British singer Lily Allen has weighed into the great debate over whether children should be allowed to sit in first class on flights.
Speaking to her co-host and friend Miquita Oliver in the latest episode of her podcast “Miss Me?” Allen said she’s happy to send her kids to economy class while she takes a seat in first class.
The singer, who has two daughters, Ethel, 13, and Marnie, 11, lives in New York with her husband, actor David Harbour.
“We are flying to London today to come and see you for your birthday,” Allen told Oliver. “I’m going in first class, she’s going in economy.”
‘Wow, Merry Christmas to Ethel,’ Miquita joked back, before asking, “You know what that is?”
‘Selfish?’ replied Lily.
“The circle of life,” said Miquita.
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The two went on to discuss the viral TikTok trend of people defiantly saying they won’t give up their first-class seats to children on planes.
The correct etiquette when it comes to requesting or refusing a seat swap on flights so that families can sit together has become one of social media’s most controversial debates.
Some say that travelers should have more compassion for families, but others believe you get what you pay for if you don’t reserve a seat, and say it’s not right to pressure other passengers.
But while Allen doesn’t see the point in seating her own tween in first class, she’s not on the side of those who won’t give up their seat to a child.
“I find it fascinating that it has now become something that gives you clout on social media where you say “a mum came up to me on a plane and asked me to move, and I told them to fuck off.”
“Is this what we’ve become?” she added.
“Why can’t everyone be a bit nicer to each other? … Says me putting myself in first class and my child alone in the back of the plane. I don’t want to sit with my kid.”
In the episode, Allen shared some of her other parenting habits, saying she had recently got 10 of her children’s parents to sign a pledge to take away their children’s smartphones before eighth grade.
“It’s their brains that I’m worried about long term. They’ve got enough to cope with having me as a mom. I’d rather take smartphones out of it and them hopefully survive.”
She has previously spoken out about choosing to prioritize her children over her career.
“Some people choose their career over their children. That’s their prerogative, but my parents were quite absent when I was a kid, and I feel like that left some nasty scars that I’m not willing to repeat on mine,” Allen said in an episode of the Radio Times Podcast.