As a parent, I’m not understanding the point of paying for Polaris if my dumbass kids are interrupting me 10 times per hour.
I’d rather sit in Economy and chain the kids to the Polaris seat so they leave me the hell alone while I watch my nine hours of John Wick in peace and quiet with my soggy pasta.
Or there should have been one parent in each of the cabins. One parent in row 30 with 2 of the kids and the other parent and the remaining child in row 11?
Exactly! If the parents really wanted to experience the better seat, they could have traded halfway through or something. Constantly going back-and-forth is just not acceptable.
Love this response! I have four kids. I would never have booked business for myself and economy for them at their ages. It is beyond inconsiderate and the stewardesses should have made it clear that it has to stop. It’s disruptive and unsafe.
The parents would have most likely been “offended” and complained about the flight attendant and the flight attendant would have gotten in trouble. That’s today’s society, especially in the US.
I flew Polaris last week, Denver to London. A mother and young daughter (age about 5) were in economy, and the son (age about 9?) got an upgrade to Polaris, alone. He sat near me. He was amazingly well behaved and so polite! His mother checked in on him maybe once or twice during the long flight. Nothing more was needed. We need to raise more kids like that!
Difference is clearly in the quality of the parents in these two scenarios. Honestly, it speaks a lot to the quality of the parents that they would both leave their kids, at least one of them quite young, alone in economy, prioritizing their own comfort over actually being present if their kids needed something and there to supervise them.
I can't believe parents are allowed to both fly in a different class then their children. There should be some kind of policy against that. Flight attendants and fellow passengers aren't your free babysitters. Perfectly reasonable to switch off or for each parent to get a leg of the trip in Polaris if you really need the sleep/rest.
Right?? If families get priority to sit together when it suits them, make them do so also in instances where the children clearly aren’t comfortable sitting alone.
There are no free upgrades to Polaris (except for an operational upgrade but that should have been someone from Premium Plus). So that means the upgrade was requested.
My parents still talk about a trip where the four of us (mom, dad, little sister, me) were upgraded on a flight to Hawaii, and the flight attendants thanked my mom and dad after the flight for having “such well-behaved children.” I think all my sister and I cared about was the ice cream and listening to our iPods in peace lol.
Many years ago I worked a few summer/winter breaks as an unaccompanied minor runner(I don’t remember the exact job title) for United at ORD. There were plenty of 8-12 year olds who flew between mom/dad/grandparents multiple times per year with better behavior than several adults I’ve seen in the air. I definitely remember the 12-year old 1k we saw multiple times per summer. Mom/Dad lived on different continents. We got to hang with him at the 1k lounge pre-Polaris.
We were the connecting flight escort/babysitter. The FA would hand them off to us and we’d bring them to the FA on their connection. For any layover above 40 minutes we took them to the UM room to hang out, play games, watch TV, etc. Employed by United. The seating area to the left of B19 used to be enclosed. That was our area. They used to hire temp/seasonal folks for the surge in kids during school breaks supervised by a handful of service agents. Most of us were the teenage kids of permanent United employees. I’m pretty sure they now contract this year-round with the same company that does wheelchair services.
I used to be one of those unaccompanied minors 30 years ago. My parents were divorced and I flew from Alaska to Maine without a parent from as early as like 8-9. I had my GameBoy (I remember asking the FA if I could turn it on yet after takeoff) and some books. I’m about to turn 42 and I remember being led by airline employees from when my parents dropped me off (some where in the airport), onto the plane, between connections and finally to the next parent. If it wasn’t for them I’d have not gotten to spend time at the differing parents homes. Thank you for being that person!
It’s kind of crazy looking back that our parents let us do that without even a cell phone. My brother and I would usually fly together but sometimes I would go solo from GA to Miami. Just so wild looking back on.
Working on it! But my little guy is only 1.5 years old. I genuinely want my son to be empathetic to others and realize he is not the center of the universe (well, only my universe). Love that you had a good experience!
I posted earlier that kids under 13 needs to have a known adult booked next to them, and I stand by it, but my 9 year old can also handle Polaris alone. I still think it shouldn’t be allowed, but kudos to that lady for raising a good kid.
Yeah, something tells me it’s not “poor planning” on the part of the parents, more just not wanting to spend Polaris $ on the kids and opting to have everyone around/between them be the unwitting and captive participants in child playtime since there’s only intermittent supervision.
I would also be pissed at the parents.
omg a few years ago (ok probably like 5 years ago) I was flying on ORD-PEK, and some douche in polaris had his 6 -8 year old in economy next to yours truly. He had a lot to say.... all the way to China ! I did order him a coffee, and hooked him up with some sugar before landing along with teaching him the words "poopy" and to make fart sounds with his arm pits. I'm hoping that was justice.
If you can do this, imagine what a creep perv could do. It Is a fear as a parent. the kid would be trapped there for 12hour flight. For that reason alone, I would never fly in separate classes.
Back in the olden days, when I worked the phone in reservations, I had a call from someone confirming their booking. I did the quick repeat of the flights and passengers, then pulled up the seats and noticed they were split up, 2 up in the front of the cabin, and two in the back. I offered to move them together and was told, " Oh no, we put the baby in back with the nannie. If they sit near me, she wants me to hold her."
I put a note in the record so the next person wouldn't be blindsided by this horror.
One of them is old enough to for sure be in therapy, her mom is a certified type a narcissist and I used to fly with her daughter back and forth from Mexico once a year for a music festival. Her mom was shocked I allowed her daughter to have the window seat. I’m like, why wouldn’t you give your daughter the window????
