Ban babies on board. Stop kids from flying altogether or at least create a special children’s section on planes.
That’s what a growing number of frequent travelers want to do. Passengers like Linda Rolle, an executive administrative associate, parent and grandparent from Denton, Texas.
“I’ve have had some horrible experiences,” she says. “Once, a 2-year-old finished his bottle and heaved it over his head and it landed on my head. Large bump, large headache, no blood. Also, no apology from mommy – only giggles and ‘isn’t he cute’.”
On another flight, a toddler in the seat in front of her “kept standing up and leaning over the seat to see what was going on. I did not mind this until he drooled into my lap,” she remembers.
Children are ubiquitous on flights these days. Nearly one-half of U.S. adults recently polled by the Travel Industry Association of America said they included kids on a trip during the past five years. The most dramatic rise in juvenile passengers came from corporate travelers. In 1997, 24.4 million business trips included a child, compared with 7.4 million business trips a decade earlier. That’s an increase of 230 percent.
Any surprise, then, that the number of complaints about kids is on the rise? Not to Jerry Clavner, a sociology and anthropology professor from Cleveland.
“Traveling on a domestic airline with children on board is like traveling with a Chihuahua with diarrhea,” he says. “Kids are hyperactive and they can’t control themselves. The plane is an unnatural environment, and you’re going to get bizarre behavior. I mean, why would you think children can sit on a flight for more than two hours, when their average attention span is 14 minutes, which is the space between commercials?”
Clavner says airlines and parents are “inflicting pain on people who are in a rush to get somewhere” and it needs to stop. “I have never inflicted my children on anyone else on an airplane,” he adds. “If we cannot get there by car comfortably with a child, why would I want to go anyway?”
D.J. Cotton, a former flight attendant for Pan Am who now lives in Los Gatos, Calif., knows the children won’t go away. But she has a few ideas about how to deal with them. Sedate infants before the flight, for starters.
“The baby sleeps, the flight crew and passengers arrive relaxed,” she says. If that fails, she adds, airlines should offer “optional parachutes for planes with screaming babies.”
Gregory Gulley-Purcell, a marketing coordinator for a specialty insurance company in Bellevue, Wash., suggests a less radical approach. “If the airlines created a separate compartment, akin to the first-class one, it could be used to accommodate families and adults traveling with children,” he says.
“I don’t think all kids are troublemakers, but the fact does remain that they have a lot more energy than should be contained in the over-crowded, constricted airline cabins of today.”
And how about the crewmembers? Adana Adams, who works for a medical research company in Urbana, Ill., and is the mother of three grown children, thinks the problem isn’t the kids or even the parents, but the flight attendants. She says crewmembers don’t enforce the seatbelt rules consistently, letting children run around the cabin to their hearts’ content.
When she complained about one kid’s behavior on a recent flight, she was told her predicament was her “tough luck.” Is it the flight attendants, the kids, the parents or just the stress of sitting in a pressurized cabin? I don’t know who, or what, is to blame.
One thing I’m sure of: I’m not one to talk. I was an enfant terrible back in 1969, when I took my very first flight from New York to Munich at age 1. I screamed, ranted, kicked, whined and fussed. Not unlike what I do today, except louder. I don’t feel like I have the right to criticize a couple of rowdy kids.
Among the most level-headed solutions, I think, is Stevanne Auerbach’s. The director of the Institute For Childhood Resources in San Francisco says it’s up to the adults to fly prepared. “You need appropriate games, puppets and activities to keep kids occupied,” she told me.
Put differently, it’s not a bad idea to pack a sock puppet on your next trip. Who knows, it may shut the kid next to you up.
Note: Five years after this article first appeared, Adams, who works for a hospital in a medical research department, contacted this site to request her name be deleted from the story. She said her quote was inaccurate.
