I salute PTravel for his bold stance. There are too many parents who seem to think they are entitled to let their kids impose on other people.

On the other hand, some travelers have special needs, and if other people acknowledge these needs, then the world is a nicer place. Maybe it's not 'fair' to Mr Aisle Seat, but then, is it 'fair' when I get on public transit, there is a sign asking me to give my seat to elderly or disabled people? I'm sure they haven't paid any additional money for the preferential treatment... but if I were to sit in my seat while they stood up, I would be wrong, pure and simple.

I think the logical solution would have been for the parent to call the flight attendant over. There is no doubt in my mind that (right or wrong) had the parent had asked, the flight attendant would have instructed Mr. Aisle Seat that the lap child had first call on the middle seat.

Now if Mr Aisle Seat was indeed a Person of Size, I wonder what the verdict would be... who has a stronger presumption of occupying the middle seat? Entitled fat person or entitled parent? :D

The difference between this and the lap infant issue is two-fold:

1. Although they didn't pay extra, the elderly and pregnant DID pay at all, unlike the lap infant, so at thoes people have a dog in the fight, so to speak. They are getting something for something, wheras the lap infant is getting something for nothing, so it's not the same.

2. The elderly and pregnant aren't in that condition by their own choosing (well pregnant, yes, generally that's a choice, but you know what I mean... it's a medical state). The parent with the lap infant was just being cheap and shouldn't be rewarded for it. The elderly and pregnant have special needs. A lap infant is not a "need."

Here's another issue.

What if the mom bought a seat for the kid, and that seat was the middle seat?

Aisle passenger sits down, believing the middle seat is empty. He spreads out. Mom comes in holding the child, and take her window seat. Aisle passenger refuses to un-spread out under the assumption the middle seat is unsold and empty.

Let's also say the mom figures on holding the child during part of the trip, but wants to be able to put the kid in the seat (WHICH SHE PAID FOR) part of the time. She's polite and doesn't mind if the aisle passenger spreads out a bit into the seat that belongs to a small child, but takes umbrage at the aisle passenger refusing to let the kid occupy the seat at all.

This scenario may not be true in every lap child case, but if any of you find yourself in that situation (aisle passenger, window seat with parent and lap child), you might bear in mind that an assumption that the middle seat is as much yours as theirs could be a bad assumption.

Personally, in the OP scenario where the middle seat is unsold to anyone, it would be just common courtesy to share the space. After all, if only two adult passengers shared the area with an empty middle seat between them, that space would be shared by books, purses, use of tray table for drinks, armrest up for extra butt space, etc.

Most parents are typically younger and haven't quite built up the financial footing that most older and wealthier folks have. So I do have sympathy for parents because most are starting out in life.

I can't blame parents trying to manage raising kids on a budget and trying to save a dollar here or there. If a middle seat is empty, why not let them take advantage of it?

Your post is truly indicative of a "me me me" mentality. Sad, really.

If I can help someone else out without an inconvenience from me, I try to do it, irregardless of their motives or wealth or money in their wallet. You're not subsidizing anyone when a middle seat is empty. You don't pay any more for your ticket.

This line of thinking is truly sad and pathetic. It's why most Americans seem to be cold, uncaring, and snobbish.

Disgusting. You have clearly never been a parent or understand what it's like to be young and have kids.

The parent(s) are not asking for a hand-out. A seat happens to be empty, and between the parent with a child, versus a lone passenger who happens to be on the aisle, it is only common decency to allow the parent or the baby to use the middle seat.

Pure selfishness.

Common courtesy isn't so common, among elite flyers at least. I fly WN, often with lots of family and kids. I don't mind it at all. Kids make my lone business trips seem a lot warmer and family oriented. A lot of Flyertalkers are pure snobs, and many even want to ban kids from planes.

I mean, really how often does this happen? Even on WN flights, where there are more families and lap childs, I have had this happen maybe once in 10 years? I was the aisle passenger, and I gladly let the child sit in the middle seat. My flight was no more unpleasant than any other flight, and I actually enjoyed taking my mind off the boring thoughts of business travel to see a child enjoying her first flight. It was no imposition at all.

Am I the only one who things spreading out my stuff with a 1 year old is a bad idea? It's not like 1 year olds sit still... they play with anything and everything that's next to them...

