[BeckyBoop]

Sorted.. thx! 😉 x

[AllOverTheGaff]

BeckyBoop Wrote:
But I will say charging a £150 supplement in business and £450 supplement in First does seem rather small especially to most of the people who fly in those cabins!

OK, let me try and make the numbers work: I’ll take a 747 from LHR to JFK and see if I can make it work.

In Club World on a 747 there are 70 seats – assuming an 80% occupancy that gives us 56 fares with an increased £150.00 – total additional revenue on this flight £8400.00. A child fare to JFK (ages 2 – 11) is just shy of £2k return, or 1K per leg – so effectively, on this one flight (this is a flight on a Friday in April of 2013 – just chose one at random) there would need to be nine children in Club World to make this endevour loss making.

In First we have the same occupancy of 80% meaning there’s 11 occupied seats, the revenue in First from the additional charge of £450 per passenger is therefore £4950.00. Child fare in First is £2400.00 per leg meaning there would need to be THREE children in First to have this a loss making cabin on this one flight.

The issue of course is whether or not the business traveler would wish to spend an additional £150.00 / £450.00 to be guaranteed a child-free cabin – I would imagine you’d default to the answer being no, I OTOH would suggest that there would be a demand for such a service from customers like me who would value the choice.

As an aside, that same day there are no less than 13 flights from London to New York – I am struggling for a reason for BA not to do it.

Would be an interesting experiment that’s for sure, I’m fairly sure that my idle musings on an internet forum do not constitute any sort of business plan, and I am not expecting a non-executive position with the board anytime soon, but what I am offering is a fairly simple experimental solution to a recognised problem – even if there are those who choose to devolve from the issue.

Rgds
AOTG.

[RHMAngel]

@AOTG

I welcomed your points, when this kept coming up, I was resoundly put down, when @Bboop made similar comparisons (and I said, that’s chalk & cheese comparison)

>>You have 14 hours to endure – you have no other option. It is stressful for the traveler, the cabin crew and as 75% of the recent poll decreed, most annoying.

You canNOT escape or be moved at 35,000 feet, unlike a restaurant, pool, hotel room, bus, train, boat, high end shop – ie. get off or walk away – from the offending noise, disturbance be that baby or child or obnoxious adult. Importantly staff can ask you and the child to leave.

For aeroplans – premium passengers are caged in that tin bird, at great expense that business or First is – either personally to yourself or your company.

I like your point, its a BABY, and the latter two, child and adult should or could be reasoned with and spoken to stop the racket.

Plane, train or automobile, pool or restaurant. I know people that move seats and carriages when a baby just cannot or does not stop crying on any other form of transport or public environment.

This debate, anecdotes, personal experiences and people rooted in their ethics will I’m sure run and run with posters here.

I for one, look for quiet carriages, with stickers on windows of public transport when the journey is long. Equally if I knew certain flights would not have babies, it would make me think twice in chosing it. Most can’t cope with a crying child for 30 minutes let alone 13 hours…

I’m always put out, that babies pay nothing yet parents frequently take liberty in using empty seats next to other passengers to dump or leave their baby (personal experience). Its supposed to stay with a paying parent at all times (!)

Children age 6 or above – I cannot fault from experience in premium classes.

The sooner respect is shown by parents, crew and other passengers for all paying parties, I guess the sooner this debate will quieten down. “Get over it” brigade doesn’t I’m afraid, kill people’s annoyance.

[ozmike1]

What the ‘no child’ experiment and projections fail to factor in is the downturn in revenue in all 4 cabins from parents refusing to fly with say BA if they were to exclude children from flights. Not sure BA would want to become the ‘family unfriendly’ airline, not a great marketing position. And plenty of failures have shown that business only or oriented airlines are not very successful.

[BigDog.]

Not sure which cabin the family was travelling in but this is a fantastic story regardless on how to win friends and influence people.

Check out the message in the candy bag…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2198869/Revealed-The-baby-twins-parents-handed-candy-plane-apologize-advance-fellow-passengers-DIDNT-cry.html

Warms the heart..

[RHMAngel]

@BigDog

Thanks for posting a positive message.

Nice touch, not expecting candy bags or earplugs but that was an acknowledgement to fellow passengers … and repaid in kindness.

Others on BOTH sides (passengers no babies experience) including parents should take note 😡

[BeckyBoop]

Update your calendars/diaries/year planners!!!

Here is a mini guide for all you child haters to minimise the impact of coming across children when travelling. If you are wise enough to book outside of school holiday dates you will also save money.

Academic Calendar for 2012/2013

Autumn Term 2012

4 September to 21 December 2012

Half Term from 29 October to 2 November 2012

Spring Term 2013

7 January to 28 March 2013

Half Term from 18 February to 22 February 2013
Easter Holiday from Fri 29 March 2013 to Fri 12 April 2013.

Summer Term 2013

15 April to 23 July 2013
Half Term from 27 May to 31 May 2013

Please be aware this is only for British state schools based in the south east of England and some private school dates may differ. Usually they have extended breaks and break up earlier (usually a week) but this will vary depending on the school.

[SimonRowberry]

Becky,

Hee hee….. 😉

Simon

[Lafayette65]

That is the cure. Charge the same rate as adults pay for all children in bus/first and you would see a deminishment of this issue. Many children do very well on board. Sometimes it’s the parents who are a bigger problem, thinking everyone must tolerate their lack of discipline.

[Viking777]

I have 2 kids – 1 is 1 year old and the other 3 years old. My and my wife always travels business class but when we go with the kids its economy. We will continue this until they are old enough to sit in their own seat and not disturb other people.

We did upgrade one time to business (in the gate) with the kids CAI-BKK when we where told there where only 3 other pax in premium cabin. Kids slept all the way.

[BeckyBoop]

Viking777 are passengers in economy not entitled to peace and quiet?

[GordyUK]

if only all parents were as considerate as you Viking777

Becky, its not that they aren;t entitled…. just less expectant.

[SimonRowberry]

Guys and gals,

Don;t you think that this thread really is getting utterly repetitive and pointless now?

If I get another wretched email alert about this one, can it please be about something NEW that someone has to offer, instead of yet another rehash of old arguments, about which we are never going to form a consensus….?

Cheers, Simon

[smartloobylou]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2208734/Airline-introduces-quiet-zones-long-haul-flights-moving-babies-the-plane.html

not premium but reflects airline’s awareness of the issues

[MartynSinclair]

and here is CNN’s take on the subject

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/escape/kids-and-first-class-do-they-mix-528785

[Author]

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