Originally Posted by
rickg523
I think this is an unreasonable position. In case of an emergency requiring evacuation, a parent whose child is 7 rows behind him, is not going to leave the airplane in an orderly fashion. He's going to get his kid and you don't want to be in his way when he's heading upstream. It's a serious safety issue and it should be a regulatory requirement that children under 12 be seated adjacent to a parent.
I agree, it's a safety issue, which is why it is an issue between the parent and the airline, and not the parent and me. I'm not swapping to a less desirable seat because someone wants to engage in discretionary travel with their child. Not MY problem.