The idea is controversial, but gaining traction - set aside a section of the airplane for families with young children. A Skyscanner poll of over 2,000 people reveals that 59% of travelers would like a ‘families only’ section onboard flights, with child-free passengers far more in favor of the idea than parents. Non-parents particularly liked the idea, with 68% voting in favor, however, less than a third of parents surveyed were in agreement.
More details:
Almost 70% “wanted to sit as far away as possible from children.
Almost a quarter of non-parents went one step further saying that they would prefer flights that were free from children altogether.
Of those who were parents themselves, 45% said they didn’t want a families-only section because they didn’t want to sit next to ‘other people’s horrors’ while 24% disagreed with the idea because they felt that people should be able to ‘sit where they liked.’
Just 31% of parents were in favor of the allocated section.
Other suggestions put forward by Skyscanner users to solve the problem of noisy children on flights included: the provision of a baby nursery, only allowing well-behaved children to travel, and on a less sympathetic note, one user said “children should go in the cargo hold.”
Skyscanner PR Manager Mary Porter commented:
“As a relatively new mom myself I can still remember that feeling of dread when you found yourself seated next to a baby on a long flight; however, since regularly flying with my one-year-old, I am much more aware of what a stressful, and often embarrassing, situation it can be for parents.”
What do you think?
I've been bothered by little ones of planes, but have generally found the parents were trying their hardest to calm and care for them.
Have you been bothered by children on flights? Were they truly obnoxious, or just being children - cooped up in a plane (which makes all of us cranky)? And let's not forget discomfort when planes take off and land with ear-popping pressure changes. Were the parents actively trying to comfort their children or ignoring their chaos?
And, do you think a child-free area of the plane is the solution?
Of course, Albuquerque folks flying with or without children use the Sunport to reach their destinations.
Comments
I have been lucky and have never been bothered by children on flights. However, I am very tolerant of children. I am a substitute teacher in an inner city school so anything that happened on a plane with a parent around would pale in comparison to what I face day-to-day.
Man try a 17 hour flight to asia with 2 kids crying constantly the whole time. Stuck in that cattle car with no escape. Anyone can put up with this for a two or three hour flight but for a long distance flight like this it is hell.
I am a professional school teacher, tutor and mentor. I spend 12 hours a day/6 days a week with children and I must say that I am DEFINATELY in favor of a sep. section for families. There is nothing more annoying than having to listen to a bratty, out of control child cry, wine, kick the seat, run up and down the isles and make noise while you are trying to enjoy the start or end of your vacation. I love kids, but spare us the agony. Give them their own section to comiserate!
If parents can't control their little savages, tye should leave them behind. The same people who can't control their children on airplanes also molest grocery stores, theaters, and other places where people congregate.
Some passenger children are perfectly charming -- as they would be anywhere. I once boarded the First Class section of a long trans-Atlantic flight and was mortified to see a couple with four -- count 'em FOUR -- children next to and in front of me. In the row behind me was a woman with one child. As it happens, the solitary child was a screaming nuisance until he collapsed in sleep for the last hour.
Meanwhile, the four children behaved beautifully. I even offered to watch over them so both parents could freshen up before our arrival at JFK. It was a pleasure. So, it can be a matter of how children are taught to behave in public.
I worry that an all-family section could make things worse. If one child starts to get upset and cry, it could set off all the other children around him or her. The other passengers just have to "not sweat the small stuff" and thank their lucky stars that if a child is difficult at least they, the passenger, only have to put up with the noise/inconvenience for that one flight. The parents, on the other hand probably have to put up with it for a lot longer! (I am a parent of 3 by the way)
Sheila O'Connor
http://www.examiner.com/sf-in-san-francisco/marjorie-knoller-murder-conv...
My having to put up with it for just one flight while the parents must put up with it for a lot longer does not justify this at all. The difference is that you CHOSE to become a parent. I have no sympathy for parents who cannot at least try to control their children. My two dogs are more well behaved than most children whom I have met, yet my dogs must ride underneath the seat. Go figure.