“My complaint was that I had requested a window seat so that my elbow that was in a cast would not be bumped and when I got on the plane, a couple with a toddler had boarded early and taken my window seat and refused to move,” she wrote. “The four hours from San Diego was spent with a wild toddler bumping my broken elbow the entire time and flight attendants who refused to do anything about it.”
This site is happy to correct the record but does not, as a matter of practice, delete sources from articles.
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Alright, I have some thoughts here on the matter. I certainly am one of those people who get annoyed with babies crying and toddlers acting badly on planes. I know that it’s not possible to section off families even though that would be a very good solution. I have an idea and I hope that the airlines will consider it. Now I think that this idea is a win/win for everyone aboard. I guess the only people who will be offended are the parents that let their kids run wild on a daily basis. C’est la vie!
We hear all the time how a baby and mother got kicked off of a flight for the child’s bad behavior. It is a safety issue people! A crying child can wrangle the nerves of everyone on board and can impact people’s health and their mental stability!
Here is my suggestion, why not have a mandatory class for all parents and their children before they are allowed to board a plane! You have to be at the airport early anyways, you might as well take a class that the airline would offer to help give suggestion on how to keep your child occupied during the flight. Also, there should be a separate class for older children where a certified pre school teacher teaches the children what is appropriate and what isn’t on a plane and also what to expect so they are prepared. If this mini 30 minute class is offered right before kids get on a plane, they will be more prepared for the ride.
I think this is a great idea, it would make kids more prepared and aware of their actions and the people around them. Sometimes parents can prepare the best way they know how, but honestly they themselves may not know what to expect especially if it’s the first time they’re traveling with their children.
I think that this idea would cut down the number of misbehaved children and make the flight peaceful for everyone involved. Besides, kids are more likely to listen to adults in uniform because they know that the airport is not their turf! I’m not saying this will be 100% effective, but I am saying that it would probably significantly help escalate these issues. Besides, their would be more job openings for teachers which we need so badly….you know for your child’s future!
Sara,
With all due respect, your idea is very flawed. Judging from your comments you do not have children of your own, so let me share with you the many issues your idea contains.
First, I have seen how airline employees treat customers, and I don’t want them having my children by themselves to provide this same level of “excellent and friendly” service.
Second, the airport is crazy enough, and the airlines can’t afford to pay the staff they have so let’s add a bunch of jobs and require classrooms where parents have to leave their children in a busy airport when anxiety is already higher because of the experience of flying.
My children will do their learning in a classroom by teachers who provide a consistent and structured learning environment, and they will learn by travelling the world and having a variety of experiences. An airline employee who thinks they are a teacher will not provide in a 30 minute session anything that will stay with them. This will just freak them out when they have to leave their parents in a place they are not familiar with and that’s not a learning environment I want for my children.
Actually this is not what I was saying at all. What I was saying is that the airline should hire CERTIFIED PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS to conduct the classes, also I was saying that parents would be REQUIRED to stay with their child during the classes!
It’s just an idea obviously, the reason I provided this idea is because too many instances of kids and babies being thrown off of planes are happening now and something needs to be done about it!
Also, as far as cost goes…a pre-school teacher does not go into the profession to make money. They make a very low income as it is. If planes need to keep wasting fuel to take unruly children back, they are in fact wasting a lot of money in unnecessary fuel doing that per year! If each airline would hire 2 or 3 pre-school teachers to teach these children what to expect and what is acceptable and what isn’t, the airline would save a bundle and the other passengers would be happier as fewer instances like this would occur.
And just so you know, I am a CERTIFIED TEACHER thank you very much!
Brian,
First of all, my idea is that there would be CERTIFIED PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS teaching your children, not an airline employee! Also, parents would be REQUIRED to attend the class with their children so they would not be alone. Also, as far as cost…pre-school teachers don’t become teachers for the money. It’s usually a very low paying profession. So the money that the airline provides for these 2 or 3 teachers on staff would be very little in cost. In fact it would be much less of a cost to do this than having to waste fuel to take the plane back due to unruly children!
