Kids on Flights

iamwhoiam · 31-08-2017 02:48PM

Well I would far prefer to be on a plane with a crying cross baby or child than with a gang of foul mouthed disruptive adults . At least the child is a child and cannot help it but being beside an feffing and blinding adult is a nightmare .

rainbow kirby · 31-08-2017 02:49PM

I have a toddler, he's reasonably well behaved on flights and long train trips (Eurostar to Brussels in the morning so we'll see there!) but even then there's still going to be some noise. We tend to pick flights at around naptime if we can even if it costs more (a midday flight is ideal) so that he's more like to take milk during takeoff and just go asleep for most of it. We do travel quite a bit with him but we know his limitations - we know he doesn't handle heat too well so our proper holiday with him this year is 6 days in the north of France in October by ferry!

jmayo · 31-08-2017 02:52PM

iamwhoiam wrote: »

Well I would far prefer to be on a plane with a crying cross baby or child than with a gang of foul mouthed disruptive adults . At least the child is a child and cannot help it but being beside an feffing and blinding adult is a nightmare .

Why does it have to be one or other ?

iamwhoiam · 31-08-2017 02:54PM

jmayo wrote: »

Why does it have to be one or other ?

What do you mean ? it doesnt have to be but if I had a choice I would choose the kid !

kylith · 31-08-2017 03:03PM

What got me a while ago was a post about some lady who encountered a mother with a crying child and who took the child to give the mum a break. The comments were full of praise, but all I could think was; she's damn lucky that the child didn't squirm out of her arms or headbutt a seat as they went past. And what would have happened if this precious bundle had puked on her or ripped out her earrings?

I try show as much compassion for people travelling with kids as possible, but if they're going to be screaming for hours on end well, there's parents who have killed their own children over stuff like that so there's a definite limit to how much you should expect a group of strangers can take.

jmayo · 31-08-2017 03:03PM

iamwhoiam wrote: »

Well I would far prefer to be on a plane with a crying cross baby or child than with a gang of foul mouthed disruptive adults . At least the child is a child and cannot help it but being beside an feffing and blinding adult is a nightmare .

Actually I think in a lot of cases both can help it.
Fair enough a baby or a special needs child may not be able to and probably won't understand what is happening, but from a toddler up they should understand how to behave and their guardians should try to make sure they do not unduly inconvenience other people.

inforfun · 31-08-2017 03:06PM

jmayo wrote: »

I was due to fly in the afternoon approx 1300 and arrive early evening approx 1700.
Lovely.
The week before departure the flight was changed to leave at 1900 and arrive 2300.
There was no way we could fly with three small kids at that time, get a hire car, and travel one hour to accommodation and thus had to change departure to following morning at 0800.
Some people may not have been able to change so may have had to fly at that late time.
If you are flying to Asia you may often depart London late in evening.
If you are returning from states you may leave late in evening and arrive early morning.

That is a very self centered approach.
We are all part of a society and if everyone adopts the "screw you and who gives a fook if you are inconvenienced" then what type of world do we live in.

When you book reasonable times but get bumped to other times, not much you can do. And long haul doesnt work out other than very early or late either, i am aware of that.

But i was talking about a short flight that if you combine 2 airlines, goes 7x a day. I dont think you should be booking the last one of those 7, departing at 2205 when you travel with 3 very young kids as a single mother.
Well, not sure if she was single, she travelled alone with the kids though.

iamwhoiam · 31-08-2017 03:09PM

jmayo wrote: »

Actually I think in a lot of cases both can help it.
Fair enough a baby or a special needs child may not be able to and probably won't understand what is happening, but from a toddler up they should understand how to behave and their guardians should try to make sure they do not unduly inconvenience other people.

I already made that point earlier . My gripe would be the parent or guardian who was not in control of a toddler . I had three kids and from the time they were small we flew every year to see their grandparents . We didn't have a single incident where they were I nuisance . Maybe I was very lucky but mainly it was down to careful planning

kylith · 31-08-2017 03:11PM

jmayo wrote: »

Actually I think in a lot of cases both can help it.
Fair enough a baby or a special needs child may not be able to and probably won't understand what is happening, but from a toddler up they should understand how to behave and their guardians should try to make sure they do not unduly inconvenience other people.

I think anyone who brings a small child on a long haul flight is inconsiderate, both to other passengers and to the child. It's hard enough for adults being stuck on a plane for 8 hours, stuck in their seat, it must be absolute torture for a toddler.

_Dara_ · 31-08-2017 03:31PM

jmayo wrote: »

Actually I think in a lot of cases both can help it.
Fair enough a baby or a special needs child may not be able to and probably won't understand what is happening, but from a toddler up they should understand how to behave and their guardians should try to make sure they do not unduly inconvenience other people.