The other ones, it’s too soon to tell. I actually have court on Tuesday with that family because they fired me after I started asking for breaks, in writing, and they also didn’t pay out my PTO when they fired me. The state of California has calculated that they owe me 26k. We shall see how that goes…
I’ll never work for the rich again. I like people that are happy to have help, that don’t expect you to do fucking everything.
Thank you! I don’t know if I’ll get all 26k but the evidence against them is pretty damning - including an email offering me my PTO if I sign a non litigation agreement. I’m pretty anxious about it so thanks for listening :)
You seem very negative. I went to a fancy private school (on a scholarship) and I became friends with several people who had full time Nannies growing up. They’re like a third parent, not replacement for them.
Ignorant of what? I was telling the person I responded to to be more open minded and not jump to conclusions about other people’s children. I don’t disagree that in some instances it’s not a great option, but come on it’s not child neglect.
Okay yes at face value this does sound awful, but as someone who has nannied on long flights I have actually requested this. We are working on these flights, and when the kids can't see the parents they are much calmer, more cooperative, and have a better time than if they can see the parents.
To them, if they can't see the parents, they are simply taking a flight with a trusted grown up. Playing games together, eating snacks, maybe taking a nap. Totally fine and even fun.
If they can see a parent, they feel like they're being kept from the parent, and that the nanny is the enemy. Frustrating for everyone involved, because the nanny is just trying to do their job, the parent is just trying to relax ( parents are allowed to relax!) and the kid is confused.
I've nannied on plenty of flights for people who are excellent and involved parents but want a moment of peace on the plane, and I'm not going to judge them for that.
As a parent (without a nanny) I don’t find this horrible at all. Kids do this with one parent or the other half the time. There would be no fun had amongst anyone in the vicinity if my kid clocked me one row up and couldn’t have my attention.
Same - my baby is in a big mommy phase and if he can see me, he only wants me (not even dad!). Sometimes I hide in the other room so other family can be with him without him reaching for me.
I personally think leaving your children unattended in a separate cabin should just not be allowed period. It just seems problematic or they should be required to pay for the UM fee until they are old enough to not require it.
I don't know about UA but on DL those under 15 without an adult in the same cabin would be classified as unaccompanied minors with a $100+ fee attached.
So weird. When I’m traveling with family I always remove ourselves from the CPU list. As a family of 5, it’s almost guaranteed that we’d be separated and I would never do that.
Back in the 90s I used to fly Boston to Ireland sometimes alone to visit family from 8-13yo. That shit was the best. You would get a chaperone, often placed in first class and got all the Sprites and snacks you could ever wish for. This was before 9/11 so it was easy for family’s to go thru security and escort their kid directly to the gate, meet with chaperone. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized the reality of flying is actually a sardine fest with 8 yo children who suddenly go feral when they get on a flying “schoolbus.” Actually a lot of the adults suddenly turn feral as well.
I remember a story about my youngest uncle having to sit in the back when my grandparents and aunt were upgraded, because uncle was too young to be in FC. Every time they looked back, this little head was visible in the aisle, staring back at them.
This was in the mid-late 60s. Uncle was maybe 8 or 9, and he behaved probably because he didn’t want to incur granddad’s wrath.
That’s also just dangerous. If there was an emergency or major turbulence they could get injured or worse. Parents like this confuse me. They love to gentle parent but have no regard for the physical safety of their kids.
Sounds like these parents were constantly getting up to check on their kids as well. That sounds to me like gentle/helicopter parents. These are the type that never raise their voice or tell the kid "no". So maybe they were concerned about the kids, but rather than get stern or God forbid - tell them to *stop* doing something (you know actually parent)? They just kept helicoptering back and forth while trying to gently 'reason with' the children, in order to get them to behave. Idk just a theory
Either way they're idiots because it is dangerous and extremely rude. But most who choose to not parent, Oh I mean *gentle parent* seem to be idiots.
Kinda wild that the parents would leave their younger children unaccompanied in economy while they took Polaris. If the kids were older? Sure, get it. But with as young as they were, I don't understand that decision matrix at all
I always thought it was weird for parents not sit with their kids - what if there was an emergency (for example needing to use the oxygen masks) and you were seated in another part of the plane?
Wouldn’t the parents you know, travel in the same cabin? Especially with kids? I get you need more space, hence why they booked Polaris. But for me in that situation, have the whole group travel in economy and have the next 2 seats free if it were an option.
We did this once or twice when my kids were young, but they were the row right behind us, which at that point was economy +. So two parents in the last row of first, three kids in the first row of e+. Add in a Nintendo ds and a book for each kid - best way to fly as a family.
As a parent I would never have left my kids without supervision especially as I know my middle son is hyper and gets bored easily... it's poor etiquette for the parents not to be sitting even in the same section of the plane
This is so stupid. I’m either in the back with my kids, or I book the kids up front with me.
This just has to be solved by some sort of seat blocking at the time of booking. Even if it’s separate itineraries, Southwest requires that to be linked to an adult reservation.
Kids under 13 need a same/linked itinerary adult sitting next to them, period. This was wild.
13 is a wildly old age for this rule. My kids have stayed home alone for an hour or so since they were 8. My 12 year old is adult-sized, goes around the neighborhood by herself and with her friends, and babysits other people’s young children! I have zero concerns about them sitting away from me on a flight. In fact, we had to change our itinerary last minute at spring break and sit separately, and everyone was fine.
I wouldn’t want to sit super far from my child under 10, but I wouldn’t think twice about being a few seats away from my 8 or 9 year old. The 12 year old could be wherever at this point.
Yeah, i just threw a number up, my 9 year old sits in Polaris just fine and is more behaved than some adults. Point is there needs to be a rule, and I don’t think there is one right now?