Because there are too many of these instances happening, airlines WILL LOSE out on money no matter what they do. Also, I hate to point this out but you are speaking with a CERTIFIED TEACHER herself thank you very much!
Sara,
Where do you suppose the airlines are going to get the funds to hire anyone when they are announcing massive, massive job cuts? The number of children being removed from flights is small in relation to all the passengers that travel so I don’t feel that this is a massive epidemic. Just because you are a CERTIFIED TEACHER doesn’t mean that you understand business and the statistics of what is reality. What is the difference between a CERTIFIED TEACHER and a certified teacher other than the fact that one seems to enjoy screaming and the other not so much.
With your vast experience in teaching you must understand that children behave differently in situations that are new to them, especially when they are unsure of what’s happening and this might not be the best learning environment.
How would 2 to 3 teachers cover all of the kids flying all over the US? The airlines would have to have a teacher on staff at every airport for every departure just in case a child happens to be on that flight, doesn’t seem plausible as a situation at all.
I think we can agree to disagree on this.
Brian,
I really don’t want to argue about an IDEA that I had. It’s not an idea that is set in stone, there would be a lot to work out obviously. I do understand costs that the airline would have to figure out and yes, the kids that get kicked off of planes are few and far between….for now that is! Once the airlines have to turn around to kick more families off of planes, this may be a plan for them to consider. It would be a lot easier if parents did their job and explained to their children what was happening before they boarded a plane. But sadly a lot of parents don’t do their job and that’s when someone else should step in. I’m not saying that you are a bad parent, I’m just saying that parents in general either do not have the time to teach their kids good manners or they just plain don’t want to. If that’s the case, why is it fair for everyone else in the world to have to suffer? I don’t think it is.
Look around on this thread, a lot of people are bothered enough by this to try and do something about it if the parents won’t. If there are a lot of people bothered by this, the airlines will eventually have to do something about it otherwise they will continue to lose a lot of business in the long run.
I will agree to disagree on this one as well since I don’t have the strength to keep arguing about this topic.
Actually now that I think about it, the cost can be added to the plane tickets. Why not, airlines already charge for carry on baggage now. You could add the fee to the tickets!
I’ve spent the last hour reading through most of these comments (still reading) and they’re quite entertaining, I’ll post my opinion in a moment, but want to comment:
Kelly – “Such behavior would never be tolerated at a restaurant, but a hyper child might be. ” [In regards to cussing or threatening]
Just because it’s SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE or IT HAPPENS, it doesn’t mean it’s RIGHT [in terms of hyper children in restaurants]
I can’t even count the number of times a child has ruined my expensive meal, mostly because the parent didn’t care. I’m not talking about a woman calming down a fussy baby, I’m talking about a couple LETTING their kid do whatever in a restaurant. I was a server for 3 years and by the end of the job, wanted to take out every child I saw. My own SIBLINGS let their kids run under the table, throw food, run around the table, scream, and bother other people. Their excuse “I have them all day, I can’t control everything they do.” No matter how many times you say “You reenforce standards and your day will be A LOT easier,” they just don’t get it. My oldest sister has 3 kids and her older kids (now 7 and 5) are EXCELLENT. She’s always taught them proper behavior and even when they were 1 and 2, they were GREAT in restaurants.
I hate the excuse “But I’m home with them all day, I’m tired.” If you’re at home all day, you can let them do WHATEVER then, if you can’t control them for the 2 hours you’re out of the house, maybe you should stay at home.
I’m not Anti-child one bit, but I am Anti-Parent in a lot of cases.