If you get pleasure out of children, more power to you.

There's something about your desire to call the rest of us who don't enjoy flying with children "snobs" that is more than just a little inappropriate.

Sounds like a complete a$$ to me. The kid is not going to be crowding the armrest or otherwise impinging on the large bottomed aisle seat dude. He is being territorial for the sake of being territorial, IMHO.

I've got two, ages 3 and 9 months, actually.

Edited to add, that part of my opinion comes from having been formerly a frequesnt traveler but MORE from having two small kids. I know how much my 9m old pulls my hair at every available opportunity, grabs everything within the range of her arms, grabs everything and puts it straight in her mouth, and so on. It isn't something anyone else is very likely to be involved in when they aren't required to be.

I love my kids like the dickens, but they are MY kids, and not everyone in the world is a kid person (nor should they be expected to be).

I don't bedgrudge the mother asking to use the seat, and I don't begrudge the guy who didn't want a baby next to them. In reality, they should have shared. However, I entirely reject that the automatic answer is that the kid gets the seat.

Wrong, like the parent who didn't buy a seat for the child? What if the middle seat was occupied and the poor lap child was injured because the parent did not spring for a seat?:confused:

When my kids were young I always bought them a seat, even though it strained my young families budget. I wanted them in an FAA approved seat and strapped in.

(For the record I think the aisle pax was wrong as two left shoes.;))

What does being a parent have to do with it? So, it's hard. It's what you chose. Clearly, you've never been a lawyer or understand what its like to be middle-aged and have legal responsibilities. The difference between us is that I don't expect strangers to be responsible for my choices, and I certainly have no interest in being responsible for yours. If having kids makes it too difficult to fly without demanding special considerations, then either don't have kids or don't fly.

That is exactly what you are asking for. Read your sentence above.

Why is it common decency? I'm still waiting for the entitlement demanders to explain why it's "common decency" to demand entitlements.

Let's see if I've got this straight: You're demanding, as an absolute right (albeit under the guise of "common decency"), entitlement to any open seat that happens to be next to you, and you think those who say, "share" are the selfish ones? I'd suggest you get yourself a mirror.

This isn't an issue. If the mother bought the middle seat ticket as well as her own seat as you said, she can just show the ticket to the aisle person and that's that.

If the aisle person for some bizarre reason decides that she too wants the seat someone else bought, the mother just needs to alert the FA and show the FA the middle seat ticket and the FA instructs the aisle person to get her things off the middle seat. Done.

PTravel, I have no bone to pick with you, on this or any other matter.

I'm suggesting that as the bigger person, and the bigger adult, perhaps it is more mature to allow a younger, weaker person the benefit of a spare seat, one which I as an adult did not pay extra for.

Maybe the parent should have paid for it, but we do not know the economic situation of the parent. Maybe the parent should have never had a kid, but now that the kid is in this world, as an adult I can choose to give it more comfort with minimal disruption to me personally.

If the kid screams and wails and kicks and gets into my space, I'll let the parent know and have him/her switch seats or take the kid back into the lap. But I'll be the bigger, kinder person and afford another human being the use of a middle seat that I never paid for.

Does the other parent / kid have automatic entitlement? Absolutely not. But as an adult who is not self-absorbed, and who can easily block out external distractions with noise cancelling headphones, I don't begrudge giving that middle seat to another needy kid or parent, at all.

We all were kids once. We all have received favors from kind strangers. I choose to be a kind stranger and allow this favor for someone else, especially when I have no right to expect an empty seat next to me to begin with since I didn't purchase an empty seat.

Maybe I'm wrong for expecting people to be kind to others, and to give a little favor when it costs them virtually nothing. Maybe most people here are just hard nosed, unkind, ungracious people. If so, that's so very sad.

Actually, this is an issue, because we don't know whether the child had a ticket or not. We are all assuming for some reason that the child does not.. How about the age of the child? If the child was at least 2, then the child would have had a ticket.

Big Bully up and went and bulldozed the mother and child.. as the weaker sex, maybe she didn't have the heart to make a karfuffle, even though she may have a ticket for the child. Big Bully and the mother should have called an FA and get it sorted out.