berlinflyer

Lesson learned - but only for this particular young man. The reason why people sometimes complain about very young kids/babies in C/F could be found on the very same flight.

Same flight, row 1 on the other side of the aisle: Mother and a baby. At boarding, the nanny carries the infant and all the other hand luggage and then has to put the baby into mummy`s lap after "misses special" feels comfortable in her seat. The nanny then disappears into Y. Mummy looks very familiar to me (german actress). She lets the little baby (about 10-12 months I would guess) do whatever it wants to do, using the amenity kit as a toy and throwing the amenities through the cabin.

About 30 min. after take-off, while the FA´s prepare the meal, mummy decides to change the diaper of the baby - in the cabin!! She sits in front of row 1, places a QR blanket on the floor and starts changing the baby. The smell was not very appetizing....What did she think that the lavatory is for?

After lunch, mummy decides to make a total mess of the cabin by putting everything around her seat (toys, diapers, personal belongings etc.), the FA´s sometimes are close to fall over a toy when doing the drink services.

The baby is just starting to walk, so mummy thinks everybody has to see that. No matter where the infant wants to "go" to, mummy is doing it with him/her. They are walking back and forth between the cabin and the galley numerous times, being in the way of the FA´s all the time.

Before landing in TXL, the infant starts to cry and wants to get off mummy´s lap. Because mummy lets it do whatever it wants to do, the infant now is not very happy with being tied up to seat. So it starts crying louder and louder until mummy finally gives up and opens the seat belt. While being on final approach, she starts to let the baby crawl around the cabin infront of row 1 and even gets out of her seat herself.

The FA`s get mad and tell her to sit down right away. But the infant doesn´t like that idea, so it takes a while for mummy to finally accept this.

After landing, we have to wait a few moments because the gate is not empty yet and there is another plane just being pushed back. The pilot announces only "3-4 minutes of waiting". But hey, too much for "mummy VIP" and "mini VIP". Once again, she opens the seat belt and starts walking around with the infant, making the FA´s really mad.

Sometimes, I wonder what people think....are children allowed to do anything on a plane? I know in this case, it´s the mothers fault, but anyway....

jib71

Reading your story, it struck me as an escalating series of over-reactions -

"What no wine? Don't you realize who I am and what a disgrace it is that you expect me to share space with this mewling, puking infant?" is the opening gambit.

"Oh Mr. Emperor-penguin wants some wine with his pretzles. Let me apologize publicly to the rest of the aircraft for the grand arrogance of his royal highness and put your seatback to the up-tight position please," was the counter-bid from the FA.

"I don't love this airline any more," seems to me like next escalation and I worry that you'll need a relationship therapist to intervene pretty soon...

I'd suggest putting this incident away in a dark place for some time. Take it out and re-examine it in a few weeks - alongside every time that LH served you well - and you will surely find it in your heart to be an LH fan again.

If you fly often with some North American airlines you will be familiar with this drill by now.

flysurfer

As you said yourself at the very end of your post, the complaint should be directed to mummy, not to the toddler.

Plus, I'd also make a distinction between "kid" and "baby". The former are less dependent on their parents and make their own decisions, hence more responsibilty. For the latter, you can always blame the parents, certainly not the baby.

SmilingBoy

So who was it?

SmilingBoy.

behuman

As long as we accept, "they are allowed to do anything" !

From my experience as a hotelier it is sometimes impossible for service providers (waiters, train attendants, FA's etc) to disciplinate parents.

This is particularly true with so called "VIP", people showing off money or having a status with an airline.

I was (and am) always happy if the guest takes the initiative confronting the guest, which is of course unpleasant for him but very efficient. When confronting parents on a plane in a polite but very firm manner I was always applauded by other passengers and made feel comfortable by the grateful crew.

DO NOT ACCEPT, BUT POLITELY CONFRONT!

andre1970

Easier: From LH_Fan to LH_Ban

SleepOverGreenland

Reminds me on a VIP daddy flying with VIP mummy, VIP trainer and nanny in F from FRA to SFO. And Yes, VIP daddy was so proud about his little baby and changed the diaper himself, just behind my seat.

Anyway, that baby was nice almost the entire flight and did not cry. Probably baby was already used to flying due to his parents job.

I had no problem with changing diapers there. If it would have smelt bad, I would have opened the window...

etch5895

I'm pretty kid friendly, so I usually don't mind kids on planes. I guess I've been pretty lucky. Most of the kids I've been exposed to want to laugh and are generally well behaved. I did spend two hours next to a mother with colicy baby on a FRA-CLT flight, but I can understand that.

I do see how it can be very annoying, though, if you don't like kids. Or if you prefer not to spend hours closed up in a long metal tube with them.

Changing in the main cabin? I guess it would depend on whether it was a No. 1 or No. 2...

capetonian

I have been flying with my son for ages in OS C (when they still flew to CPT) starting from an age of 1 1/2 years (mother stayed home). I'll never forget the faces the other PAXe put up (most of them non-rev anyway). At the end no one never heard a tone of him. It was quite funny that I have heard numerous times that they would not have expected the drinking business guy in the seat next to him/her a nuissance but the child (who kept quiet all the time).

On the other hand I had a similar experience as the OP in Y TXL-FRA when the plane was occupied at about 30% but I had a group of Spanish students seated around me. Never understood that one.

In March I had a flight from VIE to ZAG also in Y. There were 2 PAXe in Y and the only other PAX was seated next to me (and she was also a SEN) - so how would that one work out?

flysurfer

LH hoped you would replicate, resulting in new SENs.

ulev

Except that only OS and OU fly VIE-ZAG.

flysurfer

Makes sense. @:-) They need more OS SENs, anyway. Tiny minority.

sentom

which proves just one more time that OS does not care about their SENs at all... unfortunaly i have to fly them all the time... HONs are a different story though i hear...

ulev

And I can assure you that on those Tyrolean flights (like VIE-ZAG and many others) FAs mostly don't even know what HON is. The service in VIE however is quite personal and good, with the exception of the new colors of the lounges of course.

sentom

you are so right!