I have not read through all of these posts but have found many of them highly entertaining. I thought I’d throw this out there – my girls and I traveled (alone) from the southwest to Boston a few weeks ago for my uncle’s funeral and my sister’s engagement party – certainly good reasons to fly with my kids (ages 11 months and almost three). I purchased first class tickets for us there and back. My 2.5 year old threw a FIT on one of the planes at take off and landing (did not want to sit in the car seat). I just ignored her – what could I do? It was by far the worst fit I have ever seen. And in FIRST CLASS! I was so embarrassed, but then I thought, I paid for these tickets!!!!! (and man did I pay). Anyway, I am sure some of you will want to ban kids from first class, but I doubt it will ever happen! I think it is funny now, but was not too pleased at the time! Keep your fingers crossed because we are flying to Zurich in 2 weeks. The whole reason why I stumbled upon this site is because I am searching for ways to sedate kids for plane rides. I would not do this for domestic flights since medications have side effects, but I certainly will for international!!!
‘Your right to swing your arm ends where my face begins.’
I think that most reasonable people would agree with the the above statement. Yet slightly modifying it to ‘Your child’s right to scream ends where my ability to hear it begins’ gets everyone in an uproar?
As many people have pointed out, of the 20 kids on the flight, you’re only aware of the one or two problem children. Should we punish all for the actions of the few, and ban them from flying altogether? To me, that seems excessive. My thought is to instead follow the old addage ‘let the punishment fit the crime’. Rather than penalize the many for the absurd actions of the few, hit those that are causing the problem where it hurts the most – the pocketbook.
For every incident causing a passenger complaint, fine the parents, say $10 per person (on the flight) per incident, with proceeds being reimbursed to the passengers. I’m guessing that having to consider the possibility of shelling out an extra 2 grand would force Mom and Pop to strongly consider whether junior is at the appropriate age/maturity for air travel, and whether the reason for the travel warrants the risk, rather than allow them to subject the other passengers to the Cabin of Terror. Bottom line is that we did not bring them, so we should not be subjected to their ‘moods’. Also, redistributing this back to the passengers ensures that the airline doesn’t come to rely on the ‘crying baby fee’ as a source of revenue.
As many of the previous comments have mentioned, adults are also guilty of causing disruptions; this could be applied to them as well.
Of course, the above is just a top of the head suggestion…maybe it could be changed to one freebie per person per flight, or something similiar, but ultimately the point would be to hold those that are causing the disruption (for whatever reason) accountable for their actions. Can any of your really argue, with a straight face and logical (not emotional) arguments that this should not be the case?
To Meredith:
I would not advocate sedating them on any flight. I have done 18-hr trips from SFO to SIN on SIA (in both business and first) with my 22 month old. During a long trip children do tend to cry. The best solution I found is to remove her to the galley area. The long range flights tend to have big galley areas. Removing her from the cabin gives peace to the rest of the passengers and some much needed “alone time” for her. Usually she calms down in a few minutes and we return back to our seats.
I have to say, I am quite sick and tired of flying international business class with screaming children and the Oaf Family Robinson. I pay A LOT of money for the comfort and perqs of business class and they do not include having to act as a surrogate babysitter because the parents are bovinely gazing off into space or snoring away while their child acts out or screams its head off.
I have complained both verbally and in writing to many airlines (NorthWest, Lufthansa, Austrian, KLM, and American) and each of them, to an airline, appear not to have the testicular fortitude to do anything about this problem.
Now, I have nothing against children. My problem is when the rights and privileges I have paid for, either in cash or in frequent flier miles, are so egregiously violated. I’m not interested in hearing that I have no feelings because I am not a parent, nor hearing from great-grandmothers who nuture every child on the flight. I want the perqs that I have paid for and those are peace, quiet and comfort!
/thread
I guess I have a different perspective living in Japan (military) and my family living in the States. I too have embarked on a long flight (13 hours) only to deal with a child kicking my seat. When I pointed it out the the mother.. she said tough, he is a little boy.
