ASD Child and Business Class

[clanmcculloch]

No parent can guarantee that their child won't disrupt anybody. Since you know she's a pretty good traveller and you have a handle on the one thing that could be considered disruptive I wouldn't think twice about it. If you have the opporunity to get the upgrade and it'll make you happy then enjoy it.

 

[yoopermom]

We upgraded to the front row business class seats because of health concerns on our last trip, and were very happy with them. They were only two by two, but we both are pooh sized and could really stretch our legs out and the inside person felt very "secluded", so if your daughter likes that, it would probably help her. The only thing was that since we were first on, it was a lot of sitting before we even got off the ground.

Terri

 

[Sparkly]

We flew back Premium Economy last time and there were all sorts of passengers. I liked it because it was a smaller cabin with our own toilets and comfier seats. Better food too!

Don't worry about it, you'll be fine.

 

[Disneylvr]

We upgraded to the front row business class seats because of health concerns on our last trip, and were very happy with them. They were only two by two, but we both are pooh sized and could really stretch our legs out and the inside person felt very "secluded", so if your daughter likes that, it would probably help her. The only thing was that since we were first on, it was a lot of sitting before we even got off the ground.

Terri

You know, my husband is prone to getting cellulitis infections in his legs. I think there would be health benefit for him being able to stretch out his legs. I plan to be online right at 24 hrs so we can get those seats, hopefully.

 

[Tiggerish]

I do not know if this will be helpful, but AirTran does not allow people to book the economy bulk head seats on their website. I book my ticket then have to call their toll free number to get assigned a bulk head seat. Because I need the seat related to a disability, I am not charged a seat fee.

I do not know, but if you want those seats, I would suggest calling them. It is a bit of a hassle to get through the automated part to a real person but worth it to get the seats you need. And you would know now that you have a solution and not need to hope on getting something at the 24 hour mark. Since I find traveling a bit stressful, the more details I can get locked down early the less things I have to fret about during the night.

Unfortunately the economy bulkhead seats do not have much extra room so not a help for your spouse.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I haven't flown AirTran, but if you do end up in economy, can you request the bulkhead seats? The issue with those is on some airlines that means you can't have anything under your seat,

No airline that I'm aware allows passengers to place anything under their [own] seat. It's always under the seat in front of the passenger.

 

[ibcrazie4dizney]

front row on spirit, we put carryons overhead for take off. easy to get up and get down what we want and just put it back for landing. overheads usually aren't crowded up there. it is not a problem.

OP-I like hearing that you are considerate of your daughter. she deserves it. I wouldn't worry about disturbing others around you. the most we can do as parents is try. I am sure she will be fine. you'll enjoy being up front if you can get the seats. even when children are upset, no matter where they are sitting, most of the plane can hear them. I feel that as long as you see a parent who cares and tries to calm the child, that is all that matters. it is the parents who are ignorant that bothers me. my dgd7 had a rough time for the final few mins of one flight when her ears hurt. we were up front. people seemed to understand as we tried to comfort her and had help from a nice airline attendant. you'll find a lot of people are understanding, and anyone who is not, well they just aren't worth worrying about.

 

[KPeveler]

Most airlines actually do not sell the front row of seats in economy for a certain amount of time before the flight because they are reserved for passengers with disabilities who require these seats. These passengers basically know to call the airline because they have a special consideration (service dog, knee which is fused, some wheelchair users, etc).

I am not certain, but if you call the airline and explain your situation, they are usually more than happy to help you. Basically they would rather have you call ahead of time and have them move seats around or other such arrangements than have to worry about it on the day of. I have purchased seats on Delta, AA, and Frontier and never had a problem. I usually purchase online (sometimes through 3rd party sites, though I do this at my own risk), then call and say that I use a wheelchair full time, I am traveling with a party, and that I must sit next to my wife and I must sit in the second row (my wife cannot handle the bulkhead row - makes her too claustrophobic - she has her own medical problems too). They are very happy to make what I need happen (sometimes its not row 2 but row 3 or something like that), but I have learned that if I call they are usually very happy to help.

This is only my experience, but generally if you call and explain they try to do everything they can to help (since they know you are bringing an autistic 6yr old on the plane anyway and they want to make life easier for everyone)