Does the boyfriend have a point? (Picture: Getty)
We’ve all boarded a flight, and walked through the first class cabin, full of longing, as you take your place in economy.
And there’s something about seeing a child in one of those luxurious spots that stings even more.
Surely, they don’t even appreciate the luxury that you wish you could lap in?
Well, this was the logic behind one step-dad’s decision not to allow his girlfriend’s 13-year-old child to fly with them in business class.
Taking to Reddit, the girlfriend explained: ‘My boyfriend and I have been together for five years and are trying to organise our next holiday. He’s settled on a destination and so excited at the idea of a family trip.
‘We’re looking at flights that will likely be at least nine hours long with business class flights, resort stay, and plenty of experiences. He makes significantly more than me but we will split the cost of the holiday 50/50 including my child’s costs.
‘The problem is he does not want to let my child on to the same class on the plane as us.’
The woman explained that her boyfriend feels the child is already being treated well. ‘He thinks that my child should be grateful to be getting an international trip and just enjoy the movies and whatever other amenities there are on the flight,’ she wrote. ‘That they can pop up and visit us whenever in business class and that it’s not worth the extra cost, even if he were a millionaire.’
She added: ‘He has a view where children might not appreciate the value of business class and that his parents went on business class while he flew economy on his own.’
Understandably, she feels ‘weird’ at the idea of sitting apart from her child for a long-haul flight, even if she’s on the same airplane.
‘I’d probably prefer to downgrade my flight if boyfriend is unwilling to split that specific cost.
‘He thinks I’m being weird for wanting to make that concession and it’s not a big deal for child to fly alone’, she explained.
While commenters agreed that a child feasibly would be fine in their economy seat alone, it’s the boyfriend’s intentions that concerned people.
‘So we already know he doesn’t like your kid, what other huge red flags are you ignoring with this guy?’ wrote one person.
‘There’s just something unsettling about a parent being on the same flight but in a different seat class,’ agreed another. ‘Sit in economy with your son. Let your boyfriend sit in business class alone’, another suggested.
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Others suggested that sitting apart would set a precedent for how her partner treats her child. ‘If you start letting him exclude your son he will think it’s okay and continue pushing that boundary,’ one wrote.
However, some did point out that the boy might be happy having some alone time.
‘Why is everyone acting like this is the end of the world? When I was 13, I would’ve been stoked to go anywhere, and where I sat on the plane wouldn’t have phased me at all’, they wrote.
‘Time away from parents feeling like a grown up, watching whatever I want, eating what I want.
‘They’d be literally a two second walk down the aisle from each other if needed.’
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‘If you start letting him exclude your son he will think it’s okay and continue pushing that boundary.’