I explained that I have a little boy about that age and they are capable to learn that is not appropriate behavior. She got mad. What I found most relieving was the gentleman sitting behind her son. He stated kicking the child’s seat and the little boy complained to his mother. The lady quickly turned around and barked at him.. he said “lady if you can dish it you can take it” She complained to the flight attendant who then promptly turned to the grown man and asked him to behave.. his reply “as soon as the mother and son do” The flight attendant looked at the mom and goes “well, he has a point. If you are not willing to follow the rules, I cannot enforce them for somone else…” needeless to say the child stopped kicking my seat and the woman huffed the rest of the way.
Why is it that *SOME* people with children thin they get a free pass because they have kids. Sure kids get rowdy, even mine, BUT from an early age we taught them that behavior is very important. They mess up, and they get punished. To this day with over 800,000 miles logged on flights.. we have NEVER had one complaint about our children. We do not drug them, we simply established rules very early on and enforced them. We provide books, games, video’s and snacks. If anything we have ever heard was “your children behaved so well on the flight” or “How do you keep them under control” (my fave!) Discipline.
Now that our children are older.. my son has started asking and pointed out on the latest flight.. a parent with an unruly child. He actually leaned over the isle and said.. “hey we can behave.. what is wrong with you” to the other little kid.. it was hilarious! The other child looked at him and was silent the rest of the trip.. so kids are capable of recognizing bad behavior if we teach them to.
As a parent I too get upset with rowdy children and parents who do nothing. BUT I would absolutely NOT fly with them if we had to sit with other families or be required to fly on a family flight! PERIOD. It is not appropriate to lump all families in the same category. Not ALL children behave badly.. just the ones with no established guidelines and parents who refuse to discipline.
I do like the idea of requiring ALL passengers to have a ticket and a seat. If your child cannot sit in their own seat.. then treat them like any other passenger who will not take their seat.. kick them off the plane. PERIOD.
There might be some cushion. If the parents request to take another flight because they recognize their child is rowdy.. allow them to and don’t charge them a rebooking fee. Consider them as doing a courtesy. There are times when kids just need a breather.. much like adults. Let’s recognize the parents who recognize the limits of their children and do something about it. Vice Versa.. parents who do nothing, should be punished for it.
As a frequent domestic and international travel (my first international flight was at age 3 months), I have to agree that it’s a parental problem that needs fixing. I appreciate that there are many parents out there who are prepared to travel with children of all ages. Unfortunately, there are (in my experience) many, many more who do not. Like the woman who didn’t know the swallowing suggestion for quieting her bawling six-month old; or the mother and her 8-year old on a 6-hour flight to Hawaii who were separated because of limited seats but left her son without books, magazines, games, music or even money to buy headphones to watch the movie (6 hours with NOTHING to do but sit there) until we took pity and bought the headphones for him. Or, most recently, on the 11 hour flight home from Europe when a new mother occupied the one and only restroom serving the back third of the airplane by pumping her breasts for over an hour. Take some responsibility, parents. All kids need your help prior to traveling to make it a more pleasant experience for everyone. And thank you to those of you who already know and practice this — it really is appreciated. I like nothing more than saying, “I was next to an adorable baby on the flight — cute and well-behaved.”
Yes, crying babies are annoying. I also find people who feel the need to turn on their cellphones as soon as we’ve landed annoying (“yeah, hi, we’ve just landed”), or people who recline as soon as the wheels lift off the ground annoying, or people who pee on the toilet seat annoying.
To quote Fran Leibowitz:
“I understand, of course, that many people find smoking objectionable. That is their right. I would, I assure you, be the very last to criticize the annoyed. I myself find many– even most– things objectionable. Being offended is the natural consequence of leaving one’s home. I do not like aftershave lotion, adults who roller-skate, children who speak French, or anyone who is unduly tan. I do not, however, go around enacting legislation and putting up signs. In private I avoid such people; in public they have the run of the place. I stay at home as much as possible, and so should they. When it is necessary, however, to go out of the house, they must be prepared, as I am, to deal with the unpleasant personal habits of others. That is what “public” means. “
Time have changed since this post was written and today I doubt the airlines are in any shape to provide separate flights or seating areas for families.
