What Do You Think ?

smitty · Post by **smitty** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:19 pm

A screaming child on a plane is kicked off - the Mom demands an apology and gets one plus expenses . Do you think Southwest Airlines handled the issue correctly ? From the LA Times .

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/com ... 9186.story

Plus4 · Post by **Plus4** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 10:09 pm

As a Mother of 4 children (plus4)
and a Granny to several I do know that children cannot be perfect all the time..

and they will act out when one hopes they don't...

Little Adam is 2 years old... 2 year old children are learning at this age or earlier to pee and poop in a toilet ..They also are learning how they should behave in public places...
training children is not always easy ..I gave up potty training my twin sons..Told them their wives could train them...

No one enjoys listening to screaming.. hissy fits and temper tantrums..
You know things adults have at times...

My humble opinion is to give parents and children a break when a child acts out..

I can picture little Adam yelling Go plane Go....

and he wanted his Daddy ..maybe for reassurance for his flight that probably was strange for him.. He probably was excited and apprehensive at the same time...

SmileEh · Post by **SmileEh** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 2:40 pm

I agree with the LA Times... and personally I don't think that anybody should bring a known little screamer onto a plane... sorry but that's how I feel... and yes I have children... I just wouldn't fly with them until I knew they could be reasonable... and another thing that drives me crazy is people that can't keep their children from kicking the back of my airplane seat... last year on my way to Cuba I had to ask the mother at least 5 times during the flight to reframe their child from kicking my seat... she told me that its impossible to keep him from doing that over a course of three hours... I told her that I shouldn't have to put up with it... so she moved her son to her seat and she sat in his... not to smart of a lady as it would now bug the other person sitting beside me... but I didn't care as that was not my travelling partner... I'm just saying that people must use common sense and respect... and they must remember that the couple beside them want a nice start to their vacation... not a headache!

Mandater40 · Post by **Mandater40** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:43 pm

I applaud southwest. Last year coming home from PV there was a baby that cried the ENTIRE 4 hour flight. Not just a cry, but a horrible high pitch scream. Initially I felt sorry for the kid, thinking he may be scared, thinking his ears may be hurting, maybe he was sick... etc etc etc... by the time we got to Saskatoon I was was wondering why such a small child was brought on vacation in the first place, and wishing that there was either a family section on the plane, or that the airlines would offer an adults only flight. Just an opinion, but we all have paid to be there, and if you have small children you must be confident in their behaviour before making the decision to bring them along.

ronald · Post by **ronald** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 7:04 pm

by the time we got to Saskatoon I was was wondering why such a small child was brought on vacation in the first place, and wishing that there was either a family section on the plane

I think that parent should be awful thankful that you can't open the windows in flight.

chrisnick · Post by **chrisnick** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 1:56 am

Tough one. I never took my kids on a holiday I had to fly to when they were young because I was "selfish" and wanted to get away from all that....lol...I have been on several flights with screaming babies and I feel sorry for the parents because as a rule they are trying their best to keep their baby quiet.

I think if the mother would have been a little more apologetic she would had more sympathy.

travelbug_jp · Post by **travelbug_jp** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 4:03 am

I find the older I get the less patience and understanding I have for screaming or out of control little ones.
Joyce

http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/ ... /event.png[/img]

travelbug_jp · Post by **travelbug_jp** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 4:04 am

Rats, why didn't my ticker work?
Joyce

tim25 · Post by **tim25** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 4:12 am

I traveled a lot with my parents when I was a kid. I asked my mom how she coped with a couple of young kids on airplanes.

Her reply?

"One word... GRAVOL."

Don't parents give their kids any drugs other than Ritalin anymore?

TIM

smitty · Post by **smitty** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:24 pm

I think like you Joyce - lucky I have Laurie to keep me under control !

Seegar · Post by **Seegar** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:49 am

If your like me, getting on a plane is like going to the dentist for a root canal. Put a small whiny child on board with me is like getting that root canal with-out any pain killer. I think it should be a rule, anyone flying with small children should have to spring for the drinks while in the air. It might not be the best solution, but it would be a start.

Mandater40 · Post by **Mandater40** » Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:28 pm

travelbug_jp wrote:I find the older I get the less patience and understanding I have for screaming or out of control little ones.
Joyce

http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/ ... /event.png[/img]

I so agree... and in the good old days before smoking was banned in restaurants, I used to request seating in "smoking... no children" area.
There you have it... I am a crotchety old man.. Ha Ha

Youarethere · Post by **Youarethere** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 4:47 pm

I guess you can tell I agree, lol. I had paid extra to sit in first class on my way back from PV in Nov. and a couple with a small baby that cried half the way home was seated there also. Like it wasn't bad enough that I was going home

and then crying baby with the mother and father saying "Awe baby don't cry" in baby talk. I did not pay extra to hear their kid or anybody else for that matter. Next time I WILL say something, I'm tired of being nice. People don't have any respect anymore at all. I feel much better now.

