What is easier with a 4 y/o? 1 long haul economy flight, or 2 FC segments?

[Anonymous]

As the title says, we are considering a long haul flight in April to Germany. We are considering using our points:

The first is 2 segments with an 18 hour layover and then first class in the lay down seats. We would stay near the airport overnight.

The second option is a straight shot in economy.

My son is 4. He’s flown multiple times on medium haul flights and does great. Never had a meltdown. Does fine in turbulence and landing/take off. But we’ve always flown first and had plenty of snacks, meals along the way. The comfortable seats and boarding options make it much easier for travelling.

[Anonymous]

First class, hands down. Have fun and explore during the 18 hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First class, hands down. Have fun and explore during the 18 hours.

+1

Honestly, with my 3 year old, we sometimes pick a layover just because it gives him a chance to move around and run and get wiggles out. We fly to Texas fairly frequently, and have actually enjoyed the 2.5 hours, plus a layover, then 1 hour, rather than 3.5 hours straight. Plus, you have more options for flight times so it's easier to work around bedtime/wake time and we don't have to mess with his sleep.

Add in the first class and it's a no brainer.

[Anonymous]

Straight shot. Boarding and unboarding and waiting to board is the worst. That's when my kids act up. While they're buckled in, with ipads, they are little angels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Straight shot. Boarding and unboarding and waiting to board is the worst. That's when my kids act up. While they're buckled in, with ipads, they are little angels.

Coach sucks, though. And if you can't control your kids for 20 minutes at a time...

[Anonymous]

How long is the straight shot flight? And is it overnight?

[Anonymous]

First class 100%. Not even close.

-frequent flier/mom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Straight shot. Boarding and unboarding and waiting to board is the worst. That's when my kids act up. While they're buckled in, with ipads, they are little angels.

Coach sucks, though. And if you can't control your kids for 20 minutes at a time...

And coach is an issue on long-haul if you want your kids to sleep. They are much more likely to sleep on the flight with lay flat seats

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Straight shot. Boarding and unboarding and waiting to board is the worst. That's when my kids act up. While they're buckled in, with ipads, they are little angels.

Coach sucks, though. And if you can't control your kids for 20 minutes at a time...

And coach is an issue on long-haul if you want your kids to sleep. They are much more likely to sleep on the flight with lay flat seats

Gosh, yes. If OP has the miles to burn, this is a no-brainer. Hopefully the 18-hour connection is somewhere cool (but I'm thinking JKF?) and they can leave the airport.

[Anonymous]

We'd never even consider 1st class, so to me the straight shot seems like the thing I'd choose.

Choosing 3 flights and an over night instead of 1 flight seems to make the travel take forever. But how long are the 3 flights each, vs the 1 straight shot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We'd never even consider 1st class, so to me the straight shot seems like the thing I'd choose.

Choosing 3 flights and an over night instead of 1 flight seems to make the travel take forever. But how long are the 3 flights each, vs the 1 straight shot?

Then you aren't the target audience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We'd never even consider 1st class, so to me the straight shot seems like the thing I'd choose.

Choosing 3 flights and an over night instead of 1 flight seems to make the travel take forever. But how long are the 3 flights each, vs the 1 straight shot?

With a kid that age, you don't want to make travel efficient. You want to make it low-stress. Different goals.

[Anonymous]

I think you should try the economy so your child can see what it is like to fly with the poors once in his life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We'd never even consider 1st class, so to me the straight shot seems like the thing I'd choose.

Choosing 3 flights and an over night instead of 1 flight seems to make the travel take forever. But how long are the 3 flights each, vs the 1 straight shot?

With a kid that age, you don't want to make travel efficient. You want to make it low-stress. Different goals.

Haha, so much this.

Besides, lie-flat seats are fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We'd never even consider 1st class, so to me the straight shot seems like the thing I'd choose.

Choosing 3 flights and an over night instead of 1 flight seems to make the travel take forever. But how long are the 3 flights each, vs the 1 straight shot?

With a kid that age, you don't want to make travel efficient. You want to make it low-stress. Different goals.

We just returned from a trip to Europe where our non-stop outgoing flight was cancelled. It was a scramble to get seats on another flight, and we ended up not in the premium economy we paid for. I used to be big on layovers and exploring, but given how degraded air travel is today, I would take as few flights as possible to get to my destination. Every flight increases the chances that something will go wrong.