When we fly with our 3 year old, she gets her own seat and we do our best to keep her settled, but sometimes, well, she’s a 3 year old, unlike the drunk business man across the aisle who doesn’t have an excuse.
Sorry, traveling isn’t what it used to be, suck it up.
11 hours from Germany to SF next to a 2 year old who kicked, screamed, cried, and held me hostage. I was relegated to sleeping on the floor at the back of the plane. Not one apology from the mother. I’m still amazed I didn’t let her have it.
If you can’t control your kid, don’t take him on the flight. Pure and simple. it’s your right to have a kid, it’s my right not to be inconvenienced by the same. The world doesn’t rotate around you and your kids….
It’s not rocket science… most children’s misbehaviors come from lack of sleep. Parents these days expect their kids to revolve around mommy and daddy’s schedule, when it should be the other way around. A child should go to bed early and take a nap everyday.
Due to the nature of air travel, bedtime or naptime is almost always disrupted. If the parents are smart, the child will be used to getting a decent amount of sleep and will probably nap the flight away.
Sheesh, even adults should try sleeping on planes more often!
As a mother of a young child, I am all in favor for special childless flights as soon as we also have:
a) flights free of obese people who do not fit in their seats
b) flights free of smokers who smell like a cigarette sitting next to you
c) flights free of those with chronic halitosis
d) flights free of drunks
e) flights free of people who snore loudly
f) flights free of people who are sick and spreading their germs with incessant coughing.
Personally, I find people guilty of a-f above more annoying than crying babies.
This entire thread is pointless. No children/babies on planes. What’s next…none in restaurants?? Ridiculous!
I think that if children are banned from flights, then what next? Ban them from buses, trains… Stay cool, it is life, perfect conditions cannot be created for you just because you want it. It is something you should live with or hire a private jet.
Even with the most outrageous childish behavior, I keep a smile on my face. After all, I’ll never see he brats again. Fortunately, the parents get to spend years with their uncontrollable monsters.
I am a frequent business traveler and agree that children are often out of control on planes…
Once I had a mother who had a lap baby (about 1 or so) next to me. Her baby cried the whole time – the mother even plopped her child on my lap so she could use the bathroom…
In another instance, I was boarding and found that a child was in my (window) seat… the parent actually tried to tell me that her “Suzie” wanted the window, and would I switch?
On another (international) flight, I had a young boy playing with his toys on the floor behind my seat and also knocking into it repeatedly… for this one, I had to politely ask the parent to move her child off the floor so that I could recline my seat without smacking her son in the head with the back of the chair. Why do I get the dirty looks from the parent for just wanting to recline my chair???
There have even been cases where I upgraded to business class to try to have a peaceful flight only to have a small child up in first/business. Is no part of the airplane safe anymore… :(
I have found that the children who are usually the most behaved are the ones who are flying “sans” parents… maybe this is because there is no one to make a big fuss to get attention from???
The venue is already set for passengers with children,
Passengers with small children always boarding first,
so the back of the plane is logic section for passengers with children.
it’s not very hard with today reservation technologies to
make a virtual section for passengers with children.
Airlines are able to block of seats to release at last minute
or release on demand by family with children.
Family will have more compassions to each other,
or may be they will fight to determine which one is the cutest baby.
As much as I would really enjoy ‘child free’ flights I know that moral MINORITY will never it let it happen. If the kids are well mannered and quiet I can usually deal with some whimpering or crying when we take off or land due to cabin pressure changes. What I can’t stand is the little monsters screaming and running up and down the aisles.
Yes your little angel is annoying. Do you wonder why alot of people get drunk on planes? They do it to try and sleep because they cannot stand your kids jumping around like spastic oranguatans. How about I get to punch you in the head every time your lawn ape wakes me up by kicking my seat? Not so much fun now is it?
PLease do not ‘inflict’ your children on us. We don’t find them cute or amusing and when they run around screaming and you do nothing about it, well, most passengers consider you ignorant or poor at your parenting job.
