A tale of two children (in J)

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Why do people pay the big, big bucks for Business? Well, for me, it's the bed. That's it, the only reason. Being able to sleep is key, the rest of it is just add-ons. The first time I flew in Business, I was stunned to discover that someone had a young child there, and it was noisy for the entire Au to US flight. $8 grand down the gurgler.

I bet that doctor had had a similar experience, and didn't want another one. I'll come out and say it. It's NOT OK to be noisy. I don't accept that, of anyone. Kids, adults, babies, it's absolutely horrible to be trapped in a metal tube for 14 hours, with noise the whole time. If a child makes a noise and their parent quiets them down and they stay quiet, great, thank you. But will never accept someone thinking they have the right to disturb an entire flight.

Why on earth are children allowed in Business? Look at the name... Business.
 
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garrulous said:
How old were the girls? Given that kids will be kids and the passenger had probably had a previous bad experience, what’s the issue? All those respondents who express ‘outrage’ probably fly with kids.(and are desensitised to the issue). There’s nothing worse than noisy and often uncontrolled kids flying, particularly when you have paid a hefty premium trying to avoid the experience in the cheaper class.
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If someone walked up to you and said the same thing about you, about your spouse, about your parent (if youre travelling with them), would that be OK? Just because someone is a minor doesnt mean an adult gets to speak to them or about them like this without reason.

I'll admit, Ive had moments where I have reacted from a childs actions (sneezing on food, running around/yelling ect) but when the kid hasnt done a single thing to deserve being made to feel bad about themselves or the parent has to defend them for no reason at all, its not right.

Its not an elders right or privilege to make minors feel coughty about themselves just so the elder feels righteous about themselves.

Yeah, this big hero of this story is going to be sitting around with his equally important peers, cheering about how he put a parent in his/her place because the kids dared to exist in his space. What a wonderful example of an adult, thats sarcasm if you didnt pick up on it.
 
Captain Halliday said:
A big smile and: “No problem. I’ll be sure to wake you when your snoring begins.”
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well this is the thing :) When my adult daughter flew J from Singapore to Sydney she got no sleep due to a man’s extremely loud snoring. If you can’t afford your own jet then you have to co-exist. By all means say something if a child is behaving badly, but a request like that is just rude.
 
Snowant said:
Why do people pay the big, big bucks for Business? Well, for me, it's the bed. That's it, the only reason. Being able to sleep is key, the rest of it is just add-ons. The first time I flew in Business, I was stunned to discover that someone had a young child there, and it was noisy for the entire Au to US flight. $8 grand down the gurgler.

I bet that doctor had had a similar experience, and didn't want another one. I'll come out and say it. It's NOT OK to be noisy. I don't accept that, of anyone. Kids, adults, babies, it's absolutely horrible to be trapped in a metal tube for 14 hours, with noise the whole time. If a child makes a noise and their parent quiets them down and they stay quiet, great, thank you. But will never accept someone thinking they have the right to disturb an entire flight.

Why on earth are children allowed in Business? Look at the name... Business.
Click to expand...

I totally agree. Its a tough one though to define ‘children’, is it not? I think some airlines are already looking at the Business/First kids thing as a serious issue. I know I am!
 
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I was once a parent myself and I can see both sides of the coin. I wouldn't assume the children will make too much noise until that happens. On a number of occasions, I simply requested the cabin crew to talk to the parents concern when the incident occurs. It is natural for parents to think the world of their kids and as such the reactions from some members here are understandable.
 
What about the over 21s. I have experienced more lound adults, whose volume of conversation increase when an announcement, even the safety one, is being made, presumably so that they can hear thenselves over the announcement. These conversation can go on for hours. At least children sleep. Business class is not immune. In some cases full blown conferences take place over several rows. Children are not the only culprits.
 
@garrulous I don't fly with small children aged people.
I am old and grumpy and yes cringe at seeing small ones on business edited to add seeing in first as well. I had forgotten I have seen young ones there
BUT most of the time they are fine
Maybe it is the planes I fly ...A380 and the ewkky Dreamliner but I don't even hear snoring
Please note I will whinge loudly if I hear snoring on my next flight
I do feel for a business person who has to do a presentation the day they arrive but perhaps the onus is on them to ensure quiet life e.g. headphones etc? Perhaps it is like having a 'justin ' change of clothes in your carry on?
Neither Life nor plane trips always go to plan
 
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ermen said:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

No this is not one of those periodic threads debating whether infants / children should be allowed in the J cabin (I think angel children should be allowed, monster babies sent to the cargo hold or, better, fly DHL*)

But i was flying SQ SIN - HKG in J the other day on the early ~730am flight. In 12ACD with my two daughters - 5.5 years and 2.5 years. Connectin from Perth after bringing them to watch the Wiggles Live (the SQ 772 was also a jet plane, so they couldn't "do the propeller"^, but it was hard to explain to my children that one goes to great lengths to avoid the 737 and propeller planes if they can really help it)


Before take-off whilst boarding a man in 11A comes up to me and says would you make sure your daughters are quiet for the flight because I need to sleep. Stunned, as this this is the first time encountering this sort of request in the dozens of flights with my daughters, I compose myself, smile and tell him "hopefully". Threads from AFF / FT about narky passengers and infants in J start racing through my head. I could be the subject of a thread here! Story ended without further drama, because he managed to get the FA to move him to row 17 or somewhere back in the mini cabin and I never saw him again.

