On a recent AC long haul flight, I was seated with two of our children (9 and 11), in the front row of Y. My husband and our third child were seated a row ahead of us, in J.

Prior to boarding, I read the kids the riot act, and told them that under no uncertain terms could they enter the J cabin, especially not to use the washroom. Those J passengers had paid for their privacy, and were entitled to it. If the kids wanted to speak to their father, they were to slip their hand through the curtain and tap him on the shoulder (at which point he would enter the Y cabin).

Early into the flight, the FA began a liturgy of complaints to my husband that our children were using the J cabin and its washrooms. After the 3rd complaint, the conversation got heated. I began to envisage landing arrests, so I spoke to the purser! She listened to my story, went away, returned an hour later and apologised for any confusion, acknowledging that our children had remained in their own cabins. I’m guessing there were some kids “breaching the curtain”, who were ultimately confused with ours.
But what I remember most was how aggressively the FA handled the situation.

And that made revenge all the sweeter. A couple of months later my husband flew the same route, and scored the same FA (who failed to recognise him). My husband used his call button incessantly throughout the entire flight, sent drinks back and forth for ice or chilling, failed to say please or thank you. I am sure the FA spat in his food, but it was worth it.