First/Business Class: Should there be age restrictions?
#316
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Colorado
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The challenge is different people have different tolerance levels. A good friend of mine thinks children should not be allowed in first or even economy plus, he also thinks cell phones should be banned from airline lounges... I can be on the same flights, and in the same lounges, and I don't notice the things that bother him.
Thankfully he doesn't set the rules.
Thankfully he doesn't set the rules.
#317
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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The "very presence of young passengers" doesn't cause me "distress." Screaming children, crying babies, loud talkers and belligerent drunks annoy the heck out of me. And parents who bring screaming children and crying babies on board are just as inconsiderate as drunks who drink too much and become belligerent.
You're absolutely right. I don't get to decide who can buy airplane tickets. But I can THINK what I want about people who are so inconsiderate that they give no thought to the comfort of the dozens and dozens of strangers who are flying with them.
You're absolutely right. I don't get to decide who can buy airplane tickets. But I can THINK what I want about people who are so inconsiderate that they give no thought to the comfort of the dozens and dozens of strangers who are flying with them.
My argument is simple - rather than arguing for a rather unfair exclusion that most of us agree the airlines will never actually make into policy, someone who knows that air travel always includes the potential for other passengers who are annoying might be better served by preparing in ways within their own control to minimize the annoyance.
What you're still missing the point on is that YOU are being painfully inconsiderate by suggesting that parents who bring their children on flights are ignorant of the impact they have on those around them. Rather, most parents I know are painfully aware of this, and as a result often choose to drive to destinations when they can - spending days stuck in a car just to get to the beach for a weekend or something similar. Perhaps YOU should consider that for every dozen families doing that, there's going to be one you encounter on a plane that is going overseas for some reason, or needs to get somewhere and back quickly due to an emergency or work constraints, or any number of other reasons. Trust me, those folks don't want to have to put up with the looks people like you give them any more than you want to put up with the possibility that some kid may make some noise for a little while within your shared metal tube. That doesn't remove the fact that they need to get somewhere at a certain time, just like the rest of us, and they should be able to do just that if they are willing to pay for it. And all that is even before I get to the point about how these families shouldn't need to justify their air travel by situations where an emergency or schedule demands it - it's also perfectly okay for them to fly, y'know, just because they WANT to.
#318
Join Date: Mar 2007
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#321
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: SEATTLE, WA USA
Programs: UAL, AA, AS, CX
Posts: 1,972
IMHO - NO kids NO babies in first or business class period end of story! I guess if you are above a certain age then yes it is acceptable but be that 16 for a drivers license point of view or a 12-14 year old I don't know.
Here's my point - and for context since none of you know me I am not ordinarily an exclusionary type of person however....
Last Friday I was in First Class on a BA 747 LHR-SAN when two seats in first class were filled with Mom, Dad, a toddler and a newborn (as in less than 6 months old). First was full except for one seat. Baby cried yet the toddler threw fits throughout the first 1/3 of the flight before they both fell asleep until landing.
First class is the last respite in a travel world filled with chaos and yes it's a class-ist system but if I can afford to pay for First Class to avoid the chaos or cattle cart and get peace quiet and comfort along with hopefully better service then I will and I won't take it lightly with misbehaved or crying/screaming temper tantrum kids.
So with that NO kids in first class. And when I take my niece of 10 and nephew of 8 with me - the same rule applies to me and I will be back in coach in a middle seat as they like the window and aisle and yes I will be fine with it.
I think airlines should put in policies and rules that help this notion too. There I said it. If you feel the need to flame me then be objective or don't flame me at all.
Here's my point - and for context since none of you know me I am not ordinarily an exclusionary type of person however....
Last Friday I was in First Class on a BA 747 LHR-SAN when two seats in first class were filled with Mom, Dad, a toddler and a newborn (as in less than 6 months old). First was full except for one seat. Baby cried yet the toddler threw fits throughout the first 1/3 of the flight before they both fell asleep until landing.
First class is the last respite in a travel world filled with chaos and yes it's a class-ist system but if I can afford to pay for First Class to avoid the chaos or cattle cart and get peace quiet and comfort along with hopefully better service then I will and I won't take it lightly with misbehaved or crying/screaming temper tantrum kids.
So with that NO kids in first class. And when I take my niece of 10 and nephew of 8 with me - the same rule applies to me and I will be back in coach in a middle seat as they like the window and aisle and yes I will be fine with it.
I think airlines should put in policies and rules that help this notion too. There I said it. If you feel the need to flame me then be objective or don't flame me at all.
#322
Join Date: Sep 2016
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum, BA Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 89
IMHO - NO kids NO babies in first or business class period end of story! I guess if you are above a certain age then yes it is acceptable but be that 16 for a drivers license point of view or a 12-14 year old I don't know.
Here's my point - and for context since none of you know me I am not ordinarily an exclusionary type of person however....
Last Friday I was in First Class on a BA 747 LHR-SAN when two seats in first class were filled with Mom, Dad, a toddler and a newborn (as in less than 6 months old). First was full except for one seat. Baby cried yet the toddler threw fits throughout the first 1/3 of the flight before they both fell asleep until landing.
