Dad lives it up in First; Mum & the kids slum it in Economy

One member this week is planning a family trip to Europe and wants to experience the luxury of First class, but won’t be able to bring the whole family into the pointy end.

Instead of our member risking getting into trouble with his wife, the plan is to split the travel so that both Mum and Dad each spend some time in First class, and each take turns looking after the children in Economy.

So: Melbourne to London 1 x Qantas award flight in F, 1 adult & 2 kids in Y – looks like we are going to split the first class experience, a leg each with the ankle biters and a leg with the champagne. We will try to upgrade the economy flights on points to PE but don’t have status and need 3 seats so don’t think much of our chances.

Our members are happy to offer advice about how to best take advantage of the situation and ensure the experience is as enjoyable as possible for all involved. It is strongly recommended to make sure the Customer Service Manager, or CSM on the flight is on-side. The CSM may be hesitant to allow family members to visit the First cabin, however if the cards are played right they may even facilitate a visit or two.

There will be natural temptation for the family to visit the person in the F seat and again, this needs to be done with tact and consultation, so as not to put the cabin crew, or the other F pax offside. Try to get friendly with the CSM or the F cabin crew before ANY excursions are made. If the F cabin has vacant seats, resist the temptation to ask for some of the family to be brought up to F, but if you play your cards right, a friendly CSM may suggest it.

Luckily, the entire family will have access to some of the benefits of flying First class. Some of these include the limousine service and access to the First class lounges, including the Qantas lounge in Melbourne.

In this case it seems that the situation will work out nicely for all involved. However, it seems that not everyone would be prepared to split up the family in such a way.

Anyone want to have a chat with my wife and convince her of the merits of a similar sort of travel arrangment? I couldn’t believe the suggestion of her in F and myself and 2 year old in J to LAX was strongly knocked back! Lol

Have you done something similar or do you have any advice to offer our travellers? Join the discussion HERE.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.