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First/Business Class: Should there be age restrictions?

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First/Business Class: Should there be age restrictions?

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Old May 6, 2015, 7:05 am
  #211  
nrr
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Originally Posted by Annalisa12
Can you see Angelina Jolie and her kids sitting in economy because there are age restrictions for First class.
She can probably afford to fly in a private jet.
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Old May 6, 2015, 9:00 am
  #212  
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Originally Posted by nrr
She can probably afford to fly in a private jet.
Except I don't think they do when going long-haul. I seem to remember a story somewhere that they just buy the entire F (or J) cabin for the family.
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Old May 6, 2015, 4:48 pm
  #213  
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Originally Posted by hopingtofly
Actually those of us with families would probably be thrilled too. Then we wouldn't have to endure dirty looks from childless travelers. ;-)
Maybe it's a choice rather than a lack of options (not to mention I can travel without having to give a large consideration on how such choices will affect a child, and questioning whether parenting is worth it if I spend months at a time overseas...)
(though I honestly don't see the appeal in taking your child on a holiday that they will most likely not remember. Then again, I shouldn't complain about people doing that as many young adults do the same thign and are just as badly behaved...)
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Old May 6, 2015, 4:50 pm
  #214  
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Originally Posted by Hoch
Like all travellers families book when it suits them. Any cabin design would have to be adjustable quite quickly. Then there's the practicalities of who goes in the cabin because a toddler would not be good for an infant trying to sleep.

A propos, I've seen adults behave worse than my three-year old (and no, Master Hoch is no saint).

H
+1, especially among those who travel with a 'let's get as pi$$ed as we can!' attitude.
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Old May 6, 2015, 4:52 pm
  #215  
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Originally Posted by Rebelyell
Do lap children shrink when riding in coach? I've found older lap children to be highly disruptive because they can't stand being held for that long. This is especially true for the 3- and 4-year-old lap children who fly as lap children because the parents lied to the airline.
until they have to present their passport (for an international flight.)
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Old May 6, 2015, 9:40 pm
  #216  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
IMO a good first step would be to forbid lap kids in anything but coach. There should also be restrictions on upgrading kids into premium cabins and especially on upgrading anyone with a lap child.
Why ? Will the kid be qieter in their own seat ? Why make a distinction on upgrade to paid ? Just be honest, you hate kids on a plane, but they have just as much right as you, very DYKWIA of you I must say.
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Old May 6, 2015, 9:43 pm
  #217  
 
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Originally Posted by AA_EXP09
Maybe it's a choice rather than a lack of options (not to mention I can travel without having to give a large consideration on how such choices will affect a child, and questioning whether parenting is worth it if I spend months at a time overseas...)
(though I honestly don't see the appeal in taking your child on a holiday that they will most likely not remember. Then again, I shouldn't complain about people doing that as many young adults do the same thign and are just as badly behaved...)
I took my daughter on many holidays she does not remember, but my wife and I do, our video camera does, and at the time my daughter did enjoy. I dont quite understand your point.
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Old May 6, 2015, 10:48 pm
  #218  
 
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Last year we flew F to Narita with 2 boys and had middle seats. So I'm trying to separate those two while they fuss about not seating next to each other and who gets to seat where. Not the first time we did this so I know. We separate them and its a done deal. I can tell the guy in 1A is getting worried. He has his AA PJs on and ready to get some sleep. Now FA comes and asks my 6 year old what he wants to drink and if she can show him how to use video. He takes a pause and says "I think I will have orange juice and I know how to use video". Pulls out remote control, finds Nick Jr and puts his SpongeBob slippers on. Big guy in 1A smiles. When we got to Narita he said "these were the best kids I have ever seen on a plane".
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Old May 7, 2015, 2:12 am
  #219  
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Originally Posted by SFO777
Time to get over it and move along. OK, so you had a crappy experience. We've all experienced varying degrees of this from babies to toddlers to obnoxious adults.
Exactly right. One of the risks of public transit is you don't get to choose the public with which you transit. Get over it.
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Old May 7, 2015, 2:19 am
  #220  
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Originally Posted by Annalisa12
Can you see Angelina Jolie and her kids sitting in economy because there are age restrictions for First class.
Originally Posted by nrr
She can probably afford to fly in a private jet.
Possibly she is concerned with the environment of adding a few extra greenhouse gasses by flying a private jet and wants to get on a commercial plane?

