mherdeg

In fact, if OP had appeared to be biologically male, the arrangement described in this post would not have been allowed on BA, QF, VS, or a few other carriers at various times over the years (the policy is not well documented and changes after occasional lawsuits).

United does not have such a policy.

eng3

Having an annoying pax next to you isnt really anything to complain to UA about. I would complain about the IFE being broken though.
You are also under no obligation to entertain the passenger next to you.

As for the parent and child not sitting together, I am not aware of any rules that require a parent and child to sit together. The minor is not "unaccompanied" since they are indeed traveling together.

LordHamster

I wish I'd thought of that!! Just bought 3 Polaris tickets 1 for wife and 2 for the kids on the same route!. Could have saved 3 GPUs.

RNE

But they won't know you were disturbed by the tot unless you say something. Some travelers might have found the kid adorable. Obviously you did not. Therefore, say something like this in your best Johnny Bravo voice: "Pardon me, air waitress. The boy seated next to me seems to require attention from his parent. I'm doing the best I can, but I'm not his parent. Perhaps you could see to his needs from here on out. Or arrange to have his parent do so."

bocastephen

What's the going rate for professional babysitting services these days? $20/hr? You could have written up an invoice for $240 and handed it to the father rather loudly and demanded payment for your time.

HNLbasedFlyer

What the heck has happened with personal accountability? Jeez, it doesn't matter if the person is 8 or 80 or in between. If the passenger next to is bothering you, do what I do - firmly say, Stop it already! Enough!

Imstevek

The child is no different than an adult, in that everyone belongs to someone. If that someone isn't on the plane, or god forbid, in the same cabin, does it really matter? Why do you assume the problem, child or otherwise will be managed to your liking?

Can we move on!? This feels like YIC or cracking bowls all over again....

bocastephen

Small children are very different from adults, and yes it does matter. I am not an unpaid babysitter, and neither is the OP. If the child sits there silently and doesn't ask for or need anything, great, that's fine - but if they need to be supervised and managed by a stranger because the responsible parent has decided a business class seat is more important, that is not acceptable for either the seatmate or the child and speaks volumes about the parent.

emcampbe

LimeyFlyer

Sounds like not the best flight for you, but be happy that if you did make the kid feel somewhat comfortable, you both got to your destination and life goes on.......

(a) karma hopefully comes back to you
(b) there are probably some folks would have been happy to "adopt": a kid for a few hours who couldn't have kids, and the plus side is you have a kid you can effectively give back after the flight.
(c) yes, if you feel like it, a nice note on the policy that enabled whatever to happen was actually valid, to customer service
(d) you can't control crappy parenting, you can only control how you look after the situation
(e) assuming, as it sounds, you likely made more of a positive impact on that kids life than the parent. That's more than I did today at work.

I'll buy you a beer if I bump into you!

HNLbasedFlyer

Always works for me - when I say it, they don't take it as optional.

It is an 8 year old - why are so many so scared to confront - this isn't like a drunk 300lb linebacker being belligerent.

danielonn

I would have ordered a couple of adult drinks and fall asleep with my noise cancelling headphones with my eyeshades on and call it a night cap literally. If the child bothered my sleep I would have gotten up and talked with the pursuer and work out a solution so that I can get my zzzzzzzzzzzs.

Annalisa12

agree

WineCountryUA

There is no question that seating in separate cabins creates a UCM issue per UA policy in the CoC.

Whether or not the issue is enforced does not change the clear separate cabin statement. One can disagree that statement is needed, but it is there.

ErgoTraveler

Yeah, I would have told a FA about this issue. Call me paranoid, but I would not want to sit next to a unaccompanied juvenile under no circumstances given today's climate. Many parents today think their kid is the next leader of the free world and entitled to everything and all accommodation. I grew up in the sit down, shut up and behave yourself generation. I would be afraid of being accused of something or overstepping a boundary of perceived tolerance. I realize I am in many ways archaic, but still there is decorum and general civility. What parent sits out of sight of the child and expects to monitor them?