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Slightly off-topic, but one of the funnier travel stories from my family:
My brother was 12 and travelling from Prague to Mexico via JFK. Czech Airlines would let you travel on your own if you were over 12, Aeromexico over, I think, 15, but my parents didn’t realise that so he wasn’t booked as an unaccompanied minor.
So he happily made it to JFK, went to board his onward flight and was stopped from doing so. Whilst the ground staff were trying to work out what to do, the last flight to MEX left. So they booked him a hotel, gave him a voucher and told him to get a shuttle bus and stay in NYC overnight. And come back the next morning at 6am, on his own, on the shuttle bus.
My dad was worried sick when he didn’t emerge in Mexico and no one there had any idea of what had happened. He only found out where my brother was when he called from the NYC hotel, after he’d gone to dinner at Denny’s. He had a blast and thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Invariably when my brother returned to the airport the next morning the same issue cropped up, but Aeromexico eventually agreed it wasn’t a great idea for him to stay alone in NYC any longer and sending him to MEX was acceptable…!
This was c2009!
If you’re paying, you have every right to distribute tickets as you see fit.
Your proposal is certainly reasonable. The kids will be safe and will enjoy their holiday; no other passengers will be inconvenienced; and it doesn’t break any rules or laws.
The question is whether you want to do it. Travelling together is part of the fun of a family holiday, and that will be lost if you split up. What will you do in the airport? Do you plan to leave them to make their own way while you use the Club check-in, fast-track security and lounge? If not, you’re paying for things that you won’t use. But it sound like this is a quest for Silver status so maybe that’s a price worth paying, not least because the kids will get to enjoy the lounge next time you’re travelling with them.
Tier points aside, if business class is too expensive for all of us, we all travel in Economy. If we chose to split up, I would actually put the kids in Club, as I often travel in the posher cabins and it would be a bigger experience for them than for me. But, as I began, if you’re paying, you get to choose.
On Short Haul flights, I think is quite reasonable. I started flying by myself at 17, no question asked really.
As an additional thought, we did travel in CE few times over the last 18 months, mostly Online Upgrade offers days before the flight.
My 13yo was completely underwhelmed by the experience and stated that he did not see the point in upgrading for Short haul flight but would love to try Business on long haul as per the pictures the mum and I took on our annual solo flights…
All my three kids are already quite familiar with Airport Lounges thanks to PP/LK/DP, which at outstations are often the same as the BA ones, and very much prefer the Centurion Lounge at T3 then the BA lounge in the same terminal.
Can you not pack them in the hold with the luggage?
Just spend their inheritance for them, and all go in Club together.
At that age your kids want to sit as far away from mum and you as they can. No matter how much they may love you and get along with you.
This.
Be interested to know how many people would take a class upgrade if it was only offered to them and not their partner – I suspect there’s plenty that would! I’d end up divorced before the start of the flight 😂
Lets turn that round. I’d 100% want Mrs S to take that upgrade if we were down the rubbish end of the plane and it was offered to her, and would be quite annoyed if she refused … and yes I do like sitting next to her 😀
Maybe I would give them a choice:
a) Under my watchful eyes in a higher cabin (as in, making sure they were always on their best behaviour), but with more service, or
b) Fewer perks and the benefit (??) of less supervision(The latter comes with the benefit to me that can deny all knowledge of them if they get too noisy 😀 )
Be interested to know how many people would take a class upgrade if it was only offered to them and not their partner – I suspect there’s plenty that would! I’d end up divorced before the start of the flight 😂
Lets turn that round. I’d 100% want Mrs S to take that upgrade if we were down the rubbish end of the plane and it was offered to her, and would be quite annoyed if she refused … and yes I do like sitting next to her 😀
This happened to me and the OH on a Virgin flight. I was Gold at the time and got offered an upgrade at the gate. I kicked up a massive fuss and was delayed boarding while they sorted out the mess.
Towards the end of the flight a bloke came back from Upper to speak to a woman in a premium economy seat opposite us. It was obvious he had not refused the upgrade. It was also obvious they were not having the best start to their holiday.
Although I can see I’m in the minority here, personally I think it’s unconscionable as a parent to make the kids sit in a lower class while you enjoy club. I’d book the club ticket in my name for the tier points, then give one of the kids my club seat and sit in economy.
So only one of the children is allowed up in club? Yes, that definitely seems much better and far less unconscionable… 🙄
Years ago my parents flew in a higher class whilst my sister and I sat at the back. Didn’t bother us in the slightest, I was on holiday and frankly, enjoyed the taste of independence.15 and 17yrs, jeez. How is this even a discussion?
Totally. They’ll love being on their own without parental oversight. They appear ‘cool’ and ‘mature’ enough to be flying internationally on their own without being on an obvious parental leash.
My BIL and SIL this summer flew business to Hong Kong and put the 3 kids, aged between 10-15, down the back in economy 😱. Not something I would do…
They are 15 & 17 I’d of been mortified at that age having to sit with mum and dad. Your 17 year old can get married and join the army. Give them the responsibility of being able to take care of themselves.
They are 15 & 17 I’d of been mortified at that age having to sit with mum and dad. Your 17 year old can get married and join the army. Give them the responsibility of being able to take care of themselves.
