Originally Posted by
CarolynUK
it was churlish of the aisle passenger to actively discourage the mother from using the seat - after all - its impossible for someone with a child on their lap to use their tray table or get to the overhead or even under the seat in front of them if supplies were needed.
Most reasonable people would have had some consideration for the comfort of both the mother and the child
I agree that neither party in this equation has more "entitlement" than the other (in fact, neither are entitled at all.
However, to address the quote above, if the parent wants to access the overhead bin, use the seatback tray, or any of the rest, they need to plan accordingly and buy a seat for the child.
I am saying this as the parent of two little ones myself, one of whom is still lap-sitting age, and NOT as a disgruntled non-parent passenger.
I have read lately (on my online mom forums) of a lot of airlines forbidding parents from bringing car seats into the cabin if they haven't purchased a seat for their child, and I fully support this.
It's no different from buying a class of service in the plane. If you want comfort, you're going to have to pay for it and not look for a free lunch at the expense of others.
You can't blame the aisle passenger from seeking to avoid having a small child sit next to him. Honestly, I won't tolerate a bunch of crap from a non-paying passenger, either. We all know that we roll the dice as to who our seatmates are going to be every time we fly, but to be imposed upon by someone who isn't even paying isn't part of my equation.