Flying first class with an 18 month old?

[Spork24]

We are awaiting SWA rates to come out for our Upcoming April trip to Disney.

Currently there are extremely cheap rates on delta and if the SWA rates are similar to what is posted currently for 2 weeks before our trip it will be cheaper to fly first class with a connection in ATL than to fly on a direct flight on Southwest.

My question is what would you do? When flying with an 18 month old is the direct flight enough to trump first class? total travel time would be about 3:45 min versus around 2 hours on SWA.

Also with the extra room in first class it may prevent us from having to get him his own seat. I know we could fly with him in arms on SWA but we would likely get him a seat to have more space.

Also does anyone have experience flying first class with a toddler. What are your thoughts?

What would you do? any advice would be appreciated.

 

[bethy]

BTDT. I would only consider it if you have flown frequently with your child in the past and had confidence he would do well on the flight.

First class passengers are not nearly as forgiving as coach passengers.

 

[wilkeliza]

No advice since I don't have kids but on my last cross country flight in 1st class there was an infant. Really seemed like the space helped mom out a lot (these were pod seats not rows) so she had family come and help here as well as privacy to feed. I didn't even notice the baby.

For short 1st class trips look into what the policy is on the airline. Some give out free alcohol and every single one I've been on like that, that isn't overnight, someone in the first class area gets rowdy. My flight from NY to Atlanta almost got diverted over rowdy drinkers. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[OKW Lover]

For short 1st class trips look into what the policy is on the airline. Some give out free alcohol and every single one I've been on like that, that isn't overnight, someone in the first class area gets rowdy. My flight from NY to Atlanta almost got diverted over rowdy drinkers. Just something to keep in mind.

I fly frequently on Delta in 1st class and have never had a problem with rowdy drinkers.

 

[wilkeliza]

I fly frequently on Delta in 1st class and have never had a problem with rowdy drinkers.

I'll admit it could be where we are flying from or too. Most of our 1st class trips are around spring break or holidays and it is almost always a collage age group of friends. Might just be I have terrible luck with flights.

 

[Lisaloo]

I will choose a direct flight under any circumstances, especially when traveling with kids.

 

[charmed59]

First class on short flights is nothing to write home about. Sometimes the seats aren't even bigger, but they leave the middle seat open. About the only perk is drinks and snacks, which you won't get to take advantage of with a lap child.

A connecting flight gives you twice the opportunity for a late/cancelled flight. I'd go with a non-stop everytime.

 

[OKW Lover]

First class on short flights is nothing to write home about. Sometimes the seats aren't even bigger, but they leave the middle seat open.

I don't know what airline you are talking about but this is not at all our experience with any of the "legacy" air carriers.

 

[wilkeliza]

I don't know what airline you are talking about but this is not at all our experience with any of the "legacy" air carriers.

I know on Hawaiian Air there was a flight from the big island to LA that was like that. We opted for the direct where we could get lay flat 1st class instead of the stop over in LA where we would have only had the option of the "1st class" that was an inch bigger and was just 2 seats next to each other instead of 3.

 

[SSRFred]

I flew home from MCO in 1st class on Delta yesterday. There was an 18 month old lap child in the row in front of me. She was fine, just cried a little on take off and then slept for an hour. No one was bothered by this. There are often young children in 1st class on flights to/from MCO. The extra seat room is a definite plus, especially with a lap child.

You have to know your own child though. Sometimes flying direct is better than dealing with a longer travel day and the possibility of delays or cancellation of your connecting flight.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

First class on short flights is nothing to write home about. Sometimes the seats aren't even bigger, but they leave the middle seat open. About the only perk is drinks and snacks, which you won't get to take advantage of with a lap child.

A connecting flight gives you twice the opportunity for a late/cancelled flight. I'd go with a non-stop everytime.

I agree that first class on domestic flights is usually no big deal. You get earlier boarding, free alcoholic drinks, a free checked bag, a meal (if the flight is long enough) and a bit more leg room. I don't believe you will get a domestic first class plane with pod/lie flat seats on a domestic Delta flight, although I could be wrong. I have never seen a first class section on any US airline with the same seats in first as in economy and with first leaving the middle seat empty. Maybe you're thinking of business class in Lufthansa on fights within Europe? That is the only time I have seen this done.