They will have to hurry to get married – from next Feb you will need to be over 18, no exceptions (ie parental consent). You need parental consent to join the Army under 18.
More importantly, we find travelling together as a family to be an enjoyable experience and I can’t imagine how I would feel (and my wife even more so) in the unlikely event of an incident with the aircraft and I couldn’t see my children as they were in a different class.
My brothers and I were certainly never mortified travelling with our parents; it was a privilege. I can see that today, for some, the children are just an accessory and screens do the parenting which is a bit sad and definitely not allowed in our family.
They are 15 & 17 I’d of been mortified at that age having to sit with mum and dad. Your 17 year old can get married and join the army. Give them the responsibility of being able to take care of themselves.
They will have to hurry to get married – from next Feb you will need to be over 18, no exceptions (ie parental consent). You need parental consent to join the Army under 18.
More importantly, we find travelling together as a family to be an enjoyable experience and I can’t imagine how I would feel (and my wife even more so) in the unlikely event of an incident with the aircraft and I couldn’t see my children as they were in a different class.
My brothers and I were certainly never mortified travelling with our parents; it was a privilege. I can see that today, for some, the children are just an accessory and screens do the parenting which is a bit sad and definitely not allowed in our family.
You are funny with your posts JDB.
Everyone does parenting differently, which is the point of debate. For me, I would rather give something up myself if it means giving it to someone else. Be interested to know how many people would take a class upgrade if it was only offered to them and not their partner – I suspect there’s plenty that would! I’d end up divorced before the start of the flight 😂
I was offered an upgrade to CW on a flight and my husband wasn’t (he was travelling on a separate booking), and I initially turned it down. The gate staff was so touched that she managed to upgrade him too! It was our first long haul business flight and now we’re quite attached to the idea, so it worked out for BA in the long run.
Each to their own, obviously, but during our nearly fifteen years of flying for family holidays in a group of five, we always flew economy together.
Part of a family holiday for us is being together, not for every minute of the day once they were teenagers clearly, but we did insist on eating together as a family around one table for all meals. It would seem to me to be double standard parenting to insist on joint mealtimes, but then book-end the holiday with flights in segregated cabins.It would seem to me to be double standard parenting to insist on joint mealtimes, but then book-end the holiday with flights in segregated cabins.
Interesting perspective… my clan do understand it’s sometimes not possible to get all the seats we want in the highest cabin. If I can get them all seated with the adults, I will. Seems fair to me.
On short haul there is only (physically) one cabin! A curtain and a tray over the middle seat doesn’t really change this; as pointed out earlier they could be in the row behind you, and you could ensure this by pre-selecting your seats if you wanted to.
I get that all families are different, but I can’t connect with the idea that teens wouldn’t be seen dead with their parents. My kids are now all in the 20s, but they never passed through a stage where they were embarrassed or reluctant to spend time with us. That was also true for almost all other families we were in contact with, too, both their friends and ours, in our middle-class corner of Wales.
It seems sad to me that any kids would feel like that about their parents.
I don’t think the case for most is that kids wouldn’t want to be seen AT ALL with their parents or that they can’t (ocasionally) enjoy doing stuff with their parents. It’s just that they usually rather do other stuff and don’t need to be with their parents 100% of the time like younger children are usually eager to do.
Slightly off-topic, but one of the funnier travel stories from my family:
My brother was 12 and travelling from Prague to Mexico via JFK. Czech Airlines would let you travel on your own if you were over 12, Aeromexico over, I think, 15, but my parents didn’t realise that so he wasn’t booked as an unaccompanied minor.
So he happily made it to JFK, went to board his onward flight and was stopped from doing so. Whilst the ground staff were trying to work out what to do, the last flight to MEX left. So they booked him a hotel, gave him a voucher and told him to get a shuttle bus and stay in NYC overnight. And come back the next morning at 6am, on his own, on the shuttle bus.
My dad was worried sick when he didn’t emerge in Mexico and no one there had any idea of what had happened. He only found out where my brother was when he called from the NYC hotel, after he’d gone to dinner at Denny’s. He had a blast and thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Invariably when my brother returned to the airport the next morning the same issue cropped up, but Aeromexico eventually agreed it wasn’t a great idea for him to stay alone in NYC any longer and sending him to MEX was acceptable…!
This was c2009!
What an epic story!
I think I like it more than the one about the guy that took 50lb of food to Bora Bora.
https://www.headforpoints.com/2019/02/13/intercontinental-bora-bora/
We’ve left the teens in economy a few times on long haul. Usually due to using 2-4-1.
Funny thing was trip before last to the US, all three teens got upgraded! Economy overbooked and club pretty empty. They had a blast.
I feel like some of the people in this thread who are happy to ditch their kids in Economy will be the types to complain when they are dumped in a nursing home and the kids no longer come to visit. Reap what you sow folks!
I did it with mine. It was our first business class experience (in fact it’s been their only one!) and it was Aer Lingus from Dublin to Boston. Could only get 2 clubworld seats on avios, so I went clubworld both ways, and one child each way. Daughter was sensible and bagged the night flight so she got the full experience!
They were around 16 and 17 at the time.
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