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Meet the husbands who fly first class – while their wives travel in economy

It’s enough to make feminists’ blood boil. Or anyone’s for that matter.
But for some married couples, it’s perfectly normal for husbands to travel in first or business class, while their wives are relegated to economy.

“John finds economy unbearable,” explained economy-class wife Michelle Sedgemore to the Daily Mail . “He doesn't like the chatter, hates that too many people are in close proximity and can't bear being crammed into his seat.” When they both flew in economy to the Maldives in 2001, it was a “disaster”: “John didn't stop moaning and grumbling. I had to have a few glasses of wine to try to drown out his whingeing.”

On their next holiday, Michelle booked John a seat in business class, and one for herself in economy. “Sadly, we couldn't afford two posh seats, as much as I would have loved it. But I just couldn't bear his moaning.”

“We left home as a couple, checked in our luggage together and went hand-in-hand to departures. When we boarded the plane, we parted, saying: 'I'll see you when we get there.' We had a lovely fortnight together in Barbados. John was especially attentive — perhaps he was a little guilty.”

Since then, Michelle has preferred to travel as far away from her husband as possible. And John couldn’t be happier: “Do I feel guilty? Not at all! I get treated very well in business class. And if, one day, we can afford it then I'd love for the whole family to join me there.”

Wimbledon-based businessman Arrun Kumar doesn’t seem to feel ashamed for travelling up-front either. “In my opinion, everyone should travel this way. I think first-class is really rather wonderful — the only way to fly,” he told the newspaper. His wife Tina, however, doesn’t get a look-in. Whenever Arrun travels overseas for work, the couple tag a holiday on to the end of his meetings, but Tina always sits in economy.

'While I've loved the rare times I've flown with him, it's difficult to justify it financially. After all, it's his company, his profits. That's why we end up buying me an economy ticket. Sometimes I get upgraded. Usually I don't.”

And when they separate at check-in, they don’t even attempt to see each other. “We won't go to each other's respective sections on the flight. In the early days I did, but it got too awkward. I'd get stopped by cabin crew demanding to know where I was going.

“Even when we get off the plane we're like strangers to each another. Arrun will have a chauffeur waiting for him. The car whisks him straight to meetings. I have to find myself a taxi. At least he does text me to check I'm en route to our hotel.”

Have they ever sat next to each other on a flight? “The only time we've ever flown together in economy was on a flight to Egypt. It just didn't work. I wanted to chat, while Arrun was totally preoccupied with his work. He had to ask me to be quiet. It felt very awkward.”

“It really used to bother me — did he think his comfort was more important than mine? What did it say about how much he respected me? I've got used to it, though. He's not tight with money. But when there's a choice between a £3,500 ticket for business compared with £600 for an economy ticket for me to join him, it's difficult to justify it. Do I need the extra legroom? No – I'm only 5ft 3in.”

Meanwhile, Arrun has no qualms about the couple’s segregation: “I love travelling this way. I dine well and always get a good night's sleep,” he said. “I don't mind that we travel in different classes – though Tina has used my Air Miles on a couple of occasions to upgrade. Generally, though, I prefer to keep them to bring down the costs of my hotels.”

Does it ever get lonely when your husband is in business class while you’re slumming it at the back? “When we go to romantic destinations such as Italy or Sri Lanka, the plane is always full of couples. I do observe them rather wistfully,” admits Tina. “The husband will help his wife with placing her bag in the overhead locker. He'll make sure she is comfortable, too. I do miss that. It's moments like that when I think I'd love for us to be together.”

Within six months of meeting her husband Philip, Sarah-Jane Killick was on a plane to Brazil with him. “It sounds all very glamorous, doesn't it?” she says. “Not from economy class it wasn't. For the next ten years, two weeks of every four was spent flying here, there and everywhere, supporting Philip in Brazil or whichever country he was visiting. He was in business or first. Meanwhile, I was bought a cattle-class ticket.”

Philip, who works in shipping, was used to flying all over the world for work – always in comfort. So why couldn’t she travel up-front too? Her husband “can be the tightest man on earth,” says Sarah-Jane. “Once, he tried to cheer me up when we were flying to his home in Switzerland. He was in business, courtesy of a ticket from his employers, and sent an air hostess to economy with a gift for me. It was a bit alarming at first – she handed me a sick bag! But inside was a small bottle of fizz and chocolates. It was a nice thought. But a business class ticket would have been better.”

It wasn’t until she gave birth to Philip’s son that Sarah-Jane finally got her first taste of luxury travel. “Despite Philip's instinctive frugality, he eventually caved in. He would allow me to buy an upgrade because I was travelling with his baby. But, to make up for the cost, he wouldn't buy one for himself.

“Thankfully, Bertie was as good as gold on the plane — despite the sniffy looks of the passengers. After all those years of cramped misery, it was lovely to be the one sitting in luxury for once. Perhaps I should have had a baby sooner!”

Now, however, Sarah-Jane and Bertie fly in economy class while Philip sits in business.

Does Philip feel awkward about travelling separately from his wife and child? “[It] is not a major problem,” he said. “My main aim on an intercontinental flight is to get as much sleep as possible, so maybe I am not the best company anyway.”

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