Long haul with family: sharing business & economy seats between parents ????

[MEL_Traveller]

I am not sure if you have ever travelled in SQ F, so I will attempt to assist.

If you had, then you would be aware that the suite is a closed-in space separate from each other i.e. total privacy is ensured.

The dining table is designed for two people sharing a meal with a couch opposite the seat proper.

I did explain but in your rush to a condemnation probably you had overlooked the point. That is, I sounded out the FA about the possibility of a J pax having their (J) meal with me in my own suite.

That means no consumption of anything from the F cabin.

Further, no other F space is taken or claimed. The couch belonged to me - a paid F pax - and nobody else could have access to it.

It is materially different from swapping seat so that a Y pax could access / enjoy the J/F facilities designed for one pax to occupy.

If it had been a F seat and not a suite, I'd never entertained that thought.

As dim as I am, I could see the difference between a seat and a suite.

but a J class pax, eating a J class meal, is still consuming F resources. They would presumably be consuming F beverages? (and if not, then the crew would have to go upstairs to the galley to bring down each and every beverage from the J galley); they would be taking up F cabin crew time; they would be using F class WCs if they decided to have a loo break.

A first class pax can usually go to the lower cabin however if they want to sit with someone (and there is a spare seat).

I know BA does allow F class pax to sometimes have a visitor for a drink. But that is the only airline I am aware fo with such a policy. But it excludes meal times and cannot disturb the cabin as a whole (ie visitors not allowed if everyone is sleeping).

i had a QF last year where a husband and wife were travelling in split cabins. We had an extensive ground delay and the spouse was allowed to sit in the F cabin until departure, but requests for the spouse to come back to 'sleep' were firmly denied not only by the cabin crew, but the ISM as well who had to get involved. The spouse was begging to stay, and said they would not eat or drink anything, just sleep. It was a little uncomfortable.

 

[legroom]

but a J class pax, eating a J class meal, is still consuming F resources. They would presumably be consuming F beverages? (and if not, then the crew would have to go upstairs to the galley to bring down each and every beverage from the J galley); they would be taking up F cabin crew time; they would be using F class WCs if they decided to have a loo break.

A first class pax can usually go to the lower cabin however if they want to sit with someone (and there is a spare seat).

I know BA does allow F class pax to sometimes have a visitor for a drink. But that is the only airline I am aware fo with such a policy. But it excludes meal times and cannot disturb the cabin as a whole (ie visitors not allowed if everyone is sleeping).

i had a QF last year where a husband and wife were travelling in split cabins. We had an extensive ground delay and the spouse was allowed to sit in the F cabin until departure, but requests for the spouse to come back to 'sleep' were firmly denied not only by the cabin crew, but the ISM as well who had to get involved. The spouse was begging to stay, and said they would not eat or drink anything, just sleep. It was a little uncomfortable.

I have to say that those photos - from SQ itself - were the source for my thoughts which turned out to be incorrect.

I reached the wrong inference but in the end, I was (and am) not upset, nor annoyed with the response.

In fact, I did not 'request' but asked them about those photos and how it could be applied.

As explained, that thought would not have arisen if I had been in a F seat (vis a vis a suite - as suggested by the photos).

 

[fersea]

i had a QF last year where a husband and wife were travelling in split cabins. We had an extensive ground delay and the spouse was allowed to sit in the F cabin until departure, but requests for the spouse to come back to 'sleep' were firmly denied not only by the cabin crew, but the ISM as well who had to get involved. The spouse was begging to stay, and said they would not eat or drink anything, just sleep. It was a little uncomfortable.

I am not surprised they don't accept requests from other passengers to sleep in F.

Imagine how many requests they would get from passengers to sleep with Miranda Kerr!!!!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I am not surprised they don't accept requests from other passengers to sleep in F.

Imagine how many requests they would get from passengers to sleep with Miranda Kerr!!!!

no - i think it's completely reasonable to request it... why wouldn't it be? The cheapest first class to HKG is $7300, compared to the cheapest business class of $3900: hardly any difference in fare, and business class should be entitled to all first class amenities and seating except for take-off and landing right?

premium economy is only a bit cheaper still. So i guess they should be allowed as well.

actually that all sounds a bit too complex. I think it would be better to just have totally free seating... sit where you want on the aircraft regardless of what your boarding pass says. First come first served.

 

[legroom]

no - i think it's completely reasonable to request it... why wouldn't it be? The cheapest first class to HKG is $7300, compared to the cheapest business class of $3900: hardly any difference in fare, and business class should be entitled to all first class amenities and seating except for take-off and landing right?

premium economy is only a bit cheaper still. So i guess they should be allowed as well.

actually that all sounds a bit too complex. I think it would be better to just have totally free seating... sit where you want on the aircraft regardless of what your boarding pass says. First come first served.

Fersea was obviously being cheeky there.

So, the sarcasm is not needed IMO.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Fersea was obviously being cheeky there.

So, the sarcasm is not needed IMO.

hint of sarcasm maybe, but my comments appear to genuinely represent the views some!

 

[HKGNZL]

hint of sarcasm maybe, but my comments appear to genuinely represent the views some!

Reality, as shown on this thread, is that views varied and enough people think it is acceptable to swap seats (discreetly). Importantly it had been happening all these years and likely to continue (at least at the discretion of FAs).

Those who object can probably write to each airline and complain. We all know nothing will come out of it.

 

[Kieran2274]

Talking about the SQ Suite, and somewhat off-topic, I was surprised to find that it isn't really an enclosed suite (and I'm not talking about the standard FA look-over the walls). Unlike the EK Suite, which has solid (well, whole) walls, the SQ have this mesh blind window thing right next to your seat, and right next to the TV. You can reasonably look in with the mesh up, and easily pull it down if you wanted to. The sliding doors are whole though, just not the fixed walls because of those mesh window cut-outs.

 

[fersea]

Fersea was obviously being cheeky there.

So, the sarcasm is not needed IMO.

Glad someone worked it out!!

 

[straitman]

Yes they will mind. You won't be permitted to do the swap in flight.

If it really makes you feel better.

But note it is already happening now. I have witnessed it. HKGNZL has experienced it.

On a flight on BA from LHR to SIN in WT+ a couple of months ago I saw a husband and wife with small children swap between WT+ and Club World several times, with the help of the FA. They had 3 of the front row middle seats in WT+ nearest to the Club World cabin. In fact the FA held the smallest child while the parents swapped cabins with each other.

It is obviously happening on some flights so from where I'm sitting this is no different to many other things and the only consistent thing is the inconsistency between airlines and then a smaller amount of inconsistency with the one airline.

Just be aware that if you climb onto your A380 and JB is the Captain it is not going to happen andif you are sitting near me it is not going to happen very often.