Children in Upper Class

I have read some posts on here and elsewhere that children are not particularly tolerated by other UC passengers. Has anybody got any experiences good or bad that they would like to share before I book (especially to and from Orlando).
Many thanks.

It is a very small area on the LGW fleet so much like all being in a single room - for 8 hours.
So it really comes down to whether the children can cope being shut up in one room with a dozen random adults.
You will know your own kids best - its not a matter of how other pax tolerate them - they are just people - some tolerant some not - some difficult - some not. Like any other bunch in a restaurant or whatever.
The difference is though, that its 8 hours.

Hello and welcome to v-flyer!

I think you'll find a lot of different views on children in UC on here.

For me, it just comes down to the parents keeping an eye on them and occupying them for the flight then everyone will be happy.

There are some really experienced people on here who have travelled with children of varying ages and I'm sure they will be along shortly to give you some advice!

Either way, I hope you have a great trip!

Luke

Thanks to Bill and Luke - some useful comments. We have travelled many times to Australia with other airlines in Business Class and we are contemplating travelling with Virgin, beginning with a trip to Orlando.
I am interested to know if free-flowing alcohol is an issue as we had a nasty experience with BA recently where a passenger became very aggressive.

[Darren Wheeler]

I've never known there to be problems with alcohol in Upper.

One thing to remember on the Gatwick aircraft is that you have the bar at the end of the cabin. I have friends who wouldn't want their children seeing people drinking there.

Children (like adults) are always OK until they start to misbehave!

What annoys me is when a child for example starts to misbehave and the parents DO NOTHING to stop that behaviour - that is what is annoying to many.

Equally parents who think the CC are their free child minder / entertainer grates too.

Mind that applies whatever cabin you are in whether its UC or Economy. Ditto you can get aggressive people in any cabin.

As Bill says you know your children best (you dont say how old they are) but the usual applies - take their favourite snack, book, ipod (and earphones!) to keep them entertained.

We take our two DD's in UC MAN to MCO, they are 14 and 10 now but first experienced UC nearly 3 years ago. They know they are expected to behave well, be fairly quiet and be polite to other passengers and CC. They entertain themselves with books, IFE and Ipads. They eat from the UC menu (DD2 will join me at my table) and enjoy the extra comfort UC offers; they are less trouble than most of the adults

I think most if the problems occur when adults don't supervise or keep occupied their offspring on the aircraft whatever cabin you are in. On our last outbound UC there were two other kids in the cabin. Mum and Dad settled into 6A/K Kids were in 7A/K and Granny in 9A. Mum and Dad got the headphones on and attacked the bubbly blissfully unaware the kids were up and down the cabin between their seats and Granny. Halfway to MCO it kicked off when the chap in 8K had to tell them off for swinging on his wifes suite (8A) and waking her up when she was napping. CC had to referee when 8K squared up to 6K asking why he wasn't supervising his kids properly and pointing out he didn't pay UC prices to have kids running about.

We take our two DD's in UC MAN to MCO, they are 14 and 10 now but first experienced UC nearly 3 years ago. They know they are expected to behave well, be fairly quiet and be polite to other passengers and CC. They entertain themselves with books, IFE and Ipads. They eat from the UC menu (DD2 will join me at my table) and enjoy the extra comfort UC offers; they are less trouble than most of the adults

I think most if the problems occur when adults don't supervise or keep occupied their offspring on the aircraft whatever cabin you are in. On our last outbound UC there were two other kids in the cabin. Mum and Dad settled into 6A/K Kids were in 7A/K and Granny in 9A. Mum and Dad got the headphones on and attacked the bubbly blissfully unaware the kids were up and down the cabin between their seats and Granny. Halfway to MCO it kicked off when the chap in 8K had to tell them off for swinging on his wifes suite (8A) and waking her up when she was napping. CC had to referee when 8K squared up to 6K asking why he wasn't supervising his kids properly and pointing out he didn't pay UC prices to have kids running about.

