My partner wants to fly my son alone in economy while we're in business class

"It's not a big deal for a child to fly alone," the man has insisted.

A woman has created controversy online upon asking for opinions on whether they could have the separate seating arrangements on the plane. 

The mum, posting on Reddit’s Am I The A**shole subreddit, explained it was her partner of five years' idea to sit in a different section from her 13-year-old son.

The man, 40, had proposed the idea for their trip to an international destination approximately nine hours away. The pair will be splitting the cost of the getaway, which will include a resort stay and "plenty of experiences", 50/50.

However, he refuses to include the cost of upgrading her son in their expenses, saying the boy won't appreciate the experience.

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"I feel it's weird to sit apart from my child"

"He thinks that my child should be grateful to be getting an international trip and just enjoy the movies and whatever other amenities there are on the flight.

"They can pop up and visit us whenever in business class and that it’s not worth the extra cost, even if he were a millionaire."

However, the woman says she is not thrilled with the idea of being separated from her son for that long.

"I feel like it's weird to sit apart from my child for a 9+ hour flight, even if they're comfortable enough on a plane and I'd probably prefer to downgrade my flight if boyfriend is unwilling to split that specific cost," she said.

"He thinks I'm being weird for wanting to make that concession and it's not a big deal for child to fly alone."

She went on to explain her partner's upbringing, and that he himself was left in economy while his parents went in business class on flights.

"He has a view where children might not appreciate the value of business class and that his parents went on business class while he flew economy on his own," she said.

"He absolutely wants to enjoy the business class for himself for the long haul on a nice plane. He's fine with me sitting in economy also or bumping up my child at my own cost, even though he disagrees morally and thinks I'm being kind of silly, he would accept it."

The woman insists it's not simply the fact that the man is a scrooge.

"He has spent plenty of money and time on my child, for birthdays, events and milestones. They get along well and have had very few upsets. Every now and then I've had to stick up for one or the other but I feel like that's to be expected with blended families."

A mother wonders if she should leave her child in economy alone while she sits in business class. Picture: iStock

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'It's unsettling'

Commenters were divided on the issue, but there were many saying the idea of the boy flying solo was "unsettling".

"Yes, a 13 year old can travel in a different class fine," one wrote. "Heck, they could travel alone. But there’s just something unsettling about a parent being on the same flight but in a different seat class. Does your boyfriend normally disrespect your child?"

Another person agreed: "It’s unsettling because it’s planned. If it happened unintentionally I think everyone could roll with it. But deliberately putting your 13-year-old far away from you because it’s a waste of money is very unsettling."

While another insisted she stand up for her son: "Sit in economy with your son. Let your boyfriend sit in business class alone. If you start letting him exclude your son he will think it's okay and continue pushing that boundary."

Others were very blunt: "Girl just dump him".

"'Family' trip...  Sounds like your boyfriend would rather have your kid stay at home."

"Just sit with your child in economy, let him sit in business. It's a family trip. You're in it together. Why would you make your son a 'second class' participant?"

"YWBTA (you would be the a**hole) for abandoning your child to be sat with god knows who for nine hours and the fact you are contemplating it makes me worried for him in general life."

Meanwhile, there were some who agreed with her partner's viewpoint, but they were fewer.

"I think the boyfriends request is perfectly reasonable," a commenter said. "Kids don't appreciate these kind of things enough."

Another wrote: "It was standard for my parents to fly first/business class while me and my siblings flew economy. It was made clear to us that perks like flying first class were a luxury, and that luxuries are earned. It’s also wildly expensive and probably not thoroughly appreciated by a 13 year-old-kid."

And, lastly: "I'm not going to judge. I work for an airline and you'd be surprised how common it is for parents to sit in business class and their children are back in economy. Airlines may have a policy around the kid's behavior and if they play up then the parents are downgraded to keep the kid in check."

Originally published as My partner wants to fly my son alone in economy while we're in business class