had more room’. Tbf the baby was no trouble

also, to certain parts of the world you get parents in first and ineffectual Nannie’s and kids in business. So economy is sometimes a better bet!

They did try and got a huge amount of abuse. I was asked to write a statement about them as they were saying they were going to complain about the crew! Every time anyone tried to speak to them they kicked off even more, I guess the crew chose the path of least resistance.

I complained but never heard a thing from BA. Sad as I'll.probably never be able to afford business again and I bloody love it.

Wanting to book business class so you can be comfortable and receive better service, and maybe even get some sleep - that's reasonable.

Wanting to book business class so your child has more space, making the flight easier for you - that's reasonable too.

I don't book business class, but when I do book transport, I don't think 'oh, I best not book that seat in case Ms. Stranger will be upset about X Y Z.' I book seats that suit my needs. As does everyone else. The fact is, people's needs vary. That's life. You have to suck it up.

Last time I flew business (for business!) there were no babies in business class, but there were in the bulkhead just on the other side. If you ban babies from business class ought they also to have a radius rule? Perhaps they could just be sedated and put in the hull like puppies?

If I'd paid £4k for a business flight and kept up all night by a crying baby of course I wouldn't be happy, but unfortunately that's flying and life. I'd be far less impressed with adults keeping me up all night (as two drunk, loud sweary men were doing on my most recent long haul flights).

I have literally never seen anyone say that.

Within reason, nobody should have to have babies crying around them or children misbehaving. I appreciate bables can cry. For hours on end though, no.

Babies can cry and scream for hours on a plane as the pressure is disturbing them. Of course by the time you find this out you are already on the flight

Percy pig has a tv show/movie???

I do realise that. When it's your ear that they are screaming in for nine hours, rational thought isn't uppermost in your mind.

I'm just surprised that anyone expects that they will get a good night's sleep sharing a confined space with 600 other people. Business class or not.

I think it was episodes. It was just after COVID so it could have been streaming? It just felt like it was non stop.

Kids get some extra leeway (in front of me last time I flew business was a little dog who yapped a bit, also got some leeway, since not human), what with them being children. People who don't give children and babies some extra leeway in an unusual (to them) situation are pretty selfish/thoughtless/crappy people.

I've not personally ever seen parents of a screaming baby leave it to scream. They're doing their best to calm the child, they are the ones with the screaming right in their ear or who's toddler will not stop talking (and it's not like that child would be less curious at home).

Business class is better service, not better company. The people with kids have stumped up even more money than you in order to have that better service (and they'll not even really get to experience a lot of the benefits as they have a child to look after) - you expecting them to not do that is similarly selfish/thoughtless/crappy.

Personally, the example I set for my kids is to spend money where it matters to me, to be gracious towards people in difficult situations, and to always bring earplugs.

I took a long-haul business class flight where two parents totally ignored their kids and allowed them to run around the cabin screaming and throwing food at each other. Some of the food landed on DH. Parents were totally unbothered.

We are not rich and only travel business class because DH is very tall, so longhaul travel is something that we have to save up carefully for. It’s not great when that is ruined by selfish parents.

Depending on the destination I think you have to be realistic. Having business purely for business travellers wouldn't work financially on some routes.

That’s awful parenting. But it would still be awful if it wasn’t business class. It would still be ruining people’s flights, flights they may have saved up for just like you.

I get the annoyance at shit parenting. I don’t know why some people who pay more for business class, which allows children, think they are therefore more entitled to not have children around than the people in cheaper seats. You’re not paying for a childfree environment.

😂 quite. It reads as though that is only unacceptable because it's in business. The poor short legged commoners in economy ought to put up with that sort of thing!

Yes, it’s shit behaviour in whichever cabin, but particularly in one which is marketed as a premium, luxury product, and one where you can sleep (lie-flat beds, etc).

I disagree. As others have said, you pay for the amenities, not the fellow passengers. I guess it's your error assuming richer people are better behaved.

I’m flying business with my baby soon. I’ll be travelling on my own with him and he’s very active atm, I figured that squeezing in economy will be a nightmare for me and the unlucky one who has the seat next to me. Realistically he will cry at some point, whether or not I ‘parent’ him because he’s 11 months old and that’s what babies do. I will have toys, bottles, will whisper nursery rhymes into his ear, but it is as it is and chances are that it won’t be a completely quiet flight for my fellow passengers.

As long as the child or young baby is charged the full adult ticket price it is ok. There shouldn't be any discount.

But under 2s never are regardless of price are they

and I stand by adults being far worse passengers than children.
they know being loud/drunk/leaning on someone’s seat and talking loudly is wrong

a toddler does not

Want to start weeding out all those lazy fuckers who aren’t travelling for work but just want some extra room and a bed that they can stretch out on??? Get a grip.
Perhaps they should just rename it as it’s not actually full of ‘business’ people at all.
We frequently upgraded ( loyalty scheme) into business and that’s me and 1 kid, all 4 of us and another time me and 2 kids - so clearly the airlines don’t feel the same
way about business
class being for ‘work’ travel only.
I’ve been far more bothered over the years by entitled and/or drunk adults on planes than by any child.

Were a lot of them also complaining about all the people ahead of them in the queue for priority boarding? “Surely all these peasants people in front of us can’t be in business class for goodness sake!”. I think BA club Europe attracts those 60 pluses who think they’re so much better than everyone else because it’s not too much more cost wise than economy really. On our last Club Europe trip the couple in front of us moaned so much they don’t even notice Suranne Jones with her husband a couple of people behind them in the queue.