What en excellent posting y) Thank you
The sort of behaviour (by parent, child, and other pax) is what is to be expected and then everyone should be happy.
it is the parents that allow unchecked behaviour, or dont supervise etc that annoys other pax (many of whom also take children in j/f on flights).
To fly with with you and your family would be a pleasure oo) and a nice change from the screaming, sweet throwing rough parents I have had to endure in the past on some VS flights to MCO or LAS.

I am interested to know if free-flowing alcohol is an issue

Our 5 year old daughter tends to get a little mean after her third glass of champers, so we usually restrict her to a mojito in the Clubhouse and make her stick to apple juice thereafter...

I have to say, I've never really witnessed a badly behaved (or, I should say, badly supervised) child in UC. And the vast majority of fellow passengers will generally make small allowances for the presence of - in particular - very young children. There are some out there who probably believe that a business class cabin is no place for a kid but, quite frankly, that's their problem.

We've taken Tizer on a fair few UC flights over the past five years and we've never experienced a bad reaction from other passengers (although we once had a poor experience in a Hilton executive lounge, but that's another story). Parents who carry out all the usual forward planning - snacks, sweets, toys, DVD player etc. - combined, once they can understand it, with a strict pre-flight pep talk deserve nowt but praise from anyone sharing a cabin with them.

I experienced a passenger having had more than his 'fair-share' of alcohol on a UC flight I took last year! He was becoming a nuisance to some of the pax so the flight mananger soon intervened and make up his bed and told him to lie in it until we landed - she handled the situation superbly!

Unfortunately, she closed the bar just incase!!

Any children I have ever had the pleasure of sharing UC, have always been well supervised by their parents.

Enjoy your flight!

Suzy 8D

To fly with with you and your family would be a pleasure oo) and a nice change from the screaming, sweet throwing rough parents I have had to endure in the past on some VS flights to MCO or LAS.

Well to be fair M&M's aren't exactly sweets..... :0 ):

Think the biggest issue is you not stressing about it too much, other than a blissful disregard for those around you going unchecked, its not an issue. As you have experienced and as have many others, noisy drunk adults especially in larger groups can create same if not worse issues. - cue incident in UC on route to SYD where CC had to come and calm down a vocal corporate group in UC who decided to have loud boozy gathering mid cabin on a night flight (6 hours into flight), whilst mini NH, in adjacent suite asleep soundly, plus many others around her, they got all arsey being pushed out to the bar area... v(

Its all down to a healthy standard of respect for fellow travellers, no matter what your age. Bleeting on about ....shouldn't be travelling with children as I've paid X is nonsense, and I think you'll find VS to be generally free of this ridiculous mentality- (90% of these issues arise from pax who don't pay their own fares anyway...)

As expected a lively topic, that will always be an issue whilst we all fly public transport....(a term quite often forgotten about)..

NH (mini NH aged 5)

Hi,

We have flown three times in UC with our LO's MAN to MCO. First trip they were 4 & 2, then 5 & 3 and most recently 6 & 4.

The main reason we flew UC for the first time was so that they could bring some toys and play on the floor. My parents came too and so we had seats 6A and 6K and the next 2 rows so that we occupied the whole of the 'nose' of the plane and the girls didn't get in anyones way. They were as good as gold but I would expect this of them regardless of which cabin we were flying in. Children need supervising where ever we are, that is our job as a parent but some just don't seem to care or presume others will do it for them. We take plenty of goodies to keep them occupied and it just gets easier as they get older. On one flight when we first boarded the plane I could see one chap eyeing us up and down, probably worried about how they would behave but by the end of the trip he 'congratulated' me on their behaviour y) I think he was more relieved than anything

Equally on a different flight a lady was trying to sleep and the girls were having a quiet giggle sharing a DS, the lady complained about the noise they were making which I felt was completely unreasonable as they were not being rowdy at all. She clearly was unhappy about there being kids in the UC cabin. She really put me off UC (along with the prices and limited availability!!!).....