To the people complaining about parents taking their window seat. When we flew with our 1 year old in his own seat the flight attendant told us that he was MANDATED to sit in the window seat so that in case of emergency everyone could get out safe. Nowhere in all the literature I read did I see that noted. So the parents probably had no clue till they got on the plane.
I’m not looking forward to my flight this summer. I dread the thought of having my 3 year old and 8 month old on the plane with all the crabby anoying adults. But there is no way I can drive the 3000 miles across country to visit the grandparents in the vacation time alloted. (It would take me 7 days to drive cc without taking into account the frequent child stops) Flying is my ONLY option.
On August 17th Meredith wrote that she was thinking of sedating her kids for a long international flight. This suggestion may be way too late since it is now April, but try the sedation at home first. This is very important! Some kids have a “paradoxical effect” from sedation. They get MORE hyper not less! This happened to a friend (who is a pharmacist!) on a flght to Korea with her three small kids. A good intention that went straight to heck. She said it was the longest 14 hours of her life.
About kids kicking the back of the seat – yes, the kid should stop but it may not be entirely the kids fault. The seats are so close together that a car seat puts the kids legs in a position that there is little else that they can do but hit the back of the seat. Still very irritating but the fault also belongs to the airline.
My now 12 year old has flown a lot of miles starting at an international flight at 4 months and he learned to behave well. He is one of the most annoyed people on a plane when another passenger misbehaves because he learned how to be respectful iof others and expects the same courtesy.
Look, I have no choice. I have a baby and I live in Europe and have to fly home. I have always dealt with babies on flights and I’ve never had a problem. I’m game for flights where there are families and babies. I do have problems with school trips on flights. That is straight hell. Obnoxious people too. Can we separate them too? To the guy who was complaining about a transatlantic flight. I take them regularly. I’ve dealt with people snoring so loud that the section can’t sleep and then they are usually the ones who complain the most. If you want stressless travel, pay for first class or business class.
ah….
I like the notion of charging people extra money if they are overweight
in my travel experience during this age of the obesity epidemic I have had far too many fat asses taking up my air space during my flight
fat people who I would not want to rub elbows with not only steal the arm rest
but over flow into my seat
please…
have the fat people buy two seats so that I can have mine
Anytime you use public transportation of any kind prepare to be exposed to people and situations that aren’t as pleasing as driving in your own car alone. First class is the best defense, but even first class isn’t immune to all disturbances. Families have to travel all over the world just like every one else so banning them isn’t realistic. I’ve had uncomfortable and annoying passenger experiences as I travel quite often, but I have to admit, most of the time these bad experiences have been adults behaving badlly. In a perfect world every traveler would conduct themselves appropriately, but airlines and the general public alike isn’t perfect. You can try traveling at a time of day when family travel would be minimal, but at the end of the day, it is what it is….public transportation.
Rather than banning children, I propose we focus on banning those adults who should know (and act) better!
- Ban people who put their rollaboard suitcases into the bins sideways — the ignorant space hogs. Puh-leese, people. Wheels first. It’s simple.
- Ban people who stuff all of their carry-on items into the overhead bin without using any under-seat storage (space hogs, type 2). Purses and little shopping bags are notorious space wasters up there — and rob space from others who actually need it.
- Ban anyone in Y who reclines their seat . . . at least without looking behind them first to check for a tall person. (If you want to crush my knees, please at least have the decency to ask first — rather than just ram your seat down)
- Ban elite level frequent flier members who rush up to the gate as soon as the pre-board annoucement starts . . . all-too-frequently cutting off little old ladies and wheelchair passengers who actually need pre-board assistance. (I’ve seen this way too many times, and I’ve felt embarassed for these morons. They’re like George Costanza fleeing from the birthday party in “The Fire” episode of Seinfeld).