Flying has become a nightmare with all the adults who don't know how to behave but why we have to make that worse with someone's squalling, screaming little brat? I'm in favor of flights being posted as "family friendly" or "adults only." Then if you take a "family friendly" flight, bring your earplugs and be prepared. On adults only flights, no one under 18. Parents: your ability to procreate does not grant you special status in the world.
What about over-night flights? I don't see many people looking at those. When you take an overnight flight, and a child wakes you out of a dead sleep, it's incredibly frustrating. Espically if you're part of a tour group, and the next day you have to walk off the plane and onto the streets for the first day of your tour! Not everyone can afford noise-cancelling headphones, earplugs don't block out everything, and medication can only knock you out, not keep you under in the face of a screaming child.
Jay, that is a completely ignorant response only a non-parent, or a parent who has no role in caring for his children, could give. What about the child who is overwhelmed by a new situation or is thrown off their normal schedule? It doesn't always have anything to do with "how children are taught to behave in public." Non parents can't judge, and even parents themselves don't know the whole story behind other peoples' kids.
Kids can't help being kids. Try sitting next to one who thows up in your lap. True story. Ick. Not fun for me, child, or parent. Not a matter of the kid not being taught properly by parent. Just a germ or whatever. Kids are a fact of life. Deal with it.
I agree with Jay- and I do have children. It does depend upon how children are taught to behave. period. Too many children do not know how to act in public because they've never been taught manners, respect, and peace-making skills. You can be overwhelmed and thrown off schedule and still learn and behave appropriately. But then, too often, chaos reigns at home and the child takes it outside. And I don't see the parents doing anything with these children in public either- often, they are trying to disassociate themselves from them. No wonder.
How exactly do you expect an 18-month-old to completely grasp the concept of manners, respect and peace-making? There are 40 -year-old people who don't know how to act in public. I take more issue with miserable, cranky and rude adult passengers, than I do with children.
I definitely agree with Jay. I worked in school-age childcare for many years and with infants and toddlers for almost a year. I can assure there are parents who manage their kids very well and ones who don't. Very young children can react badly to new situations but you as their parent should be able to bring them under control with a little bit of time. Children that have been given the skills to behave in public have been provided these skills by their parents and will use them on a plane too. Yes, any kid can become whiny and annoying when bored. Yes, there are kids that are more active and more of a handful than others. So, to anyone who thinks it's ok to let their kid run wild because "they're bored": Patience is a virtue, one you need to nurture (in your children.) And to anyone who thinks kids should be perfectly behaved and quite all the time: Patience is a virtue, one you need to nurture (within yourself.)
Boy that hit a nerve. I can deal with babies crying because of the air pressure on their ears, but the whiny crying hits a nerve.
We were once on a flight where the kid kept kicking the back of my seat and we had an hour delay on the tarmac. He kept doing it once we were airborne. I asked the parents to control him- they were too busy arguing whose had to deal with him to listen, When I asked the FA to do something, the father went ballistic. I thought we'd have murder at 35,000 feet. My hub about five rows ahead changed seats with me. When we landed, passengers thanked me for standing up to him. If I had seen what he looked like, I might have kept my mouth shut.
Bottom, a plane- especially the all to common regional jets is too confined a space for bad behavior. LOL!
Mixed feelings.
As a parent of a 2 1/2 year old who frequently flies with me, I think this could be beneficial for international or extended flights. I think the area should be like 1st class.....larger seats, more wiggle room, and a bathroom that is infant/child friendly.
But I also think non-parents should be more tolerant. There's a difference between an obnoxious child................they're everywhere, including planes...............and a child who is doing its best to deal with a confined space. Because that's what it is...a tight, confined space.
I also think there should be a separate space for drinkers. A separate space for snorers. A separate space for smelly people. No, I'm just kidding. But still....there are a lot of other nuisances on planes besides children.
