Couples & Voluntary Cabin Separation

[Quickstatus]

This trip to KUL spouse and kids on SQ and I'm on QF. Entirely voluntary. I understand this is about cabin separation but I think it qualifies.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

by the way, when i called Qantas, they said that the one hour should be ok, but that two would be much less stressful

The "one hour is fine" brigade clearly haven't tried it.

J seating is not guaranteed in event of misconnection. They may offer you PE or Y.

If you take it the refund will be the difference between what you paid for J and the price of FULLFARE economy as priced on the day!!!. The refund will be small.

Never take the 'refund' option, always insist they book the same or higher cabin whether on the same flight, different flight or different airline.

1 hour is doable if you don't just miss the transit bus, and it's only running every 20 or 30 minutes. I've done 75 minutes, complete with a quick champagne in the FLounge.

One hour is legal but IMO bordering on suicidal. It only takes a fail to board pax with bags who is offloaded after a bag search on your flight to SYD or single runway ops where SYD ATC basically tell the airline that their 0700 flight is now departing at 0723 and it all ends in tears.

 

[Cult of one]

I think that separation on the plane may just lead to separation at the home !!

I would rather sit next to my wife in economy than a stranger in business. I turned down an upgrade on LAX to BNE

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Date Point: I spoke with 2 SQ IFSs over last day or so - offical SQ policy is that they have no problem at all with a one off swap cabin class to cabin class between pax. On one meal flts a second meal cannot be claimed by pax in higher cabin - on 2 meal flts obviously can have one meal each - open flow alcohol policy in all cabins so that is not a prob. Crew do get requests regularly for 'swaps' - final decision always rests with IFS but neither had ever refused a request.

 

[Ausbt]

would like to offer my +1 the J seat which is booked in my name.

Almost experienced that while waiting for PE upgrades to come through NRT-SYD on Q. Mine came through on check in, my wife's (NB member) did not. There was much discussion in the lounge that my wife should just take the boarding pass and/or sort it out onboard with the FA and I'll retreat to Y. But the situation was avoided at the gate - when my wife's upgrade was finally delivered. Painful - but that's the system with QF I guess, when you don't have any status.

Also I would always insist that my wife took an upgrade if offered, as far as I'm concerned she deserves every bit of luxury on offer. She is certainly not a 'high maintenance' girl anyway. That linked article about men who fly J while their wives are in Y - just unbelievable.

 

[cherft]

do you think it reasonable for one half of a couple to fly voluntarily in higher class than their partner? Would you in fact do this?

In a heartbeat.
and so would my wife, if it were offered to her.

 

[Quickstatus]

Almost experienced that while waiting for PE upgrades to come through NRT-SYD on Q. Mine came through on check in, my wife's (NB member) did not. There was much discussion in the lounge that my wife should just take the boarding pass and/or sort it out onboard with the FA and I'll retreat to Y. But the situation was avoided at the gate - when my wife's upgrade was finally delivered. Painful - but that's the system with QF I guess, when you don't have any status.

Also I would always insist that my wife took an upgrade if offered, as far as I'm concerned she deserves every bit of luxury on offer. She is certainly not a 'high maintenance' girl anyway. That linked article about men who fly J while their wives are in Y - just unbelievable.

Thats my practice too AusBT on the rare occasions of an upgrade.
Additionally on FF seats she gets the best seat I can get.

But somehow it's not enough for her to overlook my transgressions.��

 

[robeen]

As a former Q flight attendant I can confirm that leaving the wife to travel
in Y class is very very common. Where there is a swap...have never seen this refused by the onboard manager.....all crew who know about it appreciate the gesture and usually try to give that super hubby (usually the male with the J seat) that extra bit of service wherever possible.

 

[fairhsa]

Wow fascinating thoughts. My husband and I are much more pragmatic. If offered an upgrade (and I often am, because I am One World Emerald), I take it. But more than that, for long haul we always fly in different classes. We buy our own tickets - I care about being in Biz far more than he does, so I will frequently fly to a starting point that makes the flight in Biz much cheaper (no, I'm not revealing all my secrets here!) and then fly back to Hong Kong and whereupon he joins the flight in Economy and we go off to the destination together.

