There have been plenty of controversial stories about a husband flying first class while his wife and kids sit in coach. Maybe he got the upgrade, and only one seat was available. Or he was on a business trip and had to be rested, so the company paid for his seat.
But this story about a family splitting up on the plane is genuinely new to me: the kids fly first class while the dad sits in coach.
I guess it doesn’t surprise me that he then proceeded to ask whether anyone in first class would switch with him, taking his coach seat while he watches the kids in first?
- He’s too cheap to pay for the seat in the first place, or there were only two seats available for sale
- He figures that he may get a sucker who wants him watching his kids enough to give up their own seat
- If he wants everyone to be together, he should offer the first class seats his kids have to the two passengers in his coach row.
Some guy put both his kid daughters in first class but booked himself in economy. Then proceeded to ask everyone in first class if they would switch seats with him. This is a 5 hour flight. You should have booked yourself in first class too if you wanted to be next to your kids.
— ️ (@the_P_God) October 11, 2024
Parents have flown first class while leaving their kids alone in coach, justifying it as teaching them a life lesson which I guess is to subject your children to other passengers while you day drink? The intention is that they don’t enjoy the fruits of your labor, I think, until they’ve learned to earn it for themselves.
I do think it’s something that many parents worry about – creating so much comfort that their kids lose the hunger. Years ago Bear Stearns chairman Ace Greenberg used to like to hire “P.S.D.s” – Poor, Smart, with a deep Desire to become rich. You don’t want them to lose the desire to become whatever lets them use their talents, whatever they are, to the fullest.
At the same time, you want to give them the support which is freedom to fail, not to have to be so focused on a pay check to get by, so that they can take risks and use their talents, whatever they are, to the fullest.
Being apart from your family for a few hours isn’t itself tragic, but at the same time when I look back on traveling with children when I’m 70 or even 80, will I have wanted to spend time more focused on a whatever I’m doing at my seat or on my child?
I suppose I understand the argument for not flying kids in premium cabins, and it’s probably ok to leave them in back when they’re teens. At younger ages, if you want them in back you should travel with them there.
What I do not understand is putting kids in first class and the parents in back. Maybe the parents think the smaller cabin means flight attendants are more likely to notice them and baby sit?
Parents are ALWAYS responsible for their kids behaviour no matter where they sit… simple cure to misbehaving is to arrest the parents for child neglect… once word is out, only an idiot will allow their kids to be unsupervised… otherwise nobody cares where kids or parents sit ..
As a gate agent I have seen parents be booked in first class and their kids in main cabin and act like we are kidnapping their children for them to never see their little children ever again when we don’t upgrade them for free or downgrade other first class passengers for their minor children. “We’re traveling with minors.” We’ll be happy to accommodate them in main cabin since they are so worried about not sitting with their kids. There’s usually at least 10 people on the upgrade list waiting to get cleared.
Not enough details given. No age of kids. No mention of whether or not the Mom was flying too. If Dad was booking flights for his two kids and himself and there were only two first class seats available at the time of ticket purchase, then yeah, he probably kept those two together and hoped that an additional seat in first class might open up for him to purchase. No big thing. No details either as to whether he was offering first class passengers cash for switching to coach so he could sit with his kids. But yep, I clicked on the damn story and saw the damn ads so I guess mission accomplished on story.
One important detail left out of this article is the age of the kids. Were they teenagers or preschoolers or somewhere in between. Older teenagers could be left in first class with no issue. Little kids, not so much.
They’re teaching their kids that not everything is given to them, and that the world doesn’t revolve around the kids. A good life lesson.
What a goofy story! Not the author who passed it on, but, wow, what a fool to leave his entitled kids up front and then march his silly out of touch self to first class to see if he could shame someone who actually paid for their spot to just downgrade to him
We always fly business with our daughter.
One flight stands out because a man in economy had “leg issues” and did not have enough leg room in his seat. He asked the flight attendant for our seats because a small child did not need the extra space. He was mad that they did not accommodate him by giving him the business class seats that we paid for.
Another reason not to fly.
Compelled to interact with incredibly rude people with no option for hours.
Please that dad had hope the kids would be do bad they make him come sit with them but that didn’t happen so he asked someone who paid good money for they seat to give it up please tell me no one moved for him .
First off it would really been nice to know the ages of these two children. For context if nothing else. Either way if they were misbehaving or otherwise taking extra advantage of the first class seating situation how about this. Give the two first class seats to two coach passengers that are seated right next to dad then move the two kids near daddy so they might be properly supervised.
I don’t suspect you’ll get a problem with two coach passengers accepting the switch. To dad, in the future if your kids need constant supervision, and mind you none of us still know their ages. But if they need watching then buck up.and buy a first class ticket near them to avoid this musical chairs moment altogether.
Screw ALL these cheap parents who have the gall to expect others to take a worse seat because they were too cheap to pay for a seat assignment, or EBCI/UG Boarding on WN.
There are just not enough details here to make an informed judgement. Why two seats in First Class and one in Coach? Seems odd to me. Until all the facts are provided, just mark it down as an imponderable.