Emirates Bans Young Kids From First Class (Sort Of): Good

Intro

Yeah, I said it, and I probably shouldn't be so blunt, but I am.

There has been a long debate surrounding if kids should be allowed in premium cabins, and while I have always been for the stance of no (in some regards), Emirates has decided on something that I fully agree with.

The Details

As of August 15th, Emirates is no longer allowing kids under the age of 8 to fly First Class when booking or upgrading with miles. We have recently seen Emirates change how you redeem points for First Class, with only those with status being able to book seats, but this is quite the shift going forward.

Emirates First Class on their 777-300ER

However, you are still technically able to book a flight for those who are under the age of eight, so whether this is being implemented or not, it's an interesting memo to put out.

 My Thoughts

As someone who travels a lot on points, I would be more than happy to have all point redemptions banned for First Class, no matter the age. A long time ago, First Class meant something: a sense of prestige, a sense of comfort, and not having screaming children or TikTok influencers around.

Now, as much as people will argue and say this is wrong, I think it is fully correct. I fly a lot of paid business class tickets as well, and it's annoying when infants are screaming two rows behind. Not all kids, of course, some. Some might make the argument that adults cause more disturbances, but as someone who flies 170+ flights per year, this is factually inaccurate from experience.

Imagine paying 8K for a First Class seat, only to find a screaming baby behind you...

Additionally, and this might come across wrong, but those kids who are flying on full fare F tickets are genuinely more well-behaved (not all). Let's break it down. If you think about this aspect here:

• Kids who fly on points and miles 4x per year

• Kids who fly in First 30 times per year

Who do you think would behave more reasonably? Obviously, Emirates doesn't want to cut out paid kid customers, as there is a lot of money in the UAE, and people often travel with nannies who can take care of the kid.

And yes, people will say this is all about financial and "I saved my points for this". I'll tell you this, I would be more than happy if all airlines cut First Class redemptions for everyone but top-tier on their own programs. We don't need First, we want First. And a want is not a need..

 Final Thoughts

Emirates has cut out kids under 8 years old from being able to fly First Class when redeeming a Classic Reward or an upgrade. While a lot of people will have their own opinions, I am all for it. To take it a step further, I am all for airlines eradicating First Class award space completely. Why? It's simple. Companies won't pay for a First Class fare unless you are highly respected. If you are highly respected, then you will most likely not (not always) cause a scene or disturb passengers.

At the same time, I don't want to say that all kids are poorly behaved, but it does happen more often than an adult. As an example, I paid 2100 USD to fly Air Canada Business Class to London, and sat next to a couple that had paid miles, and the kid was screaming the whole 6-hour redeye to London. Even the FA came over to apologize...

And yeah, I am good with not flying First Class if it means that those who truly need it can enjoy it. You can hate me for this take, and that's cool, but it's me.