I don't think anyone would disagree with that. Above toddler age, children should be made to behave. However, the situation described in the OP is an exception.

spookwoman · 31-08-2017 03:35PM

kylith wrote: »

I think anyone who brings a small child on a long haul flight is inconsiderate, both to other passengers and to the child. It's hard enough for adults being stuck on a plane for 8 hours, stuck in their seat, it must be absolute torture for a toddler.

I remember a long haul to Atlanta and a kid in a few compartments back was screaming for hours. I pitied the passengers back there but no way in hell would I have given my seat up.

ceadaoin. · 31-08-2017 03:37PM

kylith wrote: »

I think anyone who brings a small child on a long haul flight is inconsiderate, both to other passengers and to the child. It's hard enough for adults being stuck on a plane for 8 hours, stuck in their seat, it must be absolute torture for a toddler.

I'll think of this next time I'm thinking of bringing my daughter on a trip to Ireland to see my family. I'm so inconsiderate for not cutting them out of our lives completely! If only I had known I was supposed to put the needs of a plane full of strangers first I could have saved a lot of money

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 31-08-2017 03:40PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

I'll think of this next time I'm thinking of bringing my daughter on a trip to Ireland to see my family. I'm so inconsiderate for not cutting them out of our lives completely! If only I had known I was supposed to put the needs of a plane full of strangers first I could have saved a lot of money

Or your child, tbf.

ceadaoin. · 31-08-2017 03:42PM

LexieOnRale wrote: »

Or your child, tbf.

Well we've flown home once or twice a year for the past four years and only once has she cried on the plane. Usually the flight attendants comment on how well behaved she is. She loves going to Ireland and gets so excited to see her nana and grandad, auntie and cousin. That is putting her needs first. personally i hate flying and would prefer not to do it!

pilly · 31-08-2017 03:45PM

ceadaoin. wrote:

Well we've flown home once or twice a year for the past four years and only once has she cried on the plane. Usually the flight attendants comment on how well behaved she is. She loves going to Ireland and gets so excited to see her nana and grandad, auntie and cousin. That is putting her needs first. personally i hate flying and would prefer not to do it!

How old is your child?

kylith · 31-08-2017 03:56PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

I'll think of this next time I'm thinking of bringing my daughter on a trip to Ireland to see my family. I'm so inconsiderate for not cutting them out of our lives completely! If only I had known I was supposed to put the needs of a plane full of strangers first I could have saved a lot of money

Conveniently neglecting to mention that I also consider it unfair on the child, who must be bored out of her mind.

I mean, of course you'd have to cut family completely out of your life. It's not like you could facetime them whenever you like or anything.

ceadaoin. · 31-08-2017 03:58PM

pilly wrote: »

How old is your child?

She is almost 6 now but we've been flying since she was about 18 months with no issues. Can't say I've ever noticed any other screaming kids either during that time

dr.fuzzenstein · 31-08-2017 04:00PM

LexieOnRale wrote: »

If the airline is providing a service to families they need to be equipped to deal with families. A screaming child is more their problem than my problem. Deal with it. Don't put the issue on those who are quite reasonably pissed off

Look, that's cattle class for you. Everyone gets jammed in and that's that.
People are grumpy and don't like other people, especially crammed into a tight space together, there will be people who are loud, drunk, smelly, obnoxious, aggressive, overly jolly, too fat, too thin, wearing loud clothing, taking up your armrest, snoring, well, the list is endless.
If kids are "dealt with", by means of excluding them from airplanes, drugging them or putting them in a cage in the cargo hold, something on the above list will trigger someone else and then either fatty or snory gets kicked off the plane.
That's not going to happen.
So the only solutions, ladies and gentlemen, if you don't like flying with a lot of fat, loud, smelly, obnoxious people is to not fly, fly business or first class or charter your own plane.
Realistically speaking airlines will not add a separate, soundproof compartment with extra restraints that can be flooded with a quickly acting sedative or nerve gas in case of an unruly child. But the development of beaming technology can be a ray of hope to some people.

ceadaoin. · 31-08-2017 04:00PM

kylith wrote: »

Conveniently neglecting to mention that I also consider it unfair on the child, who must be bored out of her mind.

I mean, of course you'd have to cut family completely out of your life. It's not like you could facetime them whenever you like or anything.

She's not bored. There are things to watch on the entertainment system. We bring her tablet, there are movies on our iPads and we bring a couple of kids magazines with stickers and colouring etc. Plus she is asleep for at least a few hours usually.

I'd hardly call FaceTime a valid substitute for a proper relationship with her family.

31-08-2017 04:07PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

I'll think of this next time I'm thinking of bringing my daughter on a trip to Ireland to see my family. I'm so inconsiderate for not cutting them out of our lives completely! If only I had known I was supposed to put the needs of a plane full of strangers first I could have saved a lot of money

Ahhhh, when someone uses the sarcastic tone despite speaking total sense. Always delicious.