Oh, yes....and for the one who said leave the kids behind......Are you stupid? Additionally, sometimes land travel just won't work. Afterall, that is why planes were invented.
But I do think, overall, planes should stop being used as sardine cans to transport as many people as possible in the smallest space. If they took one seat out of a MD-80 (I think that's what it is), they could add a little width to the other four chairs and make the entire experience a bit more comfortable.
The difference between adults and kids is that we're all uncomfortable up there......but kids don't know how to communicate as calmly. And infants can't talk, sooooo.........
But remember the next time you hear an annoyingly loud passenger.........where are HIS parents???
While I am the nice lady that well behaved children have trown up on four times, I have no grude about the incidents that the children could not help. I however really am angry when I have to sit sideways because the seatss are too narrow for a normal large (not fat) man to sit so that he is not in my space. Of couse the really obese should have to pay for two seats. I have no idea how the air line would handle deciding who is the fat invader off my seat. If they have to raise the arm rest to get in the seat, that might be a fair test of the space they take up.
I'm sensing an opportunity for another airline surcharge! ;-) Interesting comments on this one, eh? You've heard about this recent story, no doubt...
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/17/new.mexico.flight.incident/index.html
(I offer the above link, too, as an example of a non-spammy application of Examiner's new links-in-Comments capability.)
I think that they should have children free planes (it should cost more, but it should be an option). I have 2 children & the eldest has great behavior. You could take her anywhere, as long as she hasn't missed a nap or a meal. That little one, however is a monster. I don't like taking this boy anywhere.I can spank him, put him in time-out, or ignore him completely and he would still make every effort to show off his natural behind.
I don't think it's fair to the general public to have to deal with him, especially people who don't have children. Quite frankly, I brought him into to this world, and now he is my responsbility. I have a problem with parents who have bad-a** kids like mine, and won't own up to it. What? Do you think that by NOT calling him trouble, that he won't be? Or maybe, you think that other peoplel won't notice that he's trouble. I feel that by not acknowledging that there is a problem, you can never handle it.
Finally, I believe that the people who have bad-a** kids are the ones against such a great idea. I say put all of their bad-a**' together, let them duke it out, and leave the rest of the world aone!!!
Tranquilizers.
I don't mind being around well-behaved children. (agreeing with Jay) I can also speak from experience because I am the mother of six and grandmother of ten.
I bet there are more stories of obnoxious adults that there are un-ruley children. What about a section for fat people or old farts. How about smelly people or sleepy people? How about just putting a muzzle on everyone. How about charging by weight? If that puts me and the kids in a different section ...fine. I fly with 4 of them and they get all kind of compliments. An occasional crying kid or seat kicker is far outnumbered by obnoxious adults
amen!
I understand how it might be hard for some childless folks to deal with children on an airplane, but I sure agree with those who made comments about all the other types of people that are hard to deal with - much harder than my kids! Smelly, foul-mouthed, way-too-large-for-their-seat, too gabby, eating gross snacks, tapping away on an electronic device, reading porno material, shall I go on??? My kids are very well behaved on airplanes. Why should I be relegated to an area where other people's kids might not be well behaved? I have also witnessed extremely rude behavior on the part of passengers and flight attendants with respect to parents who are doing their best to calm fussy infants and angry toddlers. There is no excuse for that in my book. I think we all need to try harder to get along and help one another. There are far worse crimes than having a kid on an airplane.
i can go the kids but what irratates me most is having to wait to get off plane cause all the people with overhead bags Should let people with out overhead get off first.
No, you don't "need" to drag your children along on a plane. Leave them on the ground until they are old enough to stop kicking seats and lower their voices. If you can't control your kids in the air, or anyplace else, stay home with them and teach them how to act. Don't force us to put up with them trapped in a metal tube for several hours. Noisy, badly-behaved children are one of the major reasons we fly once a year or less. The other is that US domestic airlines treat us all like cattle. We only fly overseas on foreign carriers. That's enough.