OP, when traveling with young children, the faster the flight the better. I'd take the 2 hour non-stop Southwest flight.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Traveling with an infant, especially one that didn't fly before I would take the direct flight. My youngest got sick, even at 18 months. I would dread getting on the second connection with her. On the same flight another little one was crying most of the way, he was tugging at his ears in misery. I felt so bad for him.

 

[OKW Lover]

I don't believe you will get a domestic first class plane with pod/lie flat seats on a domestic Delta flight, although I could be wrong.

Some (but by no means all) of the coast-to-coast flights have lie-flat seats.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

If you want safety get the child a seat.

On a Delta flight for this length of time you are getting domestic first. NOt lie flat, not pod, just a slightly bigger seat.

There are lie flat seats on the cross country that connect to and from Asia on the West Coast (selected flights only, not ALL flights)

 

[bumbershoot]

it will be cheaper to fly first class with a connection in ATL than to fly on a direct flight on Southwest.

After my experience with a 17 month old lap child, I am rather against lap children.

BUT if I could have booked 1st class with him, I probably would have had an easier time. I'm not a parent who is going to let my kid wander the plane, so he needed to stay on my lap, and that would have been so much easier in 1st class (even domestic) than in our cramped SW seats.

Yes it is safest if he's in a carseat and strapped in the whole time. Yes. Absolutely. But even for me who kept DS rear-facing in the car to the very end of the convertible seat's limits (he outgrew the snugride before 4 months by height, the stinker), who had him in a 5 point harness to the utter limits of the convertible seat forward-facing, who kept him in a high back booster to the limit, etc etc, even for me.... there's a pretty big "but" in there if I could have booked 1st...

 

[Yellowjj]

I fly frequently on Delta in 1st class and have never had a problem with rowdy drinkers.

Agreed.

First class on short flights is nothing to write home about. Sometimes the seats aren't even bigger, but they leave the middle seat open. About the only perk is drinks and snacks, which you won't get to take advantage of with a lap child.

Your thinking of the European carriers where the entire cabin is actually economy and they block the middle seats in the first 2/3 rows to simulate more space ala first class. No American carrier does that. The seats are actually bigger. Even Spirit who is a ULCC...has big front seats as a hybrid first class of sorts.

I agree that first class on domestic flights is usually no big deal. You get earlier boarding, free alcoholic drinks, a free checked bag, a meal (if the flight is long enough) and a bit more leg room. I don't believe you will get a domestic first class plane with pod/lie flat seats on a domestic Delta flight, although I could be wrong.

Depends on the route. Transcons flights will see the lie flats but Delta does occasionally utilize internationally equipped aircraft with flatbed seating on regular domestic sectors. For instance there is a set of ATL-MSP flights scheduled twice in November on the B747-400.

 

[charmed59]

Since the Southwest nonstop flight is two hours, I don't think we are talking about a trans continental series of first class flights. I stand by my non-stop recommendation. Heck, without a lap child, given the choice of 2 hour non-stop or 3hr 45 min travel time with a stop that adds opportunity for possible delay, I'd go with the non-stop everytime. With a small child, each takeoff and landing means they need to clear their ears. That can be a problem. Adding an extra takeoff and landing wouldn't be worth it.

 

[alliecat523]

Agree that first class isn't all that on the short domestic flights. You're better off just going direct.

 

[Spork24]

Thanks for all of the input, we have flown with him before when he was 5 months and it went ok. The two flights would be about a 45 min flight and a 1:30 min flight, but I'm leaning toward the direct.

I have flown first before on similar sized planes so roughly know what I'm getting into.

The comment about his ears having to adjust twice is the difference maker for me. Even as an adult I have more trouble with my ears regulating on a second leg.


I guess I could always be really brave and drive the 11 hours.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Some (but by no means all) of the coast-to-coast flights have lie-flat seats.

This is very rare, and as I said, I don't think Delta has these. In July, I was upgraded to business on a United flight DEN-IAD and had a lie flat seat; first time that has happened to me on a domestic flight and I fly a lot. The flight was continuing to Europe.