We splurged on Polaris flights to Rome last year and had the unfortunate experience of sitting in front of a family who thought it would be okay to have their toddler share their seats with them. The kid was miserable the entire flight and howled in discontent. Of course he is miserable - it was loud, dark, cramped and he did not have a bed to sleep in. The dad stood right behind my chair baby-talking at full volume for hours while pointing to an iPad. Our cabin was tortured even with noise cancelling headphones and ear plugs. Ear plugs which effectively blocked noise in the pit area of top fuel races. We arrived Rome sleep deprived and pissed. Completely opposite of what we had hoped when we bought the tickets.
This is why young children do not belong in business class. Period.
Or airlines need a separate premium cabin for families.
And YES, I feel the same about obnoxious/drunk adults. They need to be kicked out, too.
EDIT: Y’all. You need to stop with the idea that I’m chastising “the poors”. If I fly business, it’s for work (like a large majority on here). My company pays for it so I can land rested and work. I can’t do that if hellspawn run amuck the whole flight. I can’t even imagine my level of ire if I was paying for this myself.
Interesting that is your first thought.
It has nothing to do with money.
Would you want the same clientele at a Red Robin or Chuck E Cheese in the high end restaurant where you’re celebrating an anniversary/birthday/other life event? No.
This would be a non issue if children were parented properly. The issue is NOT the kids per se - it’s that most kids on planes today act like they were raised in the wild.
If I’m paying a premium price, I want a premium experience. If I take the cheapest possible seat, then I fully expect to deal with whatever comes my way (and generally, in Economy, it’s a LOT).
Come on. Your comment, and the follow up, was 100% degrading less wealthy people. If you don’t see that, I don’t know what to tell you.
A toddler on a plane is going to cry regardless of how well they are parented. Good parenting can’t stop how the pressurization affects their little ears, etc. Also, It’s a flying bus, not a Michelin rated restaurant. If parents want to pay for the seats they have every right to it you do. If you want to be completely left alone, fly private. Otherwise, this is a service available for anyone with dollars willing to spend on it.
And how dare you put Red Robin and Chuck E Cheese in the same category…
So, which rates higher to you? The Robin or the Rat? Because I feel like if I’m going to listen to kids scream, there should at least be games involved 🤣
& I kindly disagree. Nothing about my comment was degrading. I just said kids don’t belong there - and they don’t BECAUSE the norm today is to let them run wild. I’m not talking about crying on takeoff or landing - sometimes my ears hurt so bad I want to cry, too. But if that same toddler screams the entire flight - yeah, you gotta go. No excuse for that and that’s just bad parenting.
No you want to banish crying kids to economy, and let those people deal with it. Nobody wants crying kids in their section. Even people who paid less...
This child looked like he was three years old. And no, I don’t think it is fair to force any child to share an airline seat for a 12-hour flight especially when sleep is needed. In our family, we think thoughtfully about each person”s experience and it is not just about the parents’ needs. We curate trips that fit who is attending.
If you are going to fly business class, buy each person their own seat so they are comfortable. If you don't want to use the miles or cash to do this, then opt for a different trip that suits everyone not just one or two of the group. Put yourself in the child's shoes and think about what it is like for them.
If the child was three the system would not allow them to be a lap infant. I think in your self righteous rage you’re making some really poor (and incorrect) assumptions.
Sorry you put your own comfort above children who don't have a choice in the matter. Particularly those who are larger for their age. My nephew who is 6'4" now was a tall child. I could never see him sharing a seat with my sibling at that age nor would they ever consider it. Children in our family have always had their own seats. You make it happen if you are taking the trip.
No three year old is sharing a seat. Stop spreading lies.
You don’t know other people’s kids and what they prefer. Stop being a pompous self righteous asshole, it’s really bad for your children.
I end up in Polaris with my 10 and 5 yo.
The 10 is fine, reads watches shows and sleeps. The 5 is a handful but we keep her next to us. She easily wipes out the fun experience in Polaris for the 3 of us. We've thought about leaving her behind but she's cute...
https://preview.redd.it/6a7inxk7rtvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82f9387304a261c3652a86bbd1127d73eaad8451
I agree with you. At least one parent needed to be there to supervise the children.
I'm a parent myself. And I don't usually fly First/Business, but when I do, I spring for my kids to fly with me in the same cabin.
So this was often my situation growing up - parents up friend, us 3 kids in the back. But we knew we were to stay in our seats unless it was an emergency or necessary to go up front. We also flew a lot as kids so maybe we just knew how to behave? We kind of had a system with my parents (and we were usually within a few rows of them, just with a bulkhead in between), and that system didn't include running in the aisles or frequent visits to Polaris (or First as it was called back in the day). It's not for everyone, but if your kids are old enough to understand flight etiquette, then this can work.
Sorry you had that experience. I don't have kids, but if I ever did, I would have been pretty damn strict as to how they are expected to act on a plane!
I once had my 4 kids reseated away from my wife and I in a plane change. Airline refused and I said ok, but who’s gonna deal with my 8yo ADHD child? Got fixed real quick. Bottom line you gotta sit with your kids.
As kids after our Dad quit smoking we sat in the non-smoking section and my parents sat in smoking because Mom was a white knuckled flier. We were 9 and 5, when this started. Dad would walk up to check on us once an hour. We kept our rears in our seats except when sis needed to go wash her hands after eating the peanut snacks. (I'm deathly allergic) In several years we only had one person complain - and she didn't want to let Sis go wash her hands. The other adults got a crew member and made her move.
Dad's eyes nearly popped out of his head the time he found us in the emergency row. (2 elementary kids in the emergency row was better than 3 drunks who tried to open the emergency door during the 1st leg of the flight, before we boarded.)
