Do kids belong in business class?
Passengers pay a premium to sit at the pointy end of the plane. Should they have to share the space with children?
There is nothing better than sitting back in business class, enjoying a glass of champagne and contemplating what movie you are going to watch as the plane takes off.
Having been fortunate enough to travel at the pointy end of the plane for work, a 14-hour long haul flight on an airline with a decent business class is one of the highlights of the trip.
Not only is there the excitement of disembarking at a destination on the other side of the world , but it is a relaxing break from the relentless pace of life and being in contact 24/7.
That is, until you hear kids screaming.
As someone who has children, I don’t want to hear them in business class. I have had a few bad experiences with small people in this cabin class, both with other people’s children and my own.
The worst was on a 14-hour flight from Sydney to LA when two boys began jumping up and down on their seats and running up and down the aisle of the plane.
They were about eight and 10 but did not stop despite pleas from their mother and grandmother.
Then they started slamming the door of the toilets, which were located near me, because they thought it was a funny game. At the end of the flight, in which no one got much sleep, the cabin crew quietly apologised to the other passengers and one admitted there wasn’t much they could do to alleviate the situation.
I also had an experience on the flip side, as a mother of a two-year-old in business class.
My daughter and I had travelled to France for my brother’s wedding in economy and after our bags were lost for two weeks, we were upgraded to business on the way back to Sydney.
My initial excitement turned to dread as my toddler discovered the button that raised the screen between our two seats and proceeded to press it up and down during take-off. I couldn’t reach her with my seatbelt on and she was not responding to my stern words or pleas (negotiating with a two year old is not easy).
I spent the long flight trying to keep her calm so we wouldn’t disrupt the passengers around us who had paid thousands of dollars for their flights. It was not worth the stress.
So it is a no for kids in business class from me.
Holidaymakers who have spent a lot of money to enjoy these flights deserve better as do the passengers travelling for work who need sleep.
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