LirW · 31-08-2017 04:09PM

While all the people equal flying with kids with neglect or child abuse, I'm the worst of them all and was on two trips already with the little one that's spot on 6 months now. Dear boards, you can shred me to pieces now.
The reason why I did it? My sister is heavily pregnant and going through a very tough time, also to see my granny that has Alzheimer and might not have too long anymore, I wanted to visit her. The other trip was visiting my parents.
She slept through 4/4 flights. My big one was flying god knows how many times already. That's the way it is when you have family sprinkled like fairy dust all over Europe.

Seriously people should be less judgmental.

omagh776 · 31-08-2017 04:11PM

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Realistically speaking airlines will not add a separate, soundproof compartment with extra restraints that can be flooded with a quickly acting sedative or nerve gas in case of an unruly child. But the development of beaming technology can be a ray of hope to some people.

A number of Airlines already do:

https://www.ausbt.com.au/four-no-kids-zone-airlines-putting-business-travellers-first

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/do-you-agree-with-child-free-flights/

*minus the sedative

MarkR · 31-08-2017 04:11PM

omagh776 wrote: »

Why would you subject yourself ,a 3 year old Autistic Child, a 22 months old baby and an 8 year old to a 3 hour flight.

Do people not realise it's a small pressurised metal tube shared with a bunch of strangers with no opportunity to get off.

If theres a risk of this happening would it not be better to travel by personal transport (car) or something with more space (train/ferry) ?

Because the child is a member of the family. Shouldn't be locked away for your convenience. Every day having a kid with autism is a challenge, made worse by people like you. I don't know about this kid, but with my own son, we have to push the limits with him. Dirty looks from others don't bother me. I don't think they bother my son. I know they bother my wife.

For the rest of us, who don't have kids that fit your definition of what should be see and heard, you raise your kids, and I'll raise mine.

the_syco · 31-08-2017 04:43PM

If she was kicking my chair, I'd care. If she kicked it for 1 hour 45 minutes hours, I'd care enough to tell them to stop. Otherwise, my music goes loud, and I ignore the screaming children/adults as best as I can. If the adult is nearby me, I will tell them to shut the fcuk up. If it's a kid, I'll laugh at them (I've an evil laugh).

Am I to assume that because the kid is autistic, that the parents are totally unable to calm them down?

Zubeneschamali · 31-08-2017 04:48PM

kylith wrote: »

I think anyone who brings a small child on a long haul flight is inconsiderate, both to other passengers and to the child.

I just FedEx the kids, easier on everyone.

_Dara_ · 31-08-2017 05:42PM

omagh776 wrote: »

A number of Airlines already do:

https://www.ausbt.com.au/four-no-kids-zone-airlines-putting-business-travellers-first

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/do-you-agree-with-child-free-flights/

*minus the sedative

Good stuff. For extra, I guess. If every airline went that way, that'd be a good step but of course many people wouldn't pony up for it.

dr.fuzzenstein · 31-08-2017 06:16PM

omagh776 wrote: »

A number of Airlines already do:

https://www.ausbt.com.au/four-no-kids-zone-airlines-putting-business-travellers-first

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/do-you-agree-with-child-free-flights/

*minus the sedative

Ah OK. I stand corrected on that one.

MilesMorales1 · 31-08-2017 06:27PM

I was on a flight this morning, I had the window seat and this kid (I'd say about 8 or 9 years old) was next to me and then his dad had the aisle seat and I wanted to slap that kid so hard. He had his iPad out and spent most of the leaning across me elbowing me trying to video the flight through the window all the while guzzling down two bottles of coke.

Winterlong · 31-08-2017 06:38PM

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

I was on a flight this morning, I had the window seat and this kid (I'd say about 8 or 9 years old) was next to me and then his dad had the aisle seat and I wanted to slap that kid so hard. He had his iPad out and spent most of the leaning across me elbowing me trying to video the flight through the window all the while guzzling down two bottles of coke.

See, that is the kind of parent that needs a slap. Don't allow your kid to annoy other people (and lets not even start on the 2 bottles of coke).

This is the kind of kind I like to travel with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng9uwPCqBiw

caniask86 · 31-08-2017 07:51PM

Some of the comments on this thread I can't believe.

I have an autistic son. We fly regularly. He can have meltdowns but always. We do as much prep work as humanly possible and I am sure other parents do too.

Hmm what can be worse than q autistic child on an airplane that has an meltdown?

Inconsiderate people who think they are entitled to everything without realising other people have the right to be there too regardless if they have special needs or not.

Sorry if this is a rant but I deal with this crap every day all day from people who have no decency or acceptance for different people.

Kids on Flights

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