Recently, a mom was traveling from New York to Zurich with a 9-month-old baby. According to her post in the Reddit AITA community, she had “points to burn,” so she booked a lie-flat seat in business class. It was a red-eye flight, and she figured this would help them get a little sleep. The baby was “chilling, just looking around” when a woman sat down next to them.
Apparently, the woman wasn’t thrilled to be sitting next to an infant. In fact, she was so upset she loudly exclaimed, “Are you kidding me?
The baby started crying
A mature woman sits in a business class seat on a flight with her baby daughter on her lap. They watch the TV (off screen) together.
(Justin Paget via Getty Images)
The mom said her baby slept peacefully for the next three hours. When the infant woke up, it was hungry and started crying as babies do. The mom scurried off to make a bottle. The child was soon placated and cried for only about two minutes. Unfortunately, the crying woke the woman in the next seat. The same woman who didn’t want to sit near a baby to begin with.
According to the post, the woman “flies up, proceeds to give me the finger, and stomps over to the flight attendant deck where she loudly tells them that I need to be put into economy.”
In case her feelings weren’t clear, the woman confronted the mom when she returned to her seat, stating that “babies don’t belong in business class.”
The mom explained she was doing the best she could and that the woman should fly private if she wanted control over who she sat next to. In response, the woman put on her headphones and refused to converse for the rest of the flight.
No support from her mother-in-law
A waist-up shot of a mother holding her baby close while seated on an aeroplane. The baby boy has a pacifier in their mouth, sleeping peacefully in their parents’ arms during the flight. The mother is gently kissing her son’s head. In Flight.
(SolStock via Getty Images)
Later, the mom told her mother-in-law what had happened, and she landed firmly on the other passenger’s side. It was her position that there is an unspoken rule that “if you’re flying with a child, you should fly economy.”
The baby’s mom disagreed. “Why should I be in economy if I don’t have to be just because I have a baby?”
Opinions were divided
Not everyone is a fan of babies in business class
(Evgenii Ryzhenkov via Getty Images)
This isn’t the first time people have suggested that babies shouldn’t be allowed in business class. In fact, some travelers insist they shouldn’t even be allowed in domestic first class.
Comments in favor of babies in business class included:
“I’ve had two adults on a flight who talked the whole 10-hour flight. An infant will eventually get tired and go to sleep.”
“OP said her baby cried just once and for a very short period of time. That’s nothing! Less distracting than the announcements.”
“My husband was stressed about us flying from Australia to Europe with our four-month-old. Honestly, my opinion was if you’re travelling long haul in this day and age without noise-cancelling headphones, that’s on you.”
Mother fastening baby girl’s ( 6-9 months) seat belt on airplane
(Jerry Driendl via Getty Images)
Still, some people sympathized with the other passenger with comments such as, “I spent 8 hours in first class next to a mother whose baby cried for 7 hours. I was very sorry for her. I didn’t glare or get angry, but I was disgusted to have paid so much for my ticket and not to have managed to sleep all night.”
“I used to have so much empathy toward people flying with babies until I spent 6.5 hours on a red-eye with a screaming baby and kicking toddler.”
“I would not be happy to have a crying child or a misbehaved kid if I splurged for business class.”
So, who is in the right?
Although everyone has a right to preferences and opinions, business class isn’t a child-free zone. You’re paying for perks like a better seat, a better meal, and more attentive service. You aren’t paying for exclusivity or the right to banish fellow passengers to the back of the plane.
You can’t control who sits next to you on a commercial plane. Hope for the best, but be prepared with noise-canceling headphones just in case.