BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids Babies in Business class

Hi everyone,
We flew from Kansai, Japan to HK yesterday and had a screaming baby across the aisle from us. It was only a short flight (4 hours) however the steward offered us another seat "for your comfort" - very discreet and professional. We moved and enjoyed our flight. On some flights however, there may be no other available seats...so you'd be stuck next to baby...and possibly from London to Melbourne!
I've asked around the office here and opinion is clearly divided - some feel babies and young children have no place in business class - people are paying large sums of money to arrive in good shape ready for work or play....others say, kids are equally entitled to travel in business and first class and it's easier for the parents...also, the business people usually have their fares paid by their employers so, they haven't actually lost out (What!)...
I wondered whether there was a Policy regarding kids in Business and First - a general search threw up Parenting Forums where most parents seemed to be saying "go for it - it's more comfortable for you and baby"....
Would love your comments....I know if I were flying overnight to HK and heading straight to work, I'd be very unhappy to have a screaming baby next to me all the way...or a drunk businessperson...in both cases, I'd approach the crew and ask to be moved...hopefully, they'd be a free seat elsewhere...
IYO do babies and young kids have a right to travel in Business and First Class? If so, do we need another class - Business CF class?
I must say I've been lucky over the years and have only encountered a few kids in Business - all older (8 or so)...BUT, babies and toddlers are a very different story.
It seems with people having kids later in life this may become a HOT topic - older parents are more likely to have the money to fly Business class...I can see a few complaints to airlines in the future - a Policy may need to be formulated pretty quickly - perhaps, dividing Business class so the families are seated together...Is that fair? Any other suggestions?

Re drunk businesspeople - I've only experienced this once - the airlines seem to be pretty good at limiting alcohol...
The one example was a businessman who opened his Duty Free Scotch during the flight - he was eventually "sorted out" by a senior steward.
Not sure a baby/toddler could be sorted out so easily...

I work for an airline in the U.S. and the question has been brought up whether infants and toddlers should be allowed in first/business class. The company line is that if someone is paying for a ticket, they are allowed to have the child travel in whatever cabin they buy the ticket for. In the U.S., children under the age of two travel free if they are held in the lap of a parent. So, they can travel on a parent's lap in first or business class. I do think there is a charge for a lap child on International flights, at least at my airline, like 15 percent of the adult's fare. I tend to disagree with this policy, however, because an unruly child would ruin the trip for other paying passengers, who have bought tickets in the premium cabins to have a restful and quiet flight. I feel there's more opportunity to lose the business of many than the risk of losing the business of one family that wants to travel with their children in a premium cabin. But, I'm not in charge of those decisions, and I don't want to be, thank you very much!

(Interestingly, most people in this part of the U.S. would consider a four-hour flight a long one, but living in the middle of the country, a four-hour flight will take you to either coast! I think Australians and Europeans are more used to world travel and a four-hour flight is considered a short hop!)

Cindy

Personally, I think it would be most appealing to have a "family" class on the flight (anyone with babies, small children must sit there). Or either break up each of the existing classes into "family" and "non-family" groups so that babies and toddlers are not scattered about to ruin the flight for others without children.

Once I was stuck sitting beside a woman who brought her baby and kept it sitting in her lap. It was a short flight (thank goodness) so the plane was already small. In that short time I thought I was going to pull my hair out. She gave the kid cheerios to eat. Unfortunate for me, the kid only stuck them in its mouth and slobered all over them and then threw them around with some landing on me. Then, the kid would stick its hands in its mouth, slober all over them and go grabbing everything including me..yuck! There were no other seats as I asked to be moved. I actually almost asked if I could join the flight attendant or just stand up the rest of the way, but I refrained. The flight attendant did ask the woman to stop feeding her child if she couldn't keep the food contained to her lap. It was most awful. You'd think a parent would realize that someone else doesn't want their kids slober and germs all over them! Again - Thank goodness that was a short flight!

