LapLap

Good for you for actually making a differention!

Sin5Cents

What kind of parent voluntarily subjects their child to this?

I understand this doesn't happen to all children, but if I had a child, and they had a scream attack even once on an airplane... I'd be taking the train home and not flying with them again for a few years.

Their comfort and care would be more important than my leisure and convenience.

jan_az

WEll have you had fun wasting more FT bandwith on this AGAIN ?


Get over it - kids fly. Personally I prefer the crying baby to the obnoxious drunk we all see too much of in Business and FC

LapLap

Try telling a kid they can't go and see their relatives for Xmas because they were in pain the last time they went. The truth is most kids completely forget the pain a day or so after the event (you kind of recall it later as an adult).

Anyway, I though most American men had their groins mutilated as babies for one reason or another. Most parents seem to be able to overlook the comfort of their children relatively easily - the health benefits in this case are certainly debatable.
Even as a three year old, given the choice of a 2.5 hour flight to Spain or a three day trip by car and boat (and I'd get sick on both) I'd go with the ear pain and nosebleeds every time.

goingnow

dchristiva

Circumcision = "groin mutilation"? Going to extremes a bit, aren't you? I can't believe this discussion is really necessary.

Tiki

Interesting-I hadn't considered the ear pressure thing-that just makes the parents seem even worse IMO-not only are they willing to disturb everyone else, they are also willing to put their own "little darlings" through excruciating pain? Charming people!

There are such things as cars for visits to relatives--and planes work in both directions so Granny can fly herself out to visit. Other bratty behaviour is when the kid in the row just in front of you insists on standing on the seat facing you and staring, making faces, drooling. I agree with the person who said parents are used to tuning this stuff out and drift off to sleep--I think we should all feel free to wake them up and insist they control their brats. Why should we just sit back and put up with it while these selfish parents blissfully snooze? I am talking, BTW about long distance flights, not short hops to Florida, Spain, Gold Coast (fill in your geographical location).

And why don't the airlines catch on that there IS a market for a quiet adults only section on an aircraft. I don't care who sits in the back of the plane- I would gladly lug my carry on to the rear if it meant a kid-free zone. Except the toilets are also in the rear so you would have to put the kids in a zone near toilets. It's bad enough the kid travels for half price or 10% for a baby supposedly in paren't lap--though we all know said pParent will try to commandeer the adjacent seat for their kid though they don't want to pay for it. I think airlines should charge DOUBLE for kids considering the amount of trouble they cause!

Tiki

Interesting-I hadn't considered the ear pressure thing-that just makes the parents seem even worse IMO-not only are they willing to disturb everyone else, they are also willing to put their own "little darlings" through excruciating pain? Charming people!

There are such things as cars for visits to relatives--and planes work in both directions so Granny can fly herself out to visit. Other bratty behaviour is when the kid in the row just in front of you insists on standing on the seat facing you and staring, making faces, drooling. I agree with the person who said parents are used to tuning this stuff out and drift off to sleep--I think we should all feel free to wake them up and insist they control their brats. Why should we just sit back and put up with it while these selfish parents blissfully snooze? I am talking, BTW about long distance flights, not short hops to Florida, Spain, Gold Coast (fill in your geographical location).

And why don't the airlines catch on that there IS a market for a quiet adults only section on an aircraft. I don't care who sits in the back of the plane- I would gladly lug my carry on to the rear if it meant a kid-free zone. Except the toilets are also in the rear so you would have to put the kids in a zone near toilets. It's bad enough the kid travels for half price or 10% for a baby supposedly in paren't lap--though we all know said parent will try to commandeer the adjacent seat for their kid though they don't want to pay for it. I think airlines should charge DOUBLE for kids considering the amount of trouble they cause!

Bottom line is: People who have kids should be prepared to make sacrifices for them--the rest of the world shouldn't!

lhj1723

I would not want to be a little child related to Tiki...

GradGirl

I hear a selfish tone: yes, people who have kids make enormous sacrifices, but civility demands many to make smaller sacrifices in all kinds of situations. I'll sacrifice a few seconds to give someone the time, or sacrifice my seat to accomodate a party traveling together, or sacrifice half of my cookies to split them with the grandmother seated next to me. What happened to the community spirit that used to pervade travel? Why do we have to be so nasty to each other?

I've been on plenty of planes with crying babies, but there are worse things about air travel. Like the TSA groping my breasts, for instance.

jan_az

Actually there was an airline here in the US that tried all adult flights - I forget its name because it is out of business :-:

goingnow

catflyer

Don't we have that now? Little rooms at the front and back?

The problem is getting people to take advantage of them...

JS

"There are such things as cars for visits to relatives" ... "I am talking, BTW about long distance flights, not short hops to Florida, Spain, Gold Coast (fill in your geographical location)"

You want me to drive 5,000 miles to visit relatives?

BTW, great-grandma (Mom's side) is in a retirement home and rarely even goes out for lunch in someone else's car. The last flight of her life was about 20 years ago. Grandma and grandpa are getting old, too and will probably not be visiting the kids in my house.

Two years ago I took my kids to Phoenix to visit their great-grandparents (Dad's side) whom they had never visited before. Last year, great-grandma died, and a week later I stood by the side of great-grandpa and watched him die. One of the things he said to me when I arrived at the hospital the previous day was "How are the kids doing?"

If I had followed the asinine advice of staying at home until the kids are old enough to satisfy some whiny strangers, those last hours with my grandfather would have been a bit sadder.

You people who hate children need to do two things: 1) put your money where your mouth is and start your own airline that bans children and 2) sterilize yourself so your hate doesn't propagate into the future.

FWAAA

I agree. My BOSE, combined with some foam ear protectors (if the noise is really loud) and some great music make noisy 12-15 hour flights fly right by.

For a mere $300, I can't figure out why anyone who considers themselves a "frequent flyer" would be without them.

And yes, it must be time for the monthly "leave your kids at home until they are older and definitely don't let kids into J or F" thread.