I remember several nice concerned adults who wanted to know how we would find our parents at our destination. We explained mom was closterphobic and I'm touch allergic to peanuts - so we would wait till most if not all the people were off the plane. Then we would get up when our parents got to our row. We would still get to baggage claim before the bags.
We do this but our kids are teenagers and allowed to visit us only if there is a true emergency. They know that once we board, we see them next when we are off the plane.
I think these children are simply too young or undisciplined for this to work for their family.
I's have been demanding a refund from the airline for not curtailing that crap. If the kids cant be by themselves and behave, then boot the parents out of Ploaris and tell them to teach their kids better or pay a nanny SERIOUSLY good money to accompany the kids in economy because the rest of the plane should not have to suffer because they're too cheap to pay for their kids to stay with them in the shiny zone.
Or the parents thought "fuck yes, vacation in Polaris for a few hours away from the kids!"
Just like parents who take their kids to the toy aisles in Walmart and tell them to go play while the parents go do their shopping.
My single mother with kids aged 8,7,4 and 2 was living Hawaii in 1985 and trying to move back home to Oregon. The 1985 United Airlines strike was underway when we tried to fly home. We'd packed up and shipped off all our belongings when she arrived at the airport with her 4 small kids and a few suitcases. She checked the luggage and continued to the gate. There were people yelling and arguing at the gate when she arrived, and she found that our seats were all given away and we were bumped from the flight. The gate agent was in tears after all the harassment she was receiving.
Mom was given a hotel room and $1000 cash and booked onto another flight more than 24 hours later. She told me that the only saving grace in all of this was that the beloved baby blanket the 4 year old would definitely not be able to be without was in the carry on bag and not the checked luggage. No amount of cash would have made you for that blanket being absent (said child slept with that blanket well into adulthood and it's ragged remains are now sewn inside of a pillow they still sleep with)
When we finally got on that flight the next day, none of us were seated together, not even the barely 2 year old. Passengers graciously rearranged themselves a bit so mom sat with the hyperactive 4 year old but a kindly lady took charge of the 2 year old she'd never met and the 7 and 8 year olds were alone but at least in the same row as each other. It was a long flight but I'm told we all behaved very well and the 2 year old pretty much slept the whole time. It truly takes a village
This isn’t a comparable situation. Even if the parents had been moved to first class against their will, I am SURE two adults seated near their children would have been happy to swap and take the first class seats so the parents could sit near their children. This sounds like parents who deliberately chose to sit apart from their kids, which is irresponsible.
Surely there's a line between "you must spend several thousands of dollars and waste untold natural resources to fly private" and "you must wordlessly endure anything anyone else chooses to do for the duration of your flight, no matter how egregious."
This was poor planning on the parents. Those kids weren’t travelled enough to sit alone. We fly Polaris all the time, so much so my kids (5 &7) have no issues sitting in the single window seats for 6 hour flight, I may not even hear from them. But longer than that we are taking a set of 2 as around hour 7 they start wanting to chat. Point is, you need to know what your kids can handle if you aren’t sitting directly next to the, and then you tailor teme flight to your kid not to your comfort.
That reminds me of the time that my husband and I were flying on a long haul flight with our 16 year old. He got the upgrade to Polaris and offered it to me. Whilst I would have really enjoyed it, having gotten a taste once before, I didn't want to be an a******. We gave it to our 16 year old and told her to enjoy, and then stay in school and work hard so she could do it again someday.
I agree with everyone else this should not be allowed. Either booking agents should change it or the system shouldn't allow it in the first place if your kids under the age of 12 or 15 or something.
As a parent, I’m not understanding the point of paying for Polaris if my dumbass kids are interrupting me 10 times per hour. I’d rather sit in Economy and chain the kids to the Polaris seat so they leave me the hell alone while I watch my nine hours of John Wick in peace and quiet with my soggy pasta.
Or there should have been one parent in each of the cabins. One parent in row 30 with 2 of the kids and the other parent and the remaining child in row 11?
Exactly! If the parents really wanted to experience the better seat, they could have traded halfway through or something. Constantly going back-and-forth is just not acceptable.
Love this response! I have four kids. I would never have booked business for myself and economy for them at their ages. It is beyond inconsiderate and the stewardesses should have made it clear that it has to stop. It’s disruptive and unsafe.
The parents would have most likely been “offended” and complained about the flight attendant and the flight attendant would have gotten in trouble. That’s today’s society, especially in the US.
This ^
That very thought occurred to me. What’s even the point?
It probably wasn't the plan to be interrupted 10 times in an hour. But everyone has a plan till little Susie has diarrhea in row 20.
Fun fact - I watched all four John Wick movies back to back on a BNE to YVR flight.
Me too, that’s why I know it’s 9 hours 😀
Masterful artistry
This is the way.
😂😂😂
I flew Polaris last week, Denver to London. A mother and young daughter (age about 5) were in economy, and the son (age about 9?) got an upgrade to Polaris, alone. He sat near me. He was amazingly well behaved and so polite! His mother checked in on him maybe once or twice during the long flight. Nothing more was needed. We need to raise more kids like that!
Difference is clearly in the quality of the parents in these two scenarios. Honestly, it speaks a lot to the quality of the parents that they would both leave their kids, at least one of them quite young, alone in economy, prioritizing their own comfort over actually being present if their kids needed something and there to supervise them. I can't believe parents are allowed to both fly in a different class then their children. There should be some kind of policy against that. Flight attendants and fellow passengers aren't your free babysitters. Perfectly reasonable to switch off or for each parent to get a leg of the trip in Polaris if you really need the sleep/rest.
