Babies on a Plane

By The Flying Pinto

Should babies be allowed in First Class? This is a very popular subject and one that comes with a lot of opinions. I recently asked the question on Twitter after the news came out about Malaysian Airlines not allowing children under two in their first class cabin. Here is what a few had to say:

@Cassivella YAY! Ban then from the first two-thirds of rows in the plane

@SouthrnCharm I have to agree with the decision – people spend a lot of money for the experience, not to have it ruined by scream tots :/

@navyaircrewman I’m surprised it’s taken this long. No fault of the kid/parents but 1st class tix are $ & those who can afford it are picky.

@littletravelbug some adults can be more annoying than crying babies. Can they ban all loud mouth idiots instead?

@alextaveira Great idea…about time it happened.

@JohnRandalScott I think it’s a great idea! I understand both sides of the argument, but I think ppl paying that much $$ should have peace

@adam_polak Ooooh that would be wonderful! I fly for a North American airline.

@Bachelorsaurus If the parents paid no problem. But lap children shouldn’t be allowed. Ever.

@Sassystewrants If you can’t equalize your ears on your own, no flying for you! (re: babies & small children) lol

The subject of babies on a plane always comes with strong opinions.  My feeling is that most people are in first class because they are frequent fliers, people who are traveling for business. They are the bread and butter of the airlines usually trying to get work done or relax between business meetings. Full fare first class passengers are a rarity, so I think it is reasonable to not allow children in first class. My airline has a rule in place for employee travel that allows non-rev (pass travel) children over six the privilege of sitting in first class (with an adult and provided it’s available) This to me is an acceptable age for first class travel because children have more control over their emotions at this point. It is not reasonable to think that babies won’t cry and toddlers won’t have melt downs, but once a child is six I think it is fair game. After all, I have five children sitting in my first class cabin as I type this and they are all much better behaved than some of the adults I encounter these days!

What do you think? Should there be an age minimum for first class? And, how about Las Vegas? Should kids be allowed on flights to Las Vegas?

Creative Commons image courtesy of elvissa

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7 comments

  1. Cedarglen @ 2011-07-04 05:30

    When tots behave like FC passengers, heck yes. The instant their behavior changes (and it WILL), they and Mom or other attendant head for the rear. When paying $5k or even $10k for a ticket, I will NOT put up with a creaming kid, inder any circumstances. If a full-fare paid adult behaved like that, they would be removed from the airplane. No exceptions for little kids. Period.

  2. It only seems fair to “get what you pay for”….in other words, quiet!…
    BTW, thank you for the ad to the right regarding a discount on Travelpro luggage!
    I bought my first Travelpro bag when I was still working the friendly skies. That was in the 1980’s, and my bag has lasted until just recently. I replaced it today. Now, that old one should be “bronzed”….smiles.

  3. sweetmom @ 2011-07-19 18:46

    Baby cries are surely irritating, but its not gonna kill you. Plz people learn to have some tolerence. You are not gonna be inside the flight for the rest of your life. Maximum its gonna be 15-18 hrs. Sometimes it becomes really difficult to control children. You mite have had a less cranky kid, doesnt mean everyone gets that luck. And dont forget, we were also babies once. Go and ask your moms how cranky u were…

  4. Well done Malaysian Airlines. Finally someone has had the sense to implement this. I once paid a small fortune to fly first class with BA once, all the way from London to Singapore. The experience was ruined by a baby constantly crying in the seat in front. I know we were all babies at one time, but if you fork out a fortune to fly first class, you should expect to have a peaceful flight at the very least!

  5. Michael Cairns @ 2011-10-15 18:06

    If I pay full fair for a first class seat for my infant son then why can’t he sit beside me in first class? I just took a seven hour flight on which my son slept for five of those hours and ate and played for the other two.
    I fly first class regularly and have encountered many more obnoxious adults than misbehaving children.

  6. I am the parent that buys a full fair first class (3 total) tickets and one of those tickets is for my son. We started this when he was 5yo.

    It isn’t always a given that a baby or toddler will have a meltdown and given the number of horrible stories we see on tv and hear about on podcasts, it seems like adults have a hard time controlling their behavior.

  7. In my case my mom lives in Vegas. So we have brought and will bring our child on the flight to Vegas. Does that discount us?