First class is the last respite in a travel world filled with chaos and yes it's a class-ist system but if I can afford to pay for First Class to avoid the chaos or cattle cart and get peace quiet and comfort along with hopefully better service then I will and I won't take it lightly with misbehaved or crying/screaming temper tantrum kids.
So with that NO kids in first class. And when I take my niece of 10 and nephew of 8 with me - the same rule applies to me and I will be back in coach in a middle seat as they like the window and aisle and yes I will be fine with it.
I think airlines should put in policies and rules that help this notion too. There I said it. If you feel the need to flame me then be objective or don't flame me at all.
Here's my point - and for context since none of you know me I am not ordinarily an exclusionary type of person however....
Last Friday I was in First Class on a BA 747 LHR-SAN when two seats in first class were filled with Mom, Dad, a toddler and a newborn (as in less than 6 months old). First was full except for one seat. Baby cried yet the toddler threw fits throughout the first 1/3 of the flight before they both fell asleep until landing.
First class is the last respite in a travel world filled with chaos and yes it's a class-ist system but if I can afford to pay for First Class to avoid the chaos or cattle cart and get peace quiet and comfort along with hopefully better service then I will and I won't take it lightly with misbehaved or crying/screaming temper tantrum kids.
So with that NO kids in first class. And when I take my niece of 10 and nephew of 8 with me - the same rule applies to me and I will be back in coach in a middle seat as they like the window and aisle and yes I will be fine with it.
I think airlines should put in policies and rules that help this notion too. There I said it. If you feel the need to flame me then be objective or don't flame me at all.
#324
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newport Beach, California, USA
Posts: 36,062
Absolutely agree that you can have whatever opinion you want. But your earlier post, and the posts of others, suggest that you have a desire for certain types of passengers to be outright banned from flying, or from flying in certain cabins. This requires that someone make a sweeping pre-judgement of an entire class of passengers and exclude them from an otherwise generally available service based on nothing more than, in this case, their age.
As for would I like to see children banned from flying? Yes, but it's hardly likely to happen and certainly hasn't happened yet, at least in the US. As for making a judgment regarding an entire class of passengers, that class is parents of young children, not the children. They are the ones who bring on young children who are incapable of exercising volitional control over their behavior.
My argument is simple - rather than arguing for a rather unfair exclusion that most of us agree the airlines will never actually make into policy, someone who knows that air travel always includes the potential for other passengers who are annoying might be better served by preparing in ways within their own control to minimize the annoyance.
No one says, "ignore the belligerent drunk." I can't imagine why anyone thinks, "ignore disruptive children" is any more appropriate.
What you're still missing the point on is that YOU are being painfully inconsiderate by suggesting that parents who bring their children on flights are ignorant of the impact they have on those around them.
Rather, most parents I know are painfully aware of this, and as a result often choose to drive to destinations when they can - spending days stuck in a car just to get to the beach for a weekend or something similar.
Perhaps YOU should consider that for every dozen families doing that, there's going to be one you encounter on a plane that is going overseas for some reason, or needs to get somewhere and back quickly due to an emergency or work constraints, or any number of other reasons.
Trust me, those folks don't want to have to put up with the looks people like you give them any more than you want to put up with the possibility that some kid may make some noise for a little while within your shared metal tube.
That doesn't remove the fact that they need to get somewhere at a certain time, just like the rest of us, and they should be able to do just that if they are willing to pay for it.
And all that is even before I get to the point about how these families shouldn't need to justify their air travel by situations where an emergency or schedule demands it - it's also perfectly okay for them to fly, y'know, just because they WANT to.
In any event, I think you for a thoughtful and respectful discussion. All too often these discussions turn ugly with name-calling on both sides. I appreciate your perspective and the way you've presented it.
#325
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#326
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Oslo
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 204
You would have a point if the airlines advertised their First Class as being "peaceful and quiet". In that case you could reasonably expect that the airlines would do whatever they could to deliver the promised peace and quiet, including possibly imposing age restrictions. But they don't. They advertise comfortable lie-flat seats and excellent service but they do not promise peace and tranquility. There is no reason why anyone should feel that they need to impose their noisy kids on the teachers and firefighters in coach instead of the important investment bankers sitting in First.
http://www.britishairways.com/en-no/...es/first/first
"A world of calm and tranquillity"
"Your First suite is a haven of style and comfort..."
#327
Join Date: Sep 2016
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Posts: 89
British Airways seems to do:
http://www.britishairways.com/en-no/...es/first/first
"A world of calm and tranquillity"
"Your First suite is a haven of style and comfort..."
http://www.britishairways.com/en-no/...es/first/first
"A world of calm and tranquillity"
"Your First suite is a haven of style and comfort..."
"Style and comfort" OTOH is arguably referring to physical comfort, which would preclude kids kicking your seat but not necessarily crying babies.
#328
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,805
which airlines do? is there a wiki here?
http://www.airasia.com/vn/en/infligh...uiet-zone.page
http://www.flyscoot.com/en/fly-scoot.../economy-class
ScootinSilence quiet zone
malaysia - A380 F and upper Y
http://www.airasia.com/vn/en/infligh...uiet-zone.page
http://www.flyscoot.com/en/fly-scoot.../economy-class
ScootinSilence quiet zone
malaysia - A380 F and upper Y
#330
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AFAIK no airline ever charged extra for a smoking or nonsmoking seat.