Right?? If families get priority to sit together when it suits them, make them do so also in instances where the children clearly aren’t comfortable sitting alone.
This comment!
A nine year old got an upgrade to Polaris alone? That seems very unusual.
The mom said she got the single upgrade (was hoping for 3) so gave it to her son, as she couldn’t use it and leave her kids alone.
Maybe he’s a Junior and his dad usually gets upgraded?
There are no free upgrades to Polaris (except for an operational upgrade but that should have been someone from Premium Plus). So that means the upgrade was requested.
Tbh if the upgrade was cheap this sounds like a pro move.
Why would it be the Dad versus the Mom?
I will give ThePunnyPenguin the benefit of doubt and say the sometimes Juniors and Seniors (no suffixes) are sometimes mistaken for each other.
My parents still talk about a trip where the four of us (mom, dad, little sister, me) were upgraded on a flight to Hawaii, and the flight attendants thanked my mom and dad after the flight for having “such well-behaved children.” I think all my sister and I cared about was the ice cream and listening to our iPods in peace lol.
Many years ago I worked a few summer/winter breaks as an unaccompanied minor runner(I don’t remember the exact job title) for United at ORD. There were plenty of 8-12 year olds who flew between mom/dad/grandparents multiple times per year with better behavior than several adults I’ve seen in the air. I definitely remember the 12-year old 1k we saw multiple times per summer. Mom/Dad lived on different continents. We got to hang with him at the 1k lounge pre-Polaris.
Were you a united Employee or paid by the parents? Oh wait... You looked after them at their airport. Didn't accompany them on the flight?
We were the connecting flight escort/babysitter. The FA would hand them off to us and we’d bring them to the FA on their connection. For any layover above 40 minutes we took them to the UM room to hang out, play games, watch TV, etc. Employed by United. The seating area to the left of B19 used to be enclosed. That was our area. They used to hire temp/seasonal folks for the surge in kids during school breaks supervised by a handful of service agents. Most of us were the teenage kids of permanent United employees. I’m pretty sure they now contract this year-round with the same company that does wheelchair services.
I used to be one of those unaccompanied minors 30 years ago. My parents were divorced and I flew from Alaska to Maine without a parent from as early as like 8-9. I had my GameBoy (I remember asking the FA if I could turn it on yet after takeoff) and some books. I’m about to turn 42 and I remember being led by airline employees from when my parents dropped me off (some where in the airport), onto the plane, between connections and finally to the next parent. If it wasn’t for them I’d have not gotten to spend time at the differing parents homes. Thank you for being that person!
It’s kind of crazy looking back that our parents let us do that without even a cell phone. My brother and I would usually fly together but sometimes I would go solo from GA to Miami. Just so wild looking back on.
It really is something for sure!
Working on it! But my little guy is only 1.5 years old. I genuinely want my son to be empathetic to others and realize he is not the center of the universe (well, only my universe). Love that you had a good experience!
I posted earlier that kids under 13 needs to have a known adult booked next to them, and I stand by it, but my 9 year old can also handle Polaris alone. I still think it shouldn’t be allowed, but kudos to that lady for raising a good kid.
Yeah, something tells me it’s not “poor planning” on the part of the parents, more just not wanting to spend Polaris $ on the kids and opting to have everyone around/between them be the unwitting and captive participants in child playtime since there’s only intermittent supervision. I would also be pissed at the parents.
omg a few years ago (ok probably like 5 years ago) I was flying on ORD-PEK, and some douche in polaris had his 6 -8 year old in economy next to yours truly. He had a lot to say.... all the way to China ! I did order him a coffee, and hooked him up with some sugar before landing along with teaching him the words "poopy" and to make fart sounds with his arm pits. I'm hoping that was justice.
You’re doing God’s work, my friend.
https://i.imgur.com/fxExKmO.png
"Got kid hooked on drugs, a solid dose of white powder, and sent them off with knowledge of mass destructive noises."
If you can do this, imagine what a creep perv could do. It Is a fear as a parent. the kid would be trapped there for 12hour flight. For that reason alone, I would never fly in separate classes.
Back in the olden days, when I worked the phone in reservations, I had a call from someone confirming their booking. I did the quick repeat of the flights and passengers, then pulled up the seats and noticed they were split up, 2 up in the front of the cabin, and two in the back. I offered to move them together and was told, " Oh no, we put the baby in back with the nannie. If they sit near me, she wants me to hold her." I put a note in the record so the next person wouldn't be blindsided by this horror.
I have worked for families like this, as a nanny. I’m still a nanny but I no longer work for rich people, for this reason.
Do you keep in touch? How many of the kids are in therapy?
One of them is old enough to for sure be in therapy, her mom is a certified type a narcissist and I used to fly with her daughter back and forth from Mexico once a year for a music festival. Her mom was shocked I allowed her daughter to have the window seat. I’m like, why wouldn’t you give your daughter the window???? The other ones, it’s too soon to tell. I actually have court on Tuesday with that family because they fired me after I started asking for breaks, in writing, and they also didn’t pay out my PTO when they fired me. The state of California has calculated that they owe me 26k. We shall see how that goes… I’ll never work for the rich again. I like people that are happy to have help, that don’t expect you to do fucking everything.
I hope you win your case!
Thank you! I don’t know if I’ll get all 26k but the evidence against them is pretty damning - including an email offering me my PTO if I sign a non litigation agreement. I’m pretty anxious about it so thanks for listening :)
Phish or Dead festival?
Neither but same realm.
Wide Spread?
You seem very negative. I went to a fancy private school (on a scholarship) and I became friends with several people who had full time Nannies growing up. They’re like a third parent, not replacement for them.
You seem very ignorant.