Seems we all forget so quickly what it is like to be a child. Small, no one really listens to you, a TON of energy, and to boot you have people you don't know looking at you and staring. Maybe the child is scared, have neverflown before. Or do most adults see children as one person put it " savages" and not people at all. Of course you don't like being trapped in a metal tube what makes you think a child does? We all do what we have to do, I'm sure there is someone out there that can't deal with you, and you are an adult. Enough said.
I think it is the flight attendants should have to address the issue with parents of the children.A child KICKING a seat in front of him/her should not be tolerated. I have been the victim of this many times, until I turned around and asked the parent his or her full name after repeatedly asking the child to stop. The parent wanted to know why. I said because when I go to the doctor for whiplash, My attorney will want to know where to send the bills. ...... THE kid was then controlled.
I also have a problem sitting next to people who don't change a babies diaper for a 7 hr flight crosscountry and the kid stinks horribly, because the parent doesn't want to take the kid to the restroom to change the diaper..." It is just too "cramped" and " It won't leak these are the "good" diapers.... OMG.
spare us. Maybe you are used to your stinky kid but don't inflict it on us.
When I used to fly with my young son, I had a backpack with LOTS of things for him to do, and as he got older, I kept the backpack and just filled it with things age appropriate. YOU know your child/ toddler, do it. IF YOU are paying for the childs seat, then you have the right to a carryon for the child....color books, memory games, cards,there are very small travel games, like put the peg in the matching hole, even a portable dvd player with a favorite kiddie movie, with ear phones,no plugs for the kid... BUT do something instead of get on an airplane and use the excuse your kid is bored...YOU are the parent and you know your child..... HE/ SHE doesn't have to be... YOU do things at home, and maybe a little walk up/down the aisle to the restroom to let the kids legs move.
I think it would be a good idea to group all of the kids together in the back of the plane rather than have them all over the place bothering everyone. As a 75 yr. old papa, who basicly likes kids - preferably reasonably behaved, it would be nice to let the older people sit up closer to the front where they don't have drag their stuff all the way to the back too.
I just came back from a trip with a 2 yr old. I teach my child respect and manners,,However after waking up early and a connection my little one had had enough and she had a few loud outbursts on our last flight (only an hour long) I did the best i could do, books, toys, snacks, Theres only so much you can fit into 1 carry on. The japanese business man in front of us was not happy at all. But as an excellent parent who teaches respect, manners, and discipline i could only do so much to keep my baby calm. I actually like the idea of having a kids section on the plane, but not as a mandatory option though. To Jay and all those who agree with him,It's easy to say what other people should do when you have no kids..And the ones who do have kids than your kids must be mentally or emotionally challenged because a toddler that doesn't act up at least once or twice isn't normal..
Hear here!
Aviation itself is the problem. Weight and cabin width exact a huge fuel penalty. Otherwise, we could have flying cruise ships. I am old enough to remember pre-dereg air travel. It was far more pleasant but out of reach for the average traveler. But most planes flew half-empty, often, and to places and on routes now served mostly by "commuter" jets. And although we had the regular hihacking of planes to Cuba, 911 hadn't been turned into an excuse for flight crews to become Little Hitlers. face facts: if you want to fly 1,000 miles each way on a round-trip ticket for $199.95, this is what you get. You can't strip a whole column of seats out of a 737 or increase the legroom without making the whole thing uneconomic for both the passengers and the airlines. And while an adults-only plane might be an option on routes like NYC-LA, most of the rest of the country doesn't have enough flights now to even think about doing that. Here are your options, if you want to fly commercially: (1) go first-class (very few kids and usually but not always better behaved); (2) get a benzo script from your doc and sedate yourself; (3) lobby for laws that kids have to fly sedated (good luck getting that one implemented).
