Posted on 10/10/2018 1:08:08 PM PDT by Simon Green
Flying first class comes with many perks: A flatbed seat, delicious food, and luxurious, quiet cabin. Emphasis on quiet cabin. One of the things that often get reported as making flights unpleasant is The Crying Baby: that creature that boards the plane with a chip on its shoulder and then belts out high-C’s the entire flight. It’s practically what noise-cancelling headphones were invented for.
But that begs the question: Should toddlers be allowed in first class?
I’ve seen lots of kids flying in premium cabins. Usually they’re pretty well behaved, thanks to the distracting of the in-flight entertainment. But babies? You can’t really control them. They can’t express themselves verbally, so when they are unhappy or want something they’ll cry and there’s nothing the rest of us can do about it.
While I have yet to encounter a crying baby in first or business class, I did fly LAX – YYZ in a first class seat immediately in front of economy. A toddler shrieked loudly every two minutes on the dot…the entire flight! The parents made an effort to stop it, but the shrieking continued. It was excruciating and made the 5+ hour flight less pleasant. But I got over it.
What happens when you’re sitting in first class and a toddler is screaming the entire time? Or getting out of their seat and being generally belligerent?
(Excerpt) Read more at flyertalk.com ...
One crying child turns first-class into coach for everyone. Answer is simple. No.
“But that begs the question: Should toddlers be allowed in first class?”
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Yes, toddlers should be allowed in first class.
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An upset, even screaming toddler is no different than an overly-friendly groping, or drunk adult. At what point would you be reading the rights to such an adult prior to them purchasing a ticket.
The problem is with the parent/s and they should be the ones addressed and at the time, not after the fact.
Anyone willing to pay for first class should be allowed to fly first class.
No. Our priest lets them in Mass but when they scream he instructs any socially unaware mother to escort the screaming child into the cry room. The purpose of this is so that people can worship. They interrupt mass, he follows it through.
There are no cry rooms in first class. The purpose for taking a screaming child to one would be to provide peace for the high paying customers who paid for peace.
“back from Asia I was in business class”
Same here. I’m always in Business Class and wondered one time how did a 6-8 year old kid get a seat behind me? The parents look polite and well-mannered..except for the effing Damien they had for a kid. Twice he started yelling “NOOOOO Mommy I want that..WAAAA” WTF!! Woke me up twice thinking I was already Stateside but nope, still over the damn Pacific. I already wished I regretted staying one more day in the Philippines and a difference it would make from Damien making my trip seem like hell..
I guess the ears of the hoi polloi in Economy are expendable? Alternatively, the airline could spring for noise protection earmuffs for first class passengers.
Maybe industry should use the old noodle and come up with noise cancellation seats.
I agree with you. Children deserve respect, and respect for what they are going through.
I get SEVERE ear pain when flying. I’ve been suffering through it my entire life. I know how these kids feel with underdeveloped or untrained sinuses. It sucks.
I think the best idea is to simply not travel with someone until they are fully aware of how to do it.
When I hear a kid screaming out like that, I feel for them. They never (Even when I was a younger man) made me angry about it.
I wouldn’t want to be there, but at the same time I empathize with the kid. So many people are enraged when they hear a kid crying .. I’m more interested in their condition than mine.
Exactly.. Its a product for sale, if the parents are willing to pay for it, the kid gets the seat. Yes I know you thought that you spending that extra money made you more impervious to the negatives of air travel, but nothing in life ins guaranteed, no matter how much $$ you shell out.
If you want a flight with no kids near you, charter your own plane
Why not? Islamic terrorists get to.
They have business class, first class, coach etc. Maybe it is time for a family area. And, I am not being facetious. Seriously, seating that is more kid-friendly/family friendly and maybe with some sort of insulated divider. I would also be willing to pay a little more for an adults only flight. There are so many ways to address this. I am also someone who believes that, if I am willing to pay for the seat, I should be able to bring my well-behaved, crated/kenneled pet in the cabin with me, belted in a seat.
I know none of that will ever happen. They are aiming for smaller to non-existent seating, not gearing for customer friendly, at all.
First Class is about people with the money or miles getting better seats than the rest of us. If the toddler is first class material, it belongs in first class screaming it ass off with the other bluebloods who are in first class. There's no reason scraming infants should only be among the hoi polloi. If the wealthy parents of said toddler want to banish the toddler to economy with its governess, that is their decision.
My eldest son is Filipino/Irish. Yes, a beautiful combination of Irish height and weight with Filipino coloring. Thank the Lord for that! My nephew is a blonde as blonde and as green-eyed as can be. When I was in the military and they were about 3-4ish, both of the boys, myself and my sister were on a flight from North Carolina up to Maryland.
Both boys were extremely respectful and well behaved. Sat in their First Class seats and were little gentlemen.
We were off the flight first. And as we walked off into the tarmac, my father was laughing. He said he overheard a couple of women talking and the women had assumed the boys were part of the a UN delegation’s family members because my sister is a blonde and green-eyed. It wasn’t until he delivered the punch line that explained his laughter: They assumed for some reason that a military escort had accompanied these little fellas! I was wearing my Air Force Blues at the time... LOL
Back to reasoning. I’ve seen rude, vile adults in First Class and Coach. I’ve seen perfectly fine adults in First Class and Coach. The same with children of all ages. It’s all a gamble. Some children are the Brats From Hell, and some children are just fine. It’s the luck of the draw. I cannot see stopping the youngsters from enjoying the quality of service their parents want to pay for...
“Should toddlers be allowed in first class?”
No, they should be firmly strapped in.
Should a toddler be allowed in a 5 star upscale fine dining establishment?
Nope.
Nor should one be allowed in first class. But you and I don’t have a say so in the matter. The company does.
However, while it is easy to walk out of a restaurant, walking out of a jet airliner is NOT an option.
Only if you give them a small dose of Ambien before the flight.
“Children deserve respect, and respect for what they are going through.”
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Celerity, you said it in so much better a way than I was capable of saying it! Thank you!
I recall reading here a while ago about a child’s parents who handed out little thank-you baggies to adults as a way of letting them know their baby was on it’s first flight. Such good parents!
As someone who flies coach, I pray toddlers can continue to fly first class. Top tier liberals (Feinstein) get a private jet. But I could end up next to Maxine Waters if second tier liberals are forced to ride with their constituents.
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