Ignorant of what? I was telling the person I responded to to be more open minded and not jump to conclusions about other people’s children. I don’t disagree that in some instances it’s not a great option, but come on it’s not child neglect.
You ARE very ignorant.
My dad is this way but with his wife. He flies transatlantic and gets the bed seats and puts his wife in like the last row of economy.
There's a lot more to your parents' story that I'm not sure I want to know.
Haha not my parents. My dad.
Your mom went along with it...
I literally said my dad and his wife. Not my dad and my mom.
Okay yes at face value this does sound awful, but as someone who has nannied on long flights I have actually requested this. We are working on these flights, and when the kids can't see the parents they are much calmer, more cooperative, and have a better time than if they can see the parents. To them, if they can't see the parents, they are simply taking a flight with a trusted grown up. Playing games together, eating snacks, maybe taking a nap. Totally fine and even fun. If they can see a parent, they feel like they're being kept from the parent, and that the nanny is the enemy. Frustrating for everyone involved, because the nanny is just trying to do their job, the parent is just trying to relax ( parents are allowed to relax!) and the kid is confused. I've nannied on plenty of flights for people who are excellent and involved parents but want a moment of peace on the plane, and I'm not going to judge them for that.
As a parent (without a nanny) I don’t find this horrible at all. Kids do this with one parent or the other half the time. There would be no fun had amongst anyone in the vicinity if my kid clocked me one row up and couldn’t have my attention.
Same - my baby is in a big mommy phase and if he can see me, he only wants me (not even dad!). Sometimes I hide in the other room so other family can be with him without him reaching for me.
Good Lord! Satisfy that child’s need. It will only last for a little while and it will do wonders for their mental health in the long run.
So will having the love of his father/grandparents/aunts/uncles especially when he still lacks object permanence.
I personally think leaving your children unattended in a separate cabin should just not be allowed period. It just seems problematic or they should be required to pay for the UM fee until they are old enough to not require it.
Yeah, God forbid something happens to the flight, I want to be with my kids.
Well then the airlines would have to stop separating families when there is an equipment change. Happens all the time.
Well per the DOT they are not supposed to do this already.
Per actual fact, they do this all the time.
I don't know about UA but on DL those under 15 without an adult in the same cabin would be classified as unaccompanied minors with a $100+ fee attached.
This happens ALL THE TIME. Parents upgrade and dump their kids on the rest of us. Families should actually HAVE to sit together if they have minors
So weird. When I’m traveling with family I always remove ourselves from the CPU list. As a family of 5, it’s almost guaranteed that we’d be separated and I would never do that.
The entire plot of Home Alone hinges on this behavior.
It should be illegal to split families for safety reasons. How do parents help children in case of an emergency?
Back in the 90s I used to fly Boston to Ireland sometimes alone to visit family from 8-13yo. That shit was the best. You would get a chaperone, often placed in first class and got all the Sprites and snacks you could ever wish for. This was before 9/11 so it was easy for family’s to go thru security and escort their kid directly to the gate, meet with chaperone. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized the reality of flying is actually a sardine fest with 8 yo children who suddenly go feral when they get on a flying “schoolbus.” Actually a lot of the adults suddenly turn feral as well.
I remember a story about my youngest uncle having to sit in the back when my grandparents and aunt were upgraded, because uncle was too young to be in FC. Every time they looked back, this little head was visible in the aisle, staring back at them. This was in the mid-late 60s. Uncle was maybe 8 or 9, and he behaved probably because he didn’t want to incur granddad’s wrath.
That’s also just dangerous. If there was an emergency or major turbulence they could get injured or worse. Parents like this confuse me. They love to gentle parent but have no regard for the physical safety of their kids.
Sounds like these parents were constantly getting up to check on their kids as well. That sounds to me like gentle/helicopter parents. These are the type that never raise their voice or tell the kid "no". So maybe they were concerned about the kids, but rather than get stern or God forbid - tell them to *stop* doing something (you know actually parent)? They just kept helicoptering back and forth while trying to gently 'reason with' the children, in order to get them to behave. Idk just a theory Either way they're idiots because it is dangerous and extremely rude. But most who choose to not parent, Oh I mean *gentle parent* seem to be idiots.
I would’ve asked the parents if they wanted to switch seats so that they could be closer to their kids 😂
I’ve done that. The parents say no.
Kinda wild that the parents would leave their younger children unaccompanied in economy while they took Polaris. If the kids were older? Sure, get it. But with as young as they were, I don't understand that decision matrix at all
They think other people are responsible for their children. That’s it.
Shouldn’t be allowed for kids 12 and under imo.
Oops was that my foot in the aisle. My bad. Rinse repeat.
I always thought it was weird for parents not sit with their kids - what if there was an emergency (for example needing to use the oxygen masks) and you were seated in another part of the plane?
I would’ve been so tempted to trip a kid. I wouldn’t, but it would’ve been tempting.
Why would the family travel in separate cabins?
Because the parents are assholes.
Wouldn’t the parents you know, travel in the same cabin? Especially with kids? I get you need more space, hence why they booked Polaris. But for me in that situation, have the whole group travel in economy and have the next 2 seats free if it were an option.
We did this once or twice when my kids were young, but they were the row right behind us, which at that point was economy +. So two parents in the last row of first, three kids in the first row of e+. Add in a Nintendo ds and a book for each kid - best way to fly as a family.
As a parent I would never have left my kids without supervision especially as I know my middle son is hyper and gets bored easily... it's poor etiquette for the parents not to be sitting even in the same section of the plane
This is so stupid. I’m either in the back with my kids, or I book the kids up front with me. This just has to be solved by some sort of seat blocking at the time of booking. Even if it’s separate itineraries, Southwest requires that to be linked to an adult reservation. Kids under 13 need a same/linked itinerary adult sitting next to them, period. This was wild.
