sobore

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/pa...-flights-66459

For many people, it is the second biggest fear of flying: sitting next to a screaming, kicking, uncontrollable child.
Particularly if that child isn't theirs.
Next to landing hastily on something other than a runway, sharing the cabin with a fussy toddler is about the worst luck many travelers can imagine. And as the economy and security regulations conspire to squeeze the comforts out of air travel -- lines are long, flights are full and increasingly devoid of amenities -- the sound of a baby's wail can be the breaking point for already frayed nerves.

ajax

And not a moment too soon...

squatch

asinine idea

sobore

Yes, everyone knows the second biggest fear of flying is the airline running out of booze!

LAX

No, at least not in the US. It's groping/naked camera courtesy of the TSA.

LAX

for privacy

Ok so you have to be seen naked or groped to fly

no kids

what's next? No obese people, no people from the middle east, etc, etc

It's a slippery slope. Don't let the TSA get away with this!

Rebelyell

Absolutely, unless they buy two seats!

dcutcher

I would imagine some pax would willingly pay "a surcharge" to be guaranteed a child-free experience.
How much that would be I have no idea, and it might be difficult for the carrier to foreknow which fare-paying pax would NOT be an offending entity, and thus to know which flights could accommodate the surcharge.
For all the international flying I do, I might be one of those willing to pony up a bit more for the sake of NOT having my earplugs challenged

david-alexis

I believe in Karma when it comes to babies/kids in planes. I am sure of the people complaining so much about kids on flights at least some might have been the worst "screaming and kicking" kid 20-60 years ago...

jiejie

Where can I buy my ticket?

Oh, and above poster--you'd be wrong in my case on that karma theory. My parents did not fly with me until age 2, and after that, simply didn't allow any fussing to occur. It just wasn't allowed, and acting up didn't occur. Seriously. But then, my now-ancient parents were of the era where parents were parents, and not trying to be friends or appeasers. A point which took me a number of years to appreciate.

PTravel

Sign me up, too. I'm probably older than you -- I didn't fly until I was 6 or so and, like you, my parents wouldn't tolerate poor behavior and I KNEW it.

The above poster needs to understand that it's not the children we blame when they create a nuisance -- it's the PARENTS.

david-alexis

Agreed with you guys 100% I was also a great mini-flyer, my parents would have never allowed me to scream and kick, but in the case of a baby is it really the parents fault? sometime you have to fly and take your baby and he might cry the whole flight...I feel bad for the "good" parents as they cannot do anything and try really hard to get the situation to improve and yet you have some passenger that cannot tolerate it.... I tell them to work harder and fly private next time! air transportation is a public transportation even in first class!

marble

Yup, I belong to the young flyer category (started at 6 months) ... we lived in Zambia and we used to fly once or twice a year back to the UK (as well as internal flights). My parents wouldn't have tolerated screaming or playing about and consequently were able to travel with 4 children without problems. The only thing which sticks in my mind is having to use the 'sick bag' on a few occassions ... I don't know why, but I haven't seen anyone use one since reaching my teens. My only other strane childhood flying 'habit' was to mix all my leftovers from the inflight meal into a nutritious drink (sugar, salt, pepper etc) ... not sure why it gave me such pleasure, but I suppose it kept me occupied.

On the flip side, I rarely have flights where kids scream continuously (it's normally the first 20 minutes and then they get bored and fall asleep) and listening to music drowns most of that out anyway. Despite not having kids, there are countless things I'd change on airlines before banning other peoples' kids.

PTravel

Of course. The baby doesn't buy a ticket and board by him or herself -- the parents take the baby on my board. As jiejie and I noted, we were simply not taken on aircraft until we were of an age sufficient to exercise volitional control over our behavior.

Somehow, both of our families managed to survive.

Just because it is public transportation doesn't mean that it's acceptable to impose on and inconvenience other passengers. The best example is the obese flier. Do they have a [commercial] right to fly? Of course they do. Does that excuse the COS who takes half the seat of the adjacent passenger? Of course not.

david-alexis

So if a wife and her are living in the US and are moving back to Europe with their 6 month old baby they should...take a boat to get there so you can travel comfortably?


....


I was about to start arguing this point too, but then a read your first comment again and realized that there was no point trying to argue...

Again work harder and fly private!