I find out later from the meal cart passenger manifest that said person in 11A was a "Dr xx_" - PhD or MBBS / MD I don't know :) I guess maybe Mr Dr needs to sleep to perform a crucial operation later that day, or maybe he was partying too late at Zouk** the night before and was hungover, or simply scarred from his last flight with the nightmare toddler from hell. :) I certainly hope he was not a pediatrician - he would be better suited as a radiologist or a colo-rectal surgeon with that sort of children skills.

He wasn't overly rude so I wasn't particularly offended - and he wasn't nasty or giving me evil death star(e)s. Still I thought it was pretty brazen for someone to be so open and upfront, especially when nothing had even happened yet. I certainly wouldn't have dared to be s vocal, I guess better be open and upfront than stewing like a beef bourguignon in your seat. Or maybe he likes George Bush Jnr and subscribes to his doctrine of "preemptive strikes"***.

Still 11A (bassinet row) is a particularly weird seat choice if one wanted to be as far away from infants as possible.

I told my wife and she told her mummy friends and they found this encounter incredulous and said I was too polite - they would have had some harsher words. Maybe I was too kind then, or maybe I subscribe to Bush Snr's vision of a "kinder" and "gentler" society**** (may he RIP).

What would you do?

*My daughters equivocally belong to the angel category - IFE keeps them well entertained. the only time being when my eldest was 3 and i brought her to the MH J toilet on the 737 to discipline her for being naughty - and she decided to vomit on me (maybe as payback for making her fly the MH recliner seats?)
** Zouk (club) - Wikipedia
*** Bush Doctrine - Wikipedia
**** Opinion | George H.W. Bush’s Uncommon Grace

^
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If some one ask politely for his peace of mind paying bus class fare in advance, then what's the issue.. Remember "cause and effect" and if you can avoid "effect" before hand both parties should be happy..
 
Earplugs. Simple answer.

Then there is the snoring adult.....had a flight from LA to Auckland recently where the snoring started before we'd left the ground.
 
ermen said:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

No this is not one of those periodic threads debating whether infants / children should be allowed in the J cabin (I think angel children should be allowed, monster babies sent to the cargo hold or, better, fly DHL*)

But i was flying SQ SIN - HKG in J the other day on the early ~730am flight. In 12ACD with my two daughters - 5.5 years and 2.5 years. Connectin from Perth after bringing them to watch the Wiggles Live (the SQ 772 was also a jet plane, so they couldn't "do the propeller"^, but it was hard to explain to my children that one goes to great lengths to avoid the 737 and propeller planes if they can really help it)


Before take-off whilst boarding a man in 11A comes up to me and says would you make sure your daughters are quiet for the flight because I need to sleep. Stunned, as this this is the first time encountering this sort of request in the dozens of flights with my daughters, I compose myself, smile and tell him "hopefully". Threads from AFF / FT about narky passengers and infants in J start racing through my head. I could be the subject of a thread here! Story ended without further drama, because he managed to get the FA to move him to row 17 or somewhere back in the mini cabin and I never saw him again.

I find out later from the meal cart passenger manifest that said person in 11A was a "Dr xx_" - PhD or MBBS / MD I don't know :) I guess maybe Mr Dr needs to sleep to perform a crucial operation later that day, or maybe he was partying too late at Zouk** the night before and was hungover, or simply scarred from his last flight with the nightmare toddler from hell. :) I certainly hope he was not a pediatrician - he would be better suited as a radiologist or a colo-rectal surgeon with that sort of children skills.

He wasn't overly rude so I wasn't particularly offended - and he wasn't nasty or giving me evil death star(e)s. Still I thought it was pretty brazen for someone to be so open and upfront, especially when nothing had even happened yet. I certainly wouldn't have dared to be s vocal, I guess better be open and upfront than stewing like a beef bourguignon in your seat. Or maybe he likes George Bush Jnr and subscribes to his doctrine of "preemptive strikes"***.

Still 11A (bassinet row) is a particularly weird seat choice if one wanted to be as far away from infants as possible.

I told my wife and she told her mummy friends and they found this encounter incredulous and said I was too polite - they would have had some harsher words. Maybe I was too kind then, or maybe I subscribe to Bush Snr's vision of a "kinder" and "gentler" society**** (may he RIP).

What would you do?

*My daughters equivocally belong to the angel category - IFE keeps them well entertained. the only time being when my eldest was 3 and i brought her to the MH J toilet on the 737 to discipline her for being naughty - and she decided to vomit on me (maybe as payback for making her fly the MH recliner seats?)
** Zouk (club) - Wikipedia
*** Bush Doctrine - Wikipedia
**** Opinion | George H.W. Bush’s Uncommon Grace

^
^
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Think all airlines should have some flights free of children under 14 years of age I would fly international business class if I knew no kids on that flight would be easy to moniter
 
Ok how come the title has changed ? My email says something different to the original title ?
Or am I being blonde and Old ?
 
siri said:
If some one ask politely for his peace of mind paying bus class fare in advance, then what's the issue.. Remember "cause and effect" and if you can avoid "effect" before hand both parties should be happy..
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So if youre quietly sitting in your seat, settling in, is it OK for Mr 3A to walk up to you and tell you to "make sure you are quiet for the flight because I need to sleep".

Would you think thats a perfectly reasonable action from Mr 3A (who youve never met/seen or gave reason for such a request) or would you be thinking hes either a potential nutter or STFU, sit down and leave me alone?

I would be thinking hes a potential nutter and should be watched for any unreasonable behaviours during the flight because he has so little self control.
 
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