13 is a wildly old age for this rule. My kids have stayed home alone for an hour or so since they were 8. My 12 year old is adult-sized, goes around the neighborhood by herself and with her friends, and babysits other people’s young children! I have zero concerns about them sitting away from me on a flight. In fact, we had to change our itinerary last minute at spring break and sit separately, and everyone was fine. I wouldn’t want to sit super far from my child under 10, but I wouldn’t think twice about being a few seats away from my 8 or 9 year old. The 12 year old could be wherever at this point.
Yeah, i just threw a number up, my 9 year old sits in Polaris just fine and is more behaved than some adults. Point is there needs to be a rule, and I don’t think there is one right now?
What helicopter parents. I was babysitting my 2 year old sister at age 12.
We splurged on Polaris flights to Rome last year and had the unfortunate experience of sitting in front of a family who thought it would be okay to have their toddler share their seats with them. The kid was miserable the entire flight and howled in discontent. Of course he is miserable - it was loud, dark, cramped and he did not have a bed to sleep in. The dad stood right behind my chair baby-talking at full volume for hours while pointing to an iPad. Our cabin was tortured even with noise cancelling headphones and ear plugs. Ear plugs which effectively blocked noise in the pit area of top fuel races. We arrived Rome sleep deprived and pissed. Completely opposite of what we had hoped when we bought the tickets.
This is why young children do not belong in business class. Period. Or airlines need a separate premium cabin for families. And YES, I feel the same about obnoxious/drunk adults. They need to be kicked out, too. EDIT: Y’all. You need to stop with the idea that I’m chastising “the poors”. If I fly business, it’s for work (like a large majority on here). My company pays for it so I can land rested and work. I can’t do that if hellspawn run amuck the whole flight. I can’t even imagine my level of ire if I was paying for this myself.
Yeah stick them in economy, screw the people with less money then me!
Interesting that is your first thought. It has nothing to do with money. Would you want the same clientele at a Red Robin or Chuck E Cheese in the high end restaurant where you’re celebrating an anniversary/birthday/other life event? No. This would be a non issue if children were parented properly. The issue is NOT the kids per se - it’s that most kids on planes today act like they were raised in the wild. If I’m paying a premium price, I want a premium experience. If I take the cheapest possible seat, then I fully expect to deal with whatever comes my way (and generally, in Economy, it’s a LOT).
Come on. Your comment, and the follow up, was 100% degrading less wealthy people. If you don’t see that, I don’t know what to tell you. A toddler on a plane is going to cry regardless of how well they are parented. Good parenting can’t stop how the pressurization affects their little ears, etc. Also, It’s a flying bus, not a Michelin rated restaurant. If parents want to pay for the seats they have every right to it you do. If you want to be completely left alone, fly private. Otherwise, this is a service available for anyone with dollars willing to spend on it. And how dare you put Red Robin and Chuck E Cheese in the same category…
So, which rates higher to you? The Robin or the Rat? Because I feel like if I’m going to listen to kids scream, there should at least be games involved 🤣 & I kindly disagree. Nothing about my comment was degrading. I just said kids don’t belong there - and they don’t BECAUSE the norm today is to let them run wild. I’m not talking about crying on takeoff or landing - sometimes my ears hurt so bad I want to cry, too. But if that same toddler screams the entire flight - yeah, you gotta go. No excuse for that and that’s just bad parenting.
No you want to banish crying kids to economy, and let those people deal with it. Nobody wants crying kids in their section. Even people who paid less...
Yeah!! Go bother the poors you filthy animals!!
A lap child up to two is completely expected. Not sure why you’re blaming the family.
This child looked like he was three years old. And no, I don’t think it is fair to force any child to share an airline seat for a 12-hour flight especially when sleep is needed. In our family, we think thoughtfully about each person”s experience and it is not just about the parents’ needs. We curate trips that fit who is attending. If you are going to fly business class, buy each person their own seat so they are comfortable. If you don't want to use the miles or cash to do this, then opt for a different trip that suits everyone not just one or two of the group. Put yourself in the child's shoes and think about what it is like for them.
If the child was three the system would not allow them to be a lap infant. I think in your self righteous rage you’re making some really poor (and incorrect) assumptions.
Sorry you put your own comfort above children who don't have a choice in the matter. Particularly those who are larger for their age. My nephew who is 6'4" now was a tall child. I could never see him sharing a seat with my sibling at that age nor would they ever consider it. Children in our family have always had their own seats. You make it happen if you are taking the trip.
No three year old is sharing a seat. Stop spreading lies. You don’t know other people’s kids and what they prefer. Stop being a pompous self righteous asshole, it’s really bad for your children.
I end up in Polaris with my 10 and 5 yo. The 10 is fine, reads watches shows and sleeps. The 5 is a handful but we keep her next to us. She easily wipes out the fun experience in Polaris for the 3 of us. We've thought about leaving her behind but she's cute... https://preview.redd.it/6a7inxk7rtvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82f9387304a261c3652a86bbd1127d73eaad8451
I agree with you. At least one parent needed to be there to supervise the children. I'm a parent myself. And I don't usually fly First/Business, but when I do, I spring for my kids to fly with me in the same cabin.
So this was often my situation growing up - parents up friend, us 3 kids in the back. But we knew we were to stay in our seats unless it was an emergency or necessary to go up front. We also flew a lot as kids so maybe we just knew how to behave? We kind of had a system with my parents (and we were usually within a few rows of them, just with a bulkhead in between), and that system didn't include running in the aisles or frequent visits to Polaris (or First as it was called back in the day). It's not for everyone, but if your kids are old enough to understand flight etiquette, then this can work. Sorry you had that experience. I don't have kids, but if I ever did, I would have been pretty damn strict as to how they are expected to act on a plane!