katnsocal · Post by **katnsocal** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 7:00 pm

One trip down to PV my cousin and I had the pleasure of 5 of the brattiest kids (old enough to know better) sitting by us in coach while their mothers sat in first class drinking champagne. First trip up to first class the flight attendant told them, "You need to get your kids under control." Back one of them walked with her champagne class perched in her hand like she owned the plane. "Stop it you guys" and the toddled back to first class. Second trip by the flight attendant and back the other one came, "I don't want to have to come back here again" and off she went. Third time when the "food fight" started one of the kids was winding up to throw and my cousin stood up out of her seat and said in a very loud voice, "Don't even think about it". The whole section of people around us clapped.

Then there was my 6-hours over the ocean flight to Hawaii where Grandma got on the plane with her grandson who was about 11 years old. Granny was drunk before she ever boarded our plane and for 6 hours, we heard the same two sentences over and over and over. "Grandma loves you." "Grandma is so proud of you" intertwined with "Give me another bloody mary." The last hour those two sentences were entwined with "I don't know who is going to pick us up at the airport, Grandpa is mad a me but don't worry I have a key to the house" Insert sentence # 1 and # 2 and then go on to #3, for an hour until we landed. I felt so sorry for the poor kid, you could tell he just wanted to crawl under his seat.

Coming home, we had a lady with a two-year-old and her mom, none of them spoke english, but the kid went between crying and crawling all over our laps and crying and crawling for 6 hours. Come to think about it that was my last trip to Hawaii.

I don't know what is worse, crying babies, bratty kids that should know better or drunk grandmas.

Plus4 · Post by **Plus4** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 11:04 pm

Generally speaking ..as a Society we do not have enough patience or sympathy for Mom's and Dad's who are parenting.. I feel that as a society we need to help and support families..

I bet Adam's Mommy wasn't intent on disturbing anyone ...
Just like the heavy person who squishes you from the seat next to you does not want to disturb you on purpose......
Nor does the bald headed man in front of you (me

) that tilts his seat back so far he is in your lap... Hmmm

or did he...

Adam's Mom just wanted or needed to get somewhere as do most others..

Airlines do not make a promise that all will be nice and quiet and that you will not be disturbed during a flight..
Travel days are not easy for most people even those that have only themselves to think about ..Now try looking after yourself and a little one or 2 and see how your travel day goes...

I kind of like the distractions on a plane..

I agree with seegar's words

getting on a plane is like going to the dentist for a root canal

btw this is Adam and his Mommy ...They are more than welcome to sit in the seats next to me....(Adam acting out or giggling)

rosie · Post by **rosie** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 1:21 am

ear plugs, ipod and a dvd player with movies work for me...

Plus4 · Post by **Plus4** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:44 am

rosie wrote:ear plugs, ipod and a dvd player with movies work for me...

Sounds of Silence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hUy9ePyo6Q

rosie · Post by **rosie** » Mon Dec 14, 2009 4:21 pm

good song, I'll have to download that to my ipod and have it available for my next flight.

katnsocal · Post by **katnsocal** » Mon Dec 14, 2009 5:56 pm

When they make a song you can download that will keep the kid out of your lap, even though you are three seats away, keep kids that know better from having food fights, and keep Grandma sober, I will definitely download that one.

oneistwo · Post by **oneistwo** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:27 am

This is tough. I don't agree that my time in the air is something sacred and shouldn't be desecrated. I just want to get where I'm going.

I have a pretty good tolerance for loud kids (though none at all for getting kicked in the back (or shoved by adults for that matter)). It kinda depends on a couple things. First is what the flight's about. If it's a commuter or shuttle or other short flight and we're going to see Grandma, that's life; quiet or loud, we're all caged together for the flight. What I don't get is why people apparently on vacation take toddlers to PV. There's GOT to be somewhere closer to home where the kids can just play in the sand. They really have no concept of what's going on. I would tell anyone -- if asked -- This isn't your time; wait until they're older.

I've had two kids and only traveled by air a couple times with them. No problems whatsoever. BUT I'm the oldest of 7, and I remember our family vacations were mostly miserable, especially for my mother. My father had unrealistic ideas about how much sounds little kids were allowed to emit, so it was my mother's job to keep us all quiet. It sucked for us and it was certainly worse for her.

So like I said, I don't mind noisy little kids for a while, and as a parent I can kinda tell when a kid is just letting off and will subside in a few.

Perhaps the airlines should have a policy that when they put people off, they automatically issue a voucher or reschedule them for the next flight and maybe by then the kid's worn out. No kid screams forever.

What Do You Think ?

wishes there was adult & family sections on planes

Tolerances

flying

AGREE, AGREE, AGREE!!

Three Trips Come to mind

hmmm....