Maybe she might be trying to look like a normal parent flying commercial.
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Old May 7, 2015, 5:57 am
  #221  
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Originally Posted by speltrong
Because at least then the expectations are set correctly. If you book your flight so late that the only available seats are in the JetScream (tm) section, then at least you know what you're in for.

And I'll tell you who doesn't want to sit in an area with screaming kids - people who paid a boatload of money for the specific privilege of enjoying a cabin marketed as a place to sleep.
Except for the fact that the majority of people who are spending a "boatload of money" are the people booking last minute flexible tickets for work (and would be forced to sit in this cabin based on the above statement).

You're also looking at the fact that at different times of year planes have vastly different types of people. A route that can be 90% business people in February, can be 90% families come June .... Too much of an expense and too much risk. You're either going to have people in there that don't want to be, or too many kids, so there end up being kids in the "regular" cabin.


Makes no sense IMHO. Also realistically the kids that cause the most disturbance are infants under two, and since the best place for them is bulkhead seating with the cot, then by nature of cabin configuration they are going to be there.

Last edited by Gabrca; May 7, 2015 at 5:58 am Reason: Spelling :p
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Old May 7, 2015, 8:20 am
  #222  
 
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Originally Posted by You want to go where?
Personally, I think the one thing that airlines can do is both empower and require their flight attendants to be stricter with those that disrupt the cabin whether they be adults or children. If parents are being too permissive with their children, then the FAs have to spring into action. Tell the parents that they will be offloaded or banned from the airline if they don't keep their children under control. Threaten the same banishment to overly intoxicated/self-important passengers.
Good post as it does not only blame potential disruptive behavior on children. I am the kind of person who does not really appreciate children, but less than 10 % of children on flights I took were disruptive.

Originally Posted by Annalisa12
I would love there to be no screaming kids up the front of the plane. However, I have to say if they can afford to sit up there we all have to grin and bear it.
People with children = entitlement
People with money and children = super entitlement

Originally Posted by Annalisa12
Can you see Angelina Jolie and her kids sitting in economy because there are age restrictions for First class.
"Stars" with children = unbearable

P.S. : LX had an unofficial policy to keep row 4 and 5 called the "Stübli" in C child free (most seats there are reserved for their elites anyway), but some parents even on this board challenged this.
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Old May 7, 2015, 8:56 am
  #223  
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Originally Posted by Acrbag
Except for the fact that the majority of people who are spending a "boatload of money" are the people booking last minute flexible tickets for work (and would be forced to sit in this cabin based on the above statement).
Is't that the truth. The people I know who spend the most money on flights often get the worst seats on the aircraft. And it doesn't happen as often, but what do you do about families who book last minute?

I think the OP is right that this would only really work on an aircraft like a 380. I'd go further and make it a "quiet" cabin rather than just a child-free cabin, to try to weed out the people who want to get drunk and socialize. That seems to work at the AAdmiral's Club in Chicago, though I still occasionally have large groups of loud drunks talking about nonsense in there, too.

The reality is that none of this is practical for the airlines. You can sometimes do something about annoyances, but sometimes you just have to live with it.
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Old May 7, 2015, 10:38 am
  #224  
 
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While I appreciate being able to fly in premium cabins with my younger kids, I don't appreciate it when other parents do and fail to watch their kids. The fact is, if an airline instituted a no-kids-in-first-class policy, I would stop using them for all my family travels and just fly another airline, but I would probably use them more for work travel knowing I could get a more enjoyable trip.

I don't think the problem is the kids, I've found that 90% of the time its the parents.
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Old May 7, 2015, 10:43 am
  #225  
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I rather enjoy Amtrak's quiet car concept, and it works well in most cases. The conductor will actively quiet people down when passing through and there's a fair amount of self-policing, as well.

Two major differences:
- Separating train carriages is far more doable than separating sections of an aircraft
- No assigned seating, and ability to get up and move seats mid-trip (also, usually, enough open seats elsewhere to move to)

On the occasions where the quiet car is full, you just resign yourself to being in a slight more noisy section.
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