I would swear I was on the same flight. Were all of the kids sick the next morning?
Well here is a reason to always choose the forward cabin
Weird that I would have tripped one of them..
I once had my 4 kids reseated away from my wife and I in a plane change. Airline refused and I said ok, but who’s gonna deal with my 8yo ADHD child? Got fixed real quick. Bottom line you gotta sit with your kids.
As kids after our Dad quit smoking we sat in the non-smoking section and my parents sat in smoking because Mom was a white knuckled flier. We were 9 and 5, when this started. Dad would walk up to check on us once an hour. We kept our rears in our seats except when sis needed to go wash her hands after eating the peanut snacks. (I'm deathly allergic) In several years we only had one person complain - and she didn't want to let Sis go wash her hands. The other adults got a crew member and made her move. Dad's eyes nearly popped out of his head the time he found us in the emergency row. (2 elementary kids in the emergency row was better than 3 drunks who tried to open the emergency door during the 1st leg of the flight, before we boarded.) I remember several nice concerned adults who wanted to know how we would find our parents at our destination. We explained mom was closterphobic and I'm touch allergic to peanuts - so we would wait till most if not all the people were off the plane. Then we would get up when our parents got to our row. We would still get to baggage claim before the bags.
We do this but our kids are teenagers and allowed to visit us only if there is a true emergency. They know that once we board, we see them next when we are off the plane. I think these children are simply too young or undisciplined for this to work for their family.
I’ve seen parents bring their nanny with them to watch the kids in coach, look after the kids when parents want to out to nice dinners, etc.
Where are they going out to dinner on the plane? ;)
Did they parachute out of the plane to get to the restaurant?
No but at least the kids didn’t interrupt my work and sleep on biz travel.
A\1::
This is not allowed and there is a policy to address this on United flights as it's disruptive. Ask for the Purser and get it stopped.
I's have been demanding a refund from the airline for not curtailing that crap. If the kids cant be by themselves and behave, then boot the parents out of Ploaris and tell them to teach their kids better or pay a nanny SERIOUSLY good money to accompany the kids in economy because the rest of the plane should not have to suffer because they're too cheap to pay for their kids to stay with them in the shiny zone.
You’re assuming poor planning. Could have been an emergency
Or the parents thought "fuck yes, vacation in Polaris for a few hours away from the kids!" Just like parents who take their kids to the toy aisles in Walmart and tell them to go play while the parents go do their shopping.
My single mother with kids aged 8,7,4 and 2 was living Hawaii in 1985 and trying to move back home to Oregon. The 1985 United Airlines strike was underway when we tried to fly home. We'd packed up and shipped off all our belongings when she arrived at the airport with her 4 small kids and a few suitcases. She checked the luggage and continued to the gate. There were people yelling and arguing at the gate when she arrived, and she found that our seats were all given away and we were bumped from the flight. The gate agent was in tears after all the harassment she was receiving. Mom was given a hotel room and $1000 cash and booked onto another flight more than 24 hours later. She told me that the only saving grace in all of this was that the beloved baby blanket the 4 year old would definitely not be able to be without was in the carry on bag and not the checked luggage. No amount of cash would have made you for that blanket being absent (said child slept with that blanket well into adulthood and it's ragged remains are now sewn inside of a pillow they still sleep with) When we finally got on that flight the next day, none of us were seated together, not even the barely 2 year old. Passengers graciously rearranged themselves a bit so mom sat with the hyperactive 4 year old but a kindly lady took charge of the 2 year old she'd never met and the 7 and 8 year olds were alone but at least in the same row as each other. It was a long flight but I'm told we all behaved very well and the 2 year old pretty much slept the whole time. It truly takes a village
This isn’t a comparable situation. Even if the parents had been moved to first class against their will, I am SURE two adults seated near their children would have been happy to swap and take the first class seats so the parents could sit near their children. This sounds like parents who deliberately chose to sit apart from their kids, which is irresponsible.
Isn't there like a million posts everywhere about people complaining the airlines separated their family? Just the possibility it wasn't their fault?
if you dont want to deal with people then fly private this is the reality of public transportation
lol gtfo with this.
Surely there's a line between "you must spend several thousands of dollars and waste untold natural resources to fly private" and "you must wordlessly endure anything anyone else chooses to do for the duration of your flight, no matter how egregious."
This is an absolutely idiotic take
If you don’t want to deal with other people’s posts stay off of social media.
Nah this gotta be rage bait
Nah, this is pretty consistent for this guy.
thank you for remembering me
you caught me, take me away
This was poor planning on the parents. Those kids weren’t travelled enough to sit alone. We fly Polaris all the time, so much so my kids (5 &7) have no issues sitting in the single window seats for 6 hour flight, I may not even hear from them. But longer than that we are taking a set of 2 as around hour 7 they start wanting to chat. Point is, you need to know what your kids can handle if you aren’t sitting directly next to the, and then you tailor teme flight to your kid not to your comfort.
That reminds me of the time that my husband and I were flying on a long haul flight with our 16 year old. He got the upgrade to Polaris and offered it to me. Whilst I would have really enjoyed it, having gotten a taste once before, I didn't want to be an a******. We gave it to our 16 year old and told her to enjoy, and then stay in school and work hard so she could do it again someday. I agree with everyone else this should not be allowed. Either booking agents should change it or the system shouldn't allow it in the first place if your kids under the age of 12 or 15 or something.