Finally – in those places with post-security ’smoking lounges’ – anyone who has smoked before getting on the plane. You stink like an ashtray, and your fellow passengers don’t want to smell you while we ride together in the tiny little closed-circulation metal tube to our destination.
BAN ‘EM ALL!!! Whew. I feel better now.
I think that babies should be banned. Banbabies.org is a great sight for those not willing to give into the pressure of society.
Babies are just not for everyone. Think about it first…is this what you really want???
First off, I think using the term “inflict your children on…” is just plain rude to begin with! Children are not a curse to be inflicted on anyone. They are children, plain and simple. And as for ‘banning’ them…that is something you do with dogs and disgusting cigarrettes that affect everyone’s health, it is not something you do to a child. how would any of us feel to be banned from flying just because you are what you are?
Second, some of us with young babies/toddlers etc, have no choice but to travel…we for example had to make a trip to the USA to visit my in-laws as they wanted to meet our children…would those who complain of kids on a plane rather that grandparents never got to see their grandchildren, and consequently thier own son/daughter until the child was 16 simply because some selfish morons on a flight can’t handle a little kid?
Thirdly, I think these people ought to go through a ‘class’ of their own, being given a doll that will act like a real baby/toddler the entire flight, and then ask them at the end of the flight how easy they found it to keep the baby/toddler/child quiet and entertained the whole way without driving the other passengers nuts? It is almost impossible, I can tell you.
Some of us parents actually do try everything we can think of to keep the child from fussing, and let me tell you, glares and snarky comments and complaints from passengers who are equally as whiny as the baby most of the time, do not help the stressed out parents. We’re already stressed out enough trying to calm our baby/toddler/child down, we don’t need you hammering on us too!
As for the complaints that the air stewards/stewardesses do nothing about your so-called problem, they seem to be the only one’s who are mature enough to understand that babies are babies, their only form of communication is to cry.
The plane is a hot, stuffy, confined and frankly most unpleasant space to be stuck in for such long hours…crying babies/toddlers etc are only expressing what everyone is thinking.
I agree chrildren are “children”. However, it is the PARENTS that have turned some into brats. In these cases, one must firmly confront the parents, as I have done.
Parents, in general, are growing more anti-social by the day. Lots of parents seem to think their children are priviledged when it comes to producing noise, harrassing people and breaking someone else’s property. Just because they are still very young, they can get away with murder.
Respect is not a one way street. You’ll have to earn it, in order to receive it. I don’t care how natural the behavior of children or babies is on planes. I don’t care about the stresses of parenthood, the short attention spans or whatever might cause children to act like little hooligans. The behaviors described in this essay are unfortunately quite common and totally unacceptable. Condoning bad behavior of hyperactive children is totally unacceptable as well and, quite literally, savage. Ask yourselves a question: would you pay a $300 ticket if you knew a huge, smelly labrador retriever would be sitting next to you, drooling on your fine clothes and howling for two hours straight? We pay for service, too. I don’t take no for an answer. If your child dares to run wild in my row, or kick me in the back of my seat, or holler and scream for hours, I WILL file formal complaints and I WILL address the problem over and OVER again to the crew until the problem will be dealt with.
I absolutely think their should be a ’small children section’ on airplanes for babies and toddlers and their ‘handlers’. I for one am sick and tired of being a ‘nanny’ not only to children, but their incompetent, lazy and uncreative parents.
I have my rights. I am a customer and I have bought a product. I did not buy my ticket in order to be harassed, attacked, verbally abused or otherwise disturbed by small children or their defensive parents. I don’t see how a bunch of out-of-control children on an airplane qualify any differently from a drunk, for instance: they are both noisy, annoying and in your face. I for one hate being confronted by either. I just want to be able to travel in some relative peace.
I don’t feel the need to excuse myself for my opinions at all. I don’t hate children, I do hate their behavior on busses, trains and airplanes and the general lack of parenting that seems to be the latest trend among my age group.
A wake-up call wouldn’t hurt.
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