Oh, and I did have some words with the mother...I tried to be polite, but I was very stern and clearly unhappy with her child. She did apologize and the child was eventually made to behave, but still....I should never have had to say anything!!

We need to start a movement... if an adult did that kind of stuff to us we would charge them with assault. We need to start doing it to the kids. If parents can't control their children, and they hit us, throw stuff at us, etc. have them charged with assault.

I was pretty amazed 4 hours was considered a short flight too. I really need to get out more!

Being seated near a crying baby is like torture. I don't really go for the whole "lap child" thing either. That seems like it would get old fast for both the mother and the child, and they would eventually become uncomfortable. It's also just more people crammed into a row, and would be highly unpleasant for the person sitting next to that (like CF Gal's experience).

I don't think that babies should necessarily be banned from first class, but I do think there should be a family seating area where they all have to sit.

I just think traveling on planes with babies shouldn't be so common. It's too hard, and causes too many problems. They should at least have to pay for a ticket considering how much attention they need, pre-boarding, strollers and more luggage, and then being noisy and annoying on the plane on top of all that. At least in a restaurant you can leave, or the parent can take them outside if they're being noisy.

I don't think this opinion is purely a CF thing. If I was a parent I would avoid taking my baby on a plane if at all possible. It looks like pure hell for the parent as well as the other passengers, and if you're the parent you're responsible for it, and have to deal with it and whether all the angry looks. Not a position I would want to be in. (Though, on the other hand, on the last flight I took there was a baby and everyone was cooing over it, so it does go both ways if it's not crying constantly).

Also, people seem to think it's okay to drug their babies for plane flights, and that seems wrong to me. I read a blog about a woman who was taking a toddler on a long flight, so she gave her Benadryl. The toddler became even more amped up and disruptive. What if it had a reaction?

I was pretty amazed 4 hours was considered a short flight too. I really need to get out more!

Being seated near a crying baby is like torture. I don't really go for the whole "lap child" thing either. That seems like it would get old fast for both the mother and the child, and they would eventually become uncomfortable. It's also just more people crammed into a row, and would be highly unpleasant for the person sitting next to that (like CF Gal's experience).

I don't think that babies should necessarily be banned from first class, but I do think there should be a family seating area where they all have to sit.

I think traveling on planes with babies shouldn't be so common. It's too hard, and causes too many problems. They should at least have to pay for a ticket considering how much attention they need, pre-boarding, strollers and more luggage, and then being noisy and annoying on the plane on top of all that. At least in a restaurant you can leave, or the parent can take them outside if they're being noisy.

I don't think this opinion is purely a CF thing. If I was a parent I would avoid taking my baby on a plane if at all possible. It looks like hell for the parent as well as the other passengers, and if you're the parent you're responsible for it, and have to deal with it and weather all the angry looks. Not a position I would want to be in. (Though, on the other hand, on the last flight I took there was a baby and everyone was cooing over it, so it does go both ways if it's not crying constantly).

Also, people seem to think it's okay to drug their babies for plane flights, and that seems wrong to me. I read a blog about a woman who was taking a toddler on a long flight, so she gave her Benadryl. The toddler became even more amped up and disruptive. What if it had a reaction?

with the cost of tickets and gas, children should have to pay for a ticket. Albeit not full fare, but still pay. I remember a screaming brat on my business class flight from chicago to london. Was horrible. Finally the kid got tired and went to sleep. I like children and all, but I was ready to choke the thing to shut it up

That's why I love Jet Blue. Individual tv screens and headphones for each person. Flew 6 hours with a screaming, bratty child in front of me and never heard him. Too bad you can't fly Jet Blue everywhere...

This really is a sticky situation. Kids shouldn't be allowed to sit on laps on flights over, say, 2 hours. They get fidgety long before that! Plus, as was said before, there's all the baby gear. I totally resent that people can bring strollers and such on the plane and not have to check it, and I've been forced to check a bag on a busy flight, some of my camera equipment was broken because of how rough they are on the bags.