Dad Sits In Coach While His Daughters Fly First Class—Then Tries To Take A Stranger’s Seat Up Front

There have been plenty of controversial stories about a husband flying first class while his wife and kids sit in coach. Maybe he got the upgrade, and only one seat was available. Or he was on a business trip and had to be rested, so the company paid for his seat. But this story about a family splitting up on the plane was genuinely new to me: the kids fly first class while the dad sits in coach. I guess it doesn’t surprise me that he then proceeded to ask whether anyone in first class would switch with him, taking his coach seat while he watches the kids in first? He’s too cheap to pay for the seat in the first place, or there were only two seats available for sale He figures that he may get a sucker who wants him watching his kids enough to give up their own seat If he wants everyone to be together, he should offer the first class seats his kids have to the two passengers in his coach row! Some guy put both his kid daughters in first class but booked himself in economy. Then proceeded to ask everyone in first class if they would switch seats with him. This is a 5 hour flight. You should have booked yourself in first class too if you wanted to be next to your kids. — ️ (@the_P_God) October 11, 2024 Parents have flown first class while leaving their kids alone in coach, justifying it as teaching them a life lesson which I guess is to subject your children to other passengers while you day drink? The intention is that they don’t enjoy the fruits of your labor, I think, until they’ve learned to earn it for themselves. I do think it’s something that many parents worry about – creating so much comfort that their kids lose the hunger. Years ago Bear Stearns chairman Ace Greenberg used to like to hire “P.S.D.s” – Poor, Smart, with a deep Desire to become rich. You don’t want them to lose the desire to become whatever lets them use their talents, whatever they are, to the fullest. At the same time, you want to give them the support which is freedom to fail, not to have to be so focused on a pay check to get by, so that they can take risks and use their talents, whatever they are, to the fullest. Being apart from your family for a few hours isn’t itself tragic, but at the same time when I look back on traveling with children when I’m 70 or even 80, will I have wanted to spend time more focused on a whatever I’m doing at my seat or on my child? I suppose I understand the argument for not flying kids in premium cabins, and it’s probably ok to leave them in back when they’re teens. At younger ages, if you want them in back you should travel with them there. What I do not understand is putting kids in first class and the parents in back. Maybe the parents think the smaller cabin means flight attendants are more likely to notice them and baby sit? Topics on this page