Babies in premium cabins

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Viewing 15 posts - 256 through 270 (of 271 total)

  • Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    … it reminded me of a Frequent Traveller we ran – Baby Blues…

    Frequent traveller: Baby blues


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    6 years on from the last discussions… and irrespective of my views. Where I feel things have changed a little, is on my 2 recent 12 hour flights suffering from howling and screaming kids, both Finnair senior cabin crew on each sector, apologized to several passengers for the disturbance and confirmed they had been discussing babies in BUSINESS class on long haul flights with their Management.

    Agreed flights are public but expensive transport, but if an adult became loud through talking, excessive alcohol or even just whistling. though a flight, he/she would be spoken to…


    Midlands Traveller
    Participant

    My opinion…

    Adults certainly should always behave with respect to other passengers, and politely asked to remember that if necessary. Adults have a responsibility for the behaviour of their children also.

    But babies and very young children surely fall into a different category. They will cry and scream – because they are babies for goodness sakes and we all should be tolerant of that. It may not be easy or pleasant when looking forward to some relative tranquillity in the air after a tiring business trip but nonetheless these very young people should be accommodated, helped, not distanced. And they are not crying because they are having a good time, they need or want something.

    It doesn’t matter if you are in First or the back of the plane, I cannot see how that makes a difference. If you had selected a designated quiet cabin where young families were not allowed then fair enough. I don’t think such cabins exist, maybe they should?

    6 users thanked author for this post.

    cwoodward
    Participant

    Try noise cancelling headph0nes Martyn……….otherwise you will just upset yourself for years as nothing has changed re this in the past 40 years and is not likely to change in the predictable future.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
    BPP

    BPP
    Participant

    I was thinking that maybe the huge increase in premium airfares will ultimately be a disincentive for ‘Children in J’ but my past experience particularly with the MIA’s is that many of them are staff (with infants)travelling on heavily discounted or even ‘free’tickets.
    BPP

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    nevereconomy
    Participant

    I have extensive experience of this in F on various carriers – CX particularly get a lot of babies, amahs going backwards and forwards from steerage etc. It is very irritating when one has paid so much, but it is in the same category as a screaming baby when you are having a nice lunch somewhere. They paid their money too and I do not think any carrier could get away with banning babies – though they would certainly get my business if they did ! I grit my teeth, put the earplugs in and then the headphones turned up very loud and keep telling myself I am an understanding person who is very glad to not have the baby with me….I however have no understanding for the parents who settle back with a glass of wine and ignore the crying child.

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    cwoodward
    Participant

    Steerage – to me a very old and by implication a rather unpleasant term when used in the above context.

    Very often on CX I have travelled with my several very well behaved young children and a amah or 2 – always very discreate going back and forth
    It is rather fortunate that I did not meet the above poster in those times as had he had the guts to challenge our use of first I would have addressed him veey directly his complaint.


    zeus1
    Participant

    There’s no difference to being disturbed in economy to a premium cabin. Many frequent travellers also travel in economy and some fares are priced higher than restricted business class tariffs.

    In the case of infants little can be done. However parents should take responsibility for older children. I’m also mindful of those who may have issues such as Asperger’s.

    I’m amazed how many expect the crew to do something. They can’t. I’ve heard someone ask crew to speak to a parent to ask their baby to stop crying.

    In addition, if someone is willing to pay sometimes tens of thousands which is the bread and butter of the industry, you can’t tell them their child isn’t permitted.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    CathayLoyalist2
    Participant

    To me it´s a case of live and let live. I have had two experiences , one where the parents were oblivious to their what seemed like a 5 year old. kicking seat backs etc and the second a mum, travelling on her own with two kids, one a babe in arms the other about 3 years old screaming. In the first instant I spoke to the parents. both sitting with headsets on (!!) and politely but assertively asked they have consideration for me and other passengers as the noise level was far to high. I was a dad myself and a kid cannot make that noise with such behaviour.To be fair they apologised and reined in junior. In the second instant I offered to rock the baby for 5/10 minutes whilst she dealt with junior. peace returned. As many have already said where parents do their best to contain said kids I do not have a problem. As for the errant parents a polite but stern word is usually the best approach, in my opinion

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    [quote quote=1335252]In addition, if someone is willing to pay sometimes tens of thousands which is the bread and butter of the industry, you can’t tell them their child isn’t permitted.[/quote]

    Not entirely true. In some Bonvoy hotels, where suites can cost thousands for a 2 weeks stay, children under 12 are not permitted to enter executive lounges during evening cocktails. (and yes I have seen some tantrums, but not by the under age children 🙂 )

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    BPP
    Participant

    Martyn, thank you for widening this subject out to include executive lounges. These used to be the ‘sacristy’ for business travellers to unwind after a days work, often in a foriegn counntry, admittedly with the cost and benefits of Lounge access being ‘hidden’ within the room rate.

    Nowadays with the advent of Premium Leisure travel, hotel Executive Lounge access or more acurately now ‘Club’ access is available to anybody and many hotels are promoting this facility. It does have the added benefit to those with infants that they can feed them ‘for free’.

    I have no objection to this within reason AND if those with infants have a dedicated area for them. I had one instance just pre-pandemic when the executive lounge resembled a creche with a dozen or more infants running around and a second more recently (in Qatar where the local law is quite specific) when a couple with two small ones insisted on their lounge access when it was clearly posted as adults only after 5.30pm. The dispute with management went on for nearly an hour but they refused to leave until they had ‘wined and dined’. This was fortunately for all only a one night stand (or stand-off!) I remember a very similar experience many years ago at the ‘Excellsior’ on Hongkong.

    If hotels, airlines and indeed parents with infants were more sensitive to the needs of all guests/passengers then maybe??


    cwoodward
    Participant

    You will not find any disruptive children in Mandarin, Peninsula or Shangri-La or in real 5 star in Asia .
    Not allowed or immediately dispatched as they should before 10am or after 6pm in any executive lounge of a ‘real’ 5 star property.
    I exclude of course the USA that has very few real 5 star properties that would even have children present in the hotel.


    BPP
    Participant

    cwoodward. Don’t want to press this but the ‘Creche’ incident was in a south east asian Shangri La!


    cwoodward
    Participant

    BPP I hope that was some years back as I know a couple if Shang GMs socially who I know would be very unimpressed if it were after 5.30 pm.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
    BPP

    SimonRowberry
    Participant

    I flew HEL-LHR on Monday with Finnair. I was in 1A and had two air-pod armed teenagers in the seats behind me, and the rest of their family, including a baby, in 1D and 2D and F. I approached the flight with total dread – especially as there was a headwind which would increase the flying time to over 3 hours, and I was also nursing a post-New Years’ Eve hangover of colossal proportions….

    Anyway, the whole family were impeccably behaved and there wasn’t a peep from the baby apart from on landing (which is understandable due to the pressure changes).

    I had preconceptions and they were unfounded (on this occasion). It’s the entitled adults who I have found to generally be more of a problem…….

    Happy New Year all,

    Simon

    4 users thanked author for this post.
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