I believe that was an April Fool's joke....

So again, some people are attempting to shift the discussion and set up a straw man here. *No one* has posted that children run amok should be allowed, *no one* has posted that passengers should be able to intentially inflict misery on another. No one agrees that parents should ignore and not attempt to sooth their screaming baby.

However, babies sometimes cry and it cannot be controlled. If people cannot handle that, I suggest they opt out of public transport.

Like it nor not, BA did not "promise" you a nights sleep. I cannot imagine how unreasonable and intellectually dishonest one must be to think they should be blamed for something entirely out of their control.

Some babies cry. Some people snore. Some people bang away on laptops or chatter into dictaphones. Some people have loud conversations at 4am across the cabin.

If a baby was crying in Y, this discussion wouldn't be taking place. As it was in CW, however, there seems to be this tension which basically boils down to some people questioning whether children should be allowed in premium cabins.

Ultimately, that's not our decision to make, and whilst they are allowed in CW, it's a chance you take when you book a flight. You're still going to be more comfortable in CW than you would be in Y, and there are NC headsets and earplugs if it comes to it.

Your fellow pax on any flight is luck of the draw. Until you can afford to charter a jet and make your own rules; deal with it.

Hmmm. When they have sold a product at an enhanced price as "Sleeper Seats", I think that, maybe, they actually are doing.

You can't complain about turbulence, in exactly the same way as in a hotel you can't complain to them about an all-night thunderstorm outside. But if there was an all night party in the hotel room next door to your expensive suite, which they tolerated, and said "we sold you a high-priced room with a bed in it, not a promise of a good night's sleep", few here would accept that.

Continuing issue. Had a fellow employee (previous employer, please note !!!!) who used to get notably annoyed with any fellow non-child staff who booked holidays in August, half-term weeks, etc stating her opinion that school holiday weeks must always be for those with children first.

The team boss however then got married in mid-summer, and I think there was just a slight smile on his face when he chalked it all up on the holiday planner :)

It isn't entirely out of BA's control. They could change the marketing blurb about the CW experience to warn that some passengers may disturb others. They could refuse to book young children into CW. The crew could do more - e.g. by waking loud snorers and getting them to change position rather than just ignoring them.

This isn't just about children: it's about a broader proposition, namely that all passengers owe an obligation to show a certain amount of consideration for others onboard, and being a parent is not sufficient to make that obligation disappear.

I think that is indeed the point most here are trying to make.

Anyone who denies that they have an obligation to show a certain amount of consideration towards others around them should not really be around others. Thankfully those sorts are pretty rare.

One of my colleagues will only work certain shifts (due to "childcare issues") and feels only she should be able to work those particular shifts and all other staff shouldn't take them from her. :rolleyes:


Having a child used to be a pleasure in life - at least it was for those of my generation. These days some parents love to complain about how hard it is. Surely having a child should be a joy - many couples are not fortunate enough to have children so ......


henkybaby - not an April Fools joke. Malaysian Airlines have banned babies from their first class cabin (and I believe business class too) from last year I believe.

Are you suggesting that you are not aware that this may occur in any class of travel, between any types of passenger, on any type of public transport, at any time of day?

Ah, brilliant! I always found them an excellent airline and with them joining OW I guess I will be passing through KUL even more often! ^^^

If it was, it was widely propagated, starting in 2011 and extending into April 2012, but not April 1st. It's not really a ban, they'll sell the seats if full according to this article discussing their policy.

Edit: beaten to it by sunrisegirl. Enjoy MH, henkybaby, their product is quite good, outside of babies.

The obligation is also for non-parents to realize that despite best efforts, small children will still sometimes cry no matter what, and the parents cannot be held accountable for it. It does not help that there is a portion of FT that screams "crime against humanity!" when a parent dares to travel.

I am just suggesting that OP has a point when he says BA have a responsibility to make some effort to deliver the service as they themselves describe it. If in fact BA will sell a ticket to anyone, and the crew will never in practice intervene to stop passengers disturbing others, then arguably BA should not promise a quiet and serene CW experience because they are not taking steps to deliver it.

I think that should consult with an attorney who might be able to advance your undserstanding of the issue at hand far better than I can.

I don't think anyone disagreed with that or stated otherwise, so I think you may be arguing with yourself.

This is indeed true. You could even say that by offering discounted price for infants and children, they are encouraging the possibly increased source of noise.

It is not that I am saying children and infants do not have the right to be in premium cabins but it could be a point to consider that the airline can be deemed to be encouraging the noisy behaviour - and you could say the same if they started allowing mobile phone use on board.


To me, it's just called "tolerance". However, I also think that if particular children/babies are known to be very bad travellers and highly disruptive, I wouldn't take them travelling if they were mine. For my own stress reduction and for others' benefit.