I feel as though a weight has been lifted slightly as our next four trips are all in PE and although I will still expect good behaviour from the girls, I don't feel that pressure where other passengers may expect them to sit like statues for nine hours :w

I've read tales of kids running up and down the PE cabin inthe bubble, those kids will not be mine! y)

Ali 8D

To fly with with you and your family would be a pleasure oo) and a nice change from the screaming, sweet throwing rough parents I have had to endure in the past on some VS flights to MCO or LAS.

Well to be fair M&M's aren't exactly sweets..... :0 ):

Almost missed that one, Mike, although I'm sure such comments weren't leveled at the Family mdvipond. No one on dear old V-Flyer would be so catty...

Bleeting on about ....shouldn't be travelling with children as I've paid X is nonsense, and I think you'll find VS to be generally free of this ridiculous mentality- (90% of these issues arise from pax who don't pay their own fares anyway...)

Very good point, especially when you factor in that the vast majority of pax with children are paying for it out of their own hard-earned.

Well to be fair M&M's aren't exactly sweets..... :0 ):

Isn't 'M&M' the street name for a couple of mogadon?

(On and on the subject of irresponsible grown ups donse not the good mdvipond still owe us a TR does he not?)

[honey lamb]

I've never known there to be problems with alcohol in Upper.

Two words, Darren - Party Bus :w

I have to agree with all the above comments. I have flown upper class afew times with children travelling with other, I recall once there was a afew people talking around the bar just getting aquainted NO rowdy behaviour, anyway this mother complained (even tho her children were sleeping fine) Then few hours when we all went to our beds she fell asleep and her children awoke and ran riot around the cabin. In my opinion its the parents responsibility and if they cant/wont control there children they should accept honesty from people who can!

Is it wrong i wanted to stick my feet out to trip the children up? The mother expected CC to be responsible for her children.

ANyway if like other V-flyers you know how to discipline and entertain your children I wouldnt care what others thought on the flight, especially as your paying for it!

Platinum Leo

[Scrooge]

I've never known there to be problems with alcohol in Upper.

Two words, Darren - Party Bus :w

There wasn't a problem, VS were warned in advance and extra was loaded, yes they even doubled the champers, to two bottles.

As most have pointed out, in general (except LRoM who hates everyone under the age of 25) most people have no issues with kids (or adults) who behave themselves, I have seen more problems with adults than kids in all classes of travel.

I am a single traveler and have no issue with children. I even struck up an in-depth conversation about Xbox Kinect with an ottoman lurker a few weeks ago.

Growing up I traveled a fair bit and always liked it when 'adults' chatted to me, and only played up when bored, so I always keep that in mind.

Given the baggage allowance in UC, if your children are within the weight limits............ :w

Seriously, as many have said already, in my experience there are no problem children just problem parents.

One advantage of the MCO flights - in general everyone is on the same timezone.
On other flights, there may well be someone who needs quiet to sleep - it is the middle of the night for them.

Some certainly do like to snooze during the MCO flight out - and certainly sleep most of the return flight. That is one of the main reasons that we pay the extra for UC - to have the beds! It is understandable that they would be annoyed with disturbance. That said, the disturbance I have experienced has almost always been due to adults. The few times children have seemed a problem have always been as a result of irresponsible parents.

I have no issues with children being in Upper Class, as long as they are behaved and don't run riot. My first Upper Class trip was last year to Cuba and one the flight back there was a young child up in the bubble and I must say he was well behaved and the parents ensured that he didn't cause any problems.

I have to admit that when I see children in the CH, it does make me think "I hope they aren't on my flight" (less so nowadays), then, as always, they are on my flight.
But each time I have been put in my place, when they have behaved excellently, often better than many of the adults in the cabin.

On my last flight from Miami, there were 2 children, brother and sister sat opposite me in the A-zone, both kept themselves occupied, not making any more noise than anyone else.

Unfortunately my parents-in-law, who were back in PE, on the same flight didn't have such a good time with a child! That was down to the parents who seemed to be winding him up and egging him on to be as disruptive as possible.

So as most have said, it's not the children, it's the parents that can be the problem.

Also IMO the CC deal with kids excellently, talking to them personally, just like everyone else, instead of ignoring them and talking to the parents about them.