# Parents taking separate flights- anyone here do that (or did your parents)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 19, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996 "2010-05-19T13:45:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/21 "2010-05-19T16:50:55Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I wonder how that really dangerous activity, manned spaceflight, ranks when it comes to hours and miles travelled? [quoted from here:] ([BBC NEWS | Americas | The dangers of space travel](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2717535.stm)) > [@BBC News](#): > > Following the Mir collision in 1997, the New Scientist calculated that the number of deaths in space equated to 1 per 10,000 “flying hours”. > > “The figure for the US’s aircraft industry last year was one death every 37,000 flying hours,” said the magazine. > > “Express this as deaths per passenger mile and flying in space turns out to be the safest form of travel on or off Earth.” Given that the landings and launches seem to be the most dangerous parts of a spaceflight (or an airplane flight, for that matter), shorter spaceflights (Virgin Galactic, anyone?) will probalby results in more accidents/deaths per mile (or per hour). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/22 "2010-05-19T18:09:33Z")
My aunt and uncle used to fly separately when their 3 kids were younger. Nobody thought it was weird. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/23 "2010-05-19T18:14:45Z")
That’s the first I’ve ever heard of that. Though we did take the precaution of finalizing our life insurance policies before we took our trip to India a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/24 "2010-05-19T18:35:35Z")
I’ve heard of people doing this, but my parents never did. Of course, they are pretty much fearless people who like to joke about things like earthquakes and plane crashes, and will decide to fly somewhere on a moment’s notice just for fun. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/25 "2010-05-19T18:38:13Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > That’s the first I’ve ever heard of that. Though we did take the precaution of finalizing our life insurance policies before we took our trip to India a few years ago. This was the way my family handled it. Take care of the legal end of stuff and leave enough to care for the kids and hop on the plane together. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/26 "2010-05-19T18:48:52Z")
So when you all went on trips together, did you all travel in the same plane because your parents figured “what the hell”? If so, were you separated into different sections of the plane in case, like, the tail end of the plane ripped off while travelling through the Chilean mountains so that at least half your family could remain alive while learning new cullinary techniques? ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/27 "2010-05-19T19:52:15Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > Given that no risk can be completely eliminated, how small does a risk have to be before you tell yourself “this risk is low enough that it’s not worth complicating my life or spending my wealth/time to try to reduce it further”? When you know people who are 100% dead because of a plane crash, the risk becomes a bit more real rather than some statistic on a page. If staggering flights a few hours apart is going to eliminate that risk, than I don’t see it as a complication or a wealth/time sucker. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/28 "2010-05-19T20:01:38Z")
I do not do this with my family as I believe that there is a greater risk that we all die in a car accident before we would die in a plane crash. My parents never did this with us growing up because we or they never flew anywhere. However, good friends of my parents that had 4 kids would do this frequently even when the whole family was going somewhere for vacation (70’s). The dad would fly with two of the kids and the mom would take a separate flight with the other two kids. They didn’t want the risk that the entire family would be wiped out with one plane crash. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/29 "2010-05-19T20:07:39Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > I. They didn’t want the risk that the entire family would be wiped out with one plane crash. I thinks thats kinda funny myself. The Jones gene pool MUST survive! If everybody dies, nobody is going to be around to be upset about it are they? Except grandma and grandpa I guess. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/30 "2010-05-19T20:15:47Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > When you know people who are 100% dead because of a plane crash, the risk becomes a bit more real rather than some statistic on a page. If staggering flights a few hours apart is going to eliminate that risk, than I don’t see it as a complication or a wealth/time sucker. Where do you draw the line though? Do you always take separate cars when you go places? Do you buy food at two completely different stores for the various family members? If you have a relative that was mauled by a bear (that is how my uncle died) do you just not go camping? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/31 "2010-05-19T20:34:16Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > When you know people who are 100% dead because of a plane crash, the risk becomes a bit more real rather than some statistic on a page. If staggering flights a few hours apart is going to eliminate that risk, than I don’t see it as a complication or a wealth/time sucker. It reduces the risk, but it doesn’t eliminate the risk. Nothing will ever eliminate the risk. Furthermore, what if one parent dies, either in a plane crash or via other means? Does the remaining single parent never fly again until/unless remarried? ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/32 "2010-05-19T20:42:15Z")
People are stupid about risk. I wonder how many of these people who split up on the plane flight also smoked, as was the custom back then? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/33 "2010-05-19T20:44:04Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I thinks thats kinda funny myself. The Jones gene pool MUST survive! > > If everybody dies, nobody is going to be around to be upset about it are they? Except grandma and grandpa I guess. Exactly - if we’re gonna die, we might as well _all_ die. ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/34 "2010-05-19T20:44:43Z")
ISTM you’d come ahead ahead researching which airline has the best safety record … and putting _both_ parents on that airline. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/35 "2010-05-19T20:45:27Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I thinks thats kinda funny myself. The Jones gene pool MUST survive! 😃 > [@](#): > > If everybody dies, nobody is going to be around to be upset about it are they? Except grandma and grandpa I guess. My parents never flew anywhere so it didn’t come up. In 2002 I flew to the UK with my (now ex) husband, mother in law, step father in law, brother in law and two sisters in law. My ex made a will before we left but said to me “At least if there’s a crash and we go, we’ll all go together and no one is left behind to grieve.” And I replied “Uhh… MY parents? My brother? Your father? You don’t think they might be upset to lose us all?” It was only when we got home that I read his will and realised that, in case of our untimely deaths, he’d left everything to his siblings and parents… the people who were on the plane with us. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/36 "2010-05-19T21:04:18Z")
My parents did this until I was about 16 or so. That would be around the late-1970s. I specifically remember them going to Hawaii without me and they took separate flights. ---
**Author:** ![boozilu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boozilu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boozilu)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/37 "2010-05-19T21:57:51Z")
Funny you should start this thread. Mr Boozilu and I were supposed to go to Paris in April (same flight) but had to reschedule due to the volcano. We’re now going in July and decided to take separate flights. (Grandparents are coming to watch the kids.) I’m the one who doesn’t get the direct flight, but it’s giving us some peace of mind so we think it’s worth it. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/38 "2010-05-19T22:31:51Z")
I remember my parents mentioning doing this when I was a little kid - they travelled a fair amount. Then again, my dad’s a “What if?” kind of a guy and usually finds the darkest, most pessimistic answer to that particular question, so it never seemed odd to me that he would think this way. I also don’t find it odd that other people _do_ find it odd, considering the … umm … odds involved in car accidents vs. plane crashes. Sorry. I typed myself in, and couldn’t find my way back out! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/39 "2010-05-19T22:41:32Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I thinks thats kinda funny myself. The Jones gene pool MUST survive! > > If everybody dies, nobody is going to be around to be upset about it are they? Except grandma and grandpa I guess. My first thought was that the potential of survivor’s guilt would be huge. “Oh, if only I had been on the first flight, then my baby sister wouldn’t be dead.” ---
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996/40 "2010-05-20T00:34:22Z")
I knew a doctor who always made a point of saying the he and his wife never flew on the same airplane. I thought it was a bit pretentious. He died of a heart attack at age 60. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-taking-separate-flights-anyone-here-do-that-or-did-your-parents/539996.md?page=3)