Babies and Redeyes
 

I know that everyone has the right to travel on any available flight at a given time of the day, but I personally think that it is rude to bring your baby on a redeye. I just got off a LAX-ATL redeye and there was a baby one row behind me that cried for 30 minutes straight in the middle of the flight. It is hard enough to get decent sleep on this rather short route, but having a screaming baby doesn't help the cause one bit.

I understand that babies need to fly places just like the rest of us, but please, do me/us a favor and take your screaming baby on day flights.

Now I'll try to catch a nap in the B25 skyclub, despite the rather loud morning patrons.

Rant over.

I'm the parent of an infant. Was the parent trying to do something to calm the baby down? Half an hour sounds like a long time unless there was something really wrong with the baby. I often encounter babies on TPAC flights and the parents have no clue how to calm the baby down. Very annoying.

Maybe they didn't have any choice but to take the redeye, such as they were boxed in by an international itinerary or other scheduling problem.

It might be somewhat rude to bring the baby on the redeye assuming they had a choice, but IMO the rudest thing would be to take a baby in BE. I would never do this.

There are plenty of medications on the market that can knock the baby out for the duration, whether day or night flight. Flying parents should make use of them. Don't forget to dose your toddlers, too. ;)

I prefer not to medicate children unless really necessary.

Also once they get to the point where they can communicate, the parents should be teaching them how to behave, not drugging them.

There are plenty of medications on the market that can knock adults out for the duration, too. Personally, I bring along noise cancelling headphones and/or ear plugs whenever I travel.

IMO, as the parent of an infant and a toddler, I think red eyes are probably better because they are normal sleep times. I recently took my family from DTW to SAN for a vacation. I took a day time flight out (which you have to) and the kids slept for an hour on the first leg, and then were very awake on the second, and it was hard to keep them quiet and in one place.

On the red eye on the way back, right after take off, both of them slept all the way from SAN-ATL.

Given the options, as a parent I would rather take them on a red-eye, and as a passenger, I would rather other parents take them on a red-eye.

People will never cease to complain and bad karma should hit them more often. Fly on a private jet if you dont like the idea of sharing the cabin with your fellow human beings.

Thread Alert
 

The new home for this thread is now the TravelBuzz! forum, as the only thing this topic — which is general in nature — has to do with Delta Air Lines is that one specific example that caused the “rant” occurred on a Delta Air Lines flight.

Regards,

Canarsie
Co-Moderator, Delta SkyMiles forum

+1 ^^


Babies exist in the real world. Babies cry. Unless you are in your own private mode of transportation you will encounter the rest of humanity. Get over it.

I was going to post that babies shouldn't be taken on red-eyes, but after reading your post, I kinda see your point (no kids of my own but I have 3 nephews)

+1

If you have to travel long-distance with a baby or toddler, it makes more sense to fly at night, when the chances of the child sleeping for much of the flight are greater than during a daytime flight.

Our daughter-in-law has to return annually from the UK to Australia, for re-certification in her job. This year, she had to take her 15-month old daughter with her.

She reports that the night flights LHR to SYD (with intermediate stops) were much easier (because the child slept much of the time) than the return, mostly daytime, flights.

You simply cannot make a toddler stay in one place for a 14-hour flight. It's much less disruptive for all concerned to choose a night flight.

Uh, no. I'm not "medicating" my children unneccessarily or for others' "convenience".

If you want to take a sleeping pill before flight, have at it.

In a perfect world grandma would live down the street and there would be no reason for a baby to be in an aircraft, but until then pass me the bottle and I will happily drink myself to sleep.

My opinion only, but I think people who bring crying infants on red-eyes for discretionary travel are no different than people who bring crying infants into theaters or fine restaurants, i.e. inconsiderate.

Interesting take and not surprising. I understand your perspective, but disagree. Well, not so much with the theater and fine restaurant part.