If we are both in economy, and the flight has empty seats, we will always choose to have empty space between us or go and find separate rows if available!

I spent quality time with my husband at home. Cant he how being squashed next to each other in a plane is at all a good way to spend it if more comfortable options are available !

 

[Walloper]

Take it - without a doubt - and then my wife would use it - without a doubt!

 

[Denali]

I think that separation on the plane may just lead to separation at the home !!

I would rather sit next to my wife in economy than a stranger in business. I turned down an upgrade on LAX to BNE

I hope you are being tongue in cheek because if your marriage cant handle sitting separately for 16hrs then I wonder how you manage to get through married life with real stress.

If my husband knocked back an upgrade, I would call him an idiot.

Thankfully, I didn't marry an idiot.

 

[JessicaTam]

I hope you are being tongue in cheek because if your marriage cant handle sitting separately for 16hrs then I wonder how you manage to get through married life with real stress.

If my husband knocked back an upgrade, I would call him an idiot.

Thankfully, I didn't marry an idiot.

I think that is a little harsh. There may be any number of reasons why a couple would like to spend time together on a plane, that an upgrade would not outweigh. 'Tis the theme of this thread, after all.

 

[Denali]

I think that is a little harsh. There may be any number of reasons why a couple would like to spend time together on a plane, that an upgrade would not outweigh. 'Tis the theme of this thread, after all.

I wasn't meaning to be harsh, that's why I hoped the poster was being tongue in cheek.

 

[JessicaTam]

I wasn't meaning to be harsh, that's why I hoped the poster was being tongue in cheek.

And if they weren't?

 

[Quickstatus]

I think that is a little harsh. There may be any number of reasons why a couple would like to spend time together on a plane, that an upgrade would not outweigh. 'Tis the theme of this thread, after all.

I can think of no reason outside of an emergency that cannot wait 16hrs.
There is seat to seat SMS and of course the inflight bars(though not a good place to air dirty laundry.) I'm sure the CSM will allow a conference at the inflight lounge in front of 11E on a QFA380)

For those romantics doesn't absence make the heart grow fonder?

 

[Denali]

And if they weren't?

Then I will sit back in my judgey chair and judge.. because this is the internet and that's what some of us do

I get the "marriage harmony" jokes but I also note that the poster didn't offer that HE sits in economy and give up his upgrade to his wife to sit in J.

 

[Denali]

I can think of no reason outside of an emergency that cannot wait 16hrs.

I do understand that some people suffer true anxiety so may need support of a spouse or partner next to them but yeah, unless you are about to climb the walls, I'll be sitting in J honey. Love you and will see you in a few hours and I'll try to send you down a drink occasionally.

I guess Im a terrible wife

 

[blackcat20]

I can think of no reason outside of an emergency that cannot wait 16hrs.
There is seat to seat SMS and of course the inflight bars(though not a good place to air dirty laundry.) I'm sure the CSM will allow a conference at the inflight lounge in front of 11E on a QFA380)

For those romantics doesn't absence make the heart grow fonder?

Some couples just like spending time together. You dont need an emergency to want to travel together.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Some couples just like spending time together. You dont need an emergency to want to travel together.

100% - and even after a lifetime together some of those funny little amusing incidents that happen very occasionally onboard are never going to happen in 1,000 nts together in the lounge room at home.

FTR - I think I have posted earlier that no way we would travel in seperate cabins 'voluntarily' - but again we are all different and not all idiots. I did start this thread for AFFers to express their opinions and preferences - nobody should be judged or told their opinions are wrong - this is more than the Internet this is AFF - best online family community I could ever imagine - let's all treat each other with total respect.

 

[Denali]

.... no way we would travel in seperate cabins 'voluntarily' ......

But when was the last time you flew medium or long haul in Y because I get the impression from your posts that you rarely do anything less than J.

I say this because if you are already in J its easy to knock back an upgrade.