Is It Ok To Book Business For Parents But Economy For Kids?

There’s a debate raging in our home about whether or not it’s ok to book ourselves (parents) in business class, but children in coach with an adult family member. 

Are Different Cabins Problematic?

For the first time, we are having a debate in our house about whether it’s ok to book ourselves in business class and the kids in coach. In the past, we have always flown with our children in the same cabin with us and haven’t considered doing it any other way. It reminds me of a line in Home Alone:

“Don’t you feel like a heel flying first class with all the kids back in coach?” – Catherine O’Hara

“No, the kids are fine. The only flying I ever did as a kid was in the family station wagon and it wasn’t to France.” – John Heard

For the avoidance of doubt, the trip in question would include bringing along an adult family member to look after the children. We have moved to this method for business trips and it would be hard to go without bringing some support along with us.

It’s not for every trip, just one in specific. In fact, later this month we are traveling with everyone, including a relative, in the front of the plane for a trip to Europe.

We would never fly in a different cabin without the kids supervised and supported. We are too worried about what could happen with them out of our site for that duration of time. Maybe that makes us overly cautious, so be it. But if there is someone we trust with them, they have the supervision and support but it also feels a bit classless.

Then again, they don’t really need business class, especially our two-year-old son. We will struggle to keep him in his own seat on our upcoming flights as it is (he will prefer to crawl in with one of us.) And is there really a problem with us flying in the front and the kids in coach?

It’s Impossible To Find Award Space For Five

We have the points to pay for the flights and we have enough upgrades to clear us all from coach. We can’t find space in any coach cabin at the moment that will clear using upgrades at the time of booking. That leaves it up in the air and at risk that we don’t clear any or all of us, something we’d rather not do. If we don’t clear and we fly coach anyway, we might as well have used points to do so rather than cash so our upgrades in this instance are more or less useless.

The problem is that we can’t seem to find routes with guaranteed space for five seats, not even four seats in business class. Our route is to Asia, and we have found plenty of opportunity for us all to fly via Air India, but we’ve had that experience and choose not to repeat it.

We have tried every trick in the book (and some that aren’t in the book), using points from three of the major credit card currencies, and another two airlines with which we have a significant balance. I understand why we can’t find the space – though the rumors of reduced business, governmental, and leisure travel seem to be exaggerated based on the load factors we are finding.

Still, I have conducted no less than 500 searches with a variety of departure points including outside the United States, a number of destinations in Asia (from which we can position to our destination with myriad options), across every week for an entire quarter of the year. There’s nothing for all of us (outside of Air India) but there are options if we split the cabin selection amongst our party.

Not Exactly Summing It

To be clear, we would still put the kids and our accompanying traveler in Premium Economy which isn’t exactly slumming it. For that, we can find the arrangement that works. To my daughter’s credit, who has been flying in the front of the plane her entire life and just twice has flown trans-continental flights (out of dozens) in coach – she was more than willing to fly in the back of the plane if it meant that we would get back to Asia.

It’s us and our consciences that are struggling. It feels wrong yet it probably isn’t. I wouldn’t have thought twice about my parents flying in business or first class while my brother and I were in the back of the plane. We would have just been happy to be flying somewhere, much like John Heard in Home Alone.

Conclusion

Perhaps other families struggle with the same decision we are making. We lived in Asia for a time and though we used to return at least once if not twice a year, since the pandemic we haven’t been back. We would love to go but it doesn’t look like an award for five is in the cards. We remain torn on whether a split cabin option is the right decision.

What do you think?