British TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp is under fire from parents after she revealed that she lets her sons sit in the economy while she flies business class during holiday trips.
Thrifty Mom
Allsopp admits that she is thrifty when it comes to her kids' airplane sitting arrangements. She and partner Ben Andersen regularly take the business class, while her two boys, Bay and Oscar, take economy. She says that she would rather spend the money on the holiday itself than on the flights.
The Channel 4 presenter clarifies, though, that they had a different sitting arrangement when the boys were still young. However, they are now big enough to sit separately. Bay is 12 and Oscar is 10 years old.
Allsopp, estimated to earn £500,000 a year, explains that spending money on Club Class is an "absurd waste of money" and "very spoiling." She says that it should be a treat for something you worked hard on.
"If kids get used to it, what do they have to work towards?" Allsopp tells The Sun.
Reactions On Econo Flight
The mother-of-two may have a valid reason for separating her kids during flights. However, other parents do not seem to agree with her. One Twitter user says that Allsopp is ducking her responsibility as a parent and casually letting strangers watch over her kids. One former crewmember likewise reveals how this set-up is sometimes "unfair" to the staff and passengers who end up as "babysitters."
However, there are also those who defended Allsopp. Some say it is how she teaches her kids to be independent and that it does not have to do with neglect. The boys are also old enough to behave themselves properly while on the flight.
Allsopp likewise says that her boys are quite capable of looking after themselves at their age and calls it "pathetic" if they weren't. She also explains that saving money on their flight means more holidays.
"We take a shed load of holidays and if they flew with me in Premium Economy or Club we'd be taking fewer holidays, less is more. I'm not in bloody First Class, half the time I'm with the kids, and the rest of the time in Premium Economy, about four rows in front," Allsopp continues.
In her defense, the Location, Location, Location presenter points out that people parent differently. She says that there is more danger in social media than in air travel.
