Efrem

Much (most?) of this thread could be a poster child for the phrase "first world problems."

I would suggest to some of the posters that they get off their high horse, recognize that a scheduled airline is a common carrier in every sense of the world, and get a grip on their perspectives about what matters in life. The occasional baby doing what comes naturally to babies in a business-class cabin does not, IMHO, make the top ten problem list in life - or even the top 100 list. It's time to get over our sense of entitlement, however many airline precious-metal designations we have, and put things in perspective.

(I would personally be willing to put up with a whole lot of babies screaming their heads off in the next seat if it would put my wife's breast cancer into remission. I'm not trying to play the sympathy card here, there was a recent thread about that in OMNI in which I deliberately avoided posting, but something like that does give one a handle on what's important and what isn't. And any time a set of parents (like my children) wants their kids to spend time with their grandparents (like my wife) while they still can, even if there's nothing on the immediate horizon to make it urgent, in my book they should go for it - and to heck with any curmudgeons whose feathers they might ruffle in the process.)

Annalisa12

We live in the first world.

BadgerBoi

people who whinge and call things first world problems are so 20th century...

AlastairGordon

To be fair, that curmudgeonly executive in Business Class might be on his way to a very important meeting to discuss a transaction that is potentially extremely profitable, possibly generating a bonus for him personally in the 7 figure range. With that in mind, you really need to think about how important it is for your children to visit with their grandparents.

televisor

Yes, I would say people are more important than some essentially fictive numbers in a bank account.

FWIW "importance" is entirely relative.

If a traveller wants solitude, they can pay for it: it ain't that expensive if you're "important":
https://www.netjets.com/Home/ for the less important
http://businessaircraft.bombardier.c...t/learjet.html for the more important
http://www.airbus.com/aircraftfamili...family/acj380/ for the super important

BadgerBoi

FFS this is why these threads are always locked. The moment anyone criticises misbehaving kids it moves straight to drunk businessmen and "don't like it? Fly private".

You dont like drunk businessmen? Think I should fly private? Fine. Start threads about it? I'll
read those threads if I'm interested, but it's not the topic of this thread.

nkedel

...and even in between, short of the private jet route, if said executive's time is worth that much outside of his (or her, but usually his) own mind, there's always flying first rather than business. If not having a screaming kid was a worry, and a 7-figure bonus was on the line, then (often the very low, although it does depend on the route) four (or at worst five on a few ULH routes) figure fare difference between J and F seems like a good idea.

Or using an upgrade instrument.

His (or her) bonus and indeed his business in general, is his problem, not the hypothetical parents in the cabin. The amount of money a given person has on the line is their problem; frankly, I'd have more sympathy for the folks who are working on the road full time for a high-5/low-6-figures total comp and who is there either through a lucky travel policy or expert use of the mileage system than some very well off "executive" who has plenty of other options.

Regardless, one's reason for flying doesn't make anyone more important to the airline than anyone else paying the same fare, and even there, once they're on-board with a premium cabin ticket it's far from clear that the cabin cred is going know the fare paid vs. just that they're ticketed in the cabin and their status (if any.)

You buys your ticket, you take your chances with your neightbors.

lloydah

Heard a radio report this morning saying that indiGo were having child free sections on some of their flights, a Quiet Zone, a number of rows where no one under the age of 12 could sit. The reporter suggested others would soon follow as there was enormous demand. Not sure about that, especially if your sitting one row in front of the non quiet area