Shouldn't be hard, thats the problem with the kids today...too much medicine. Can't spank them or even discipline them or you could face charges for emotional or physical abuse. Invent a disease and call it ADHD throw some pills at them and walla..As a former military brat, I flew state to state and international about every 2 years with my 6 siblings. We were very good because we knew if we weren't hell would be paid. Of course back then you could raise your kids properly and not be afraid of a smack on the a** landing you in jail.
Air travel is a big enough pain, with the new safety measures. The last thing I need is a seat kicking/crying child. When you add a deaf/blind parent, oh my god. I'm willing to pay more for a ticket to get away from that. FA's have a big job already, not including babysitter. If you can't control your child, don't get on a plane with non saints. Their the only ones who will put up with you and your brat.
Parent are, of course, usually trying to control their children, and I'm sure many of us would absolutly be embarassed in the same situation. But that doesn't erase the fact the hearing a child cry and being woken out of a dead sleep on an overnight flight, where you need to be up the next day and ready for a full day of walking, is very annoying, incredibly frustrating, and just plain makes you angry. We all understand that you want Jr. to visit his family in where-ever-you're-flying, but just because you've put up with countless sleepless nights with him, doesn't mean that every passanger on the flight wants to. Family-only sections of the plane would save parents embarassment, and spare everyone else a lot of grief. And the parents who say they "didn’t want to sit next to ‘other people’s horrors’ ", shame on them, did you ever consider that everyone else on the plane might consider your little one a 'horror' ? Over all, Family-only sections would be a quieter alternative, and maybe we can put them in the front? I know that parents would often times prefer to get Jr. off the plane as fast as possible, and perhaps that would be a good incentive for parents to choose that section.
agree totally here...very reasonable.
Im thirteen. I really dont want to have to fly with annoying small children. I can understand very small children, but over two or three years old it starts to be a huge pain. At that age, the parents should be able to control their kids. I would hate a family section. It isnt fair to make black people sit in their own section, why should it be okay to make families sit in their own section?
I just returned from an International trip for vacation. I book a first class ticket for the services, food, and mostly, the quiet cabin. I am not rich by most means, but have a modest income. Most people that fly know of the cost of first class air fare. As I boarded and took my big comfy seat, a mother and her 6 to 8 or so old son sat behind me. I knew right there the flight would not be relaxing. As you can imagine, the yelling and the kicking of the seat started as soon as the plane was in the air. Complaining to eithe r the mother of the flight attendand would have done no good, as I knew the answer woud be " they paid for first class just as you did". This, being a major U.S. carrier, should have the fortitude to not allow kids in first/business cabins. Yes, their money is as green as mine, but why disturb 20 or so passengers for the sake of a few extra dollars by allowing this. I would rather have saved my money and booked economy class if I knew this was going to happen
Only if then you also have a "stinky people" section, too fat people section, snoring when sleeping in an upright position people section, a section for people who want to talk your ear off, etc etc. When you fly you just have to realize this IS public transportation. There are lots of ways you can get irritated on a flight. Just deal with it people!!
PS to the anonomous reply right before mine, I have 4 kids under age 8, and have traveled with them in first class (we are not rich either), and they have done wonderfully! I get compliments all the time on how quiet and well behaved the kids are. Kids should NOT be banned from first class.
A family section would probably be best, as there seems to be quite a few people who seem to not even like children in general. Why afflict our children to your negativity. I hope that for every person that hates seeing children on a flight someday has a child that makes others feel the same exact way, so that they can experience the stress of being the parent of a child, whether behaving well or not, that causes people on board to tense up immedately. Thanks, fellow passengers, for making parents and children feel like pariahs.
Excuse those that would like to have a quiet flight with no abuse from an uncontrolled child. Why would we want to spend good money for a flight when we could just sit by you and your kid and bne abused. I can tell that you are one of those that let your kid do as they want and that includes kicking the seat in front . I happen to have had 4 kids, and also have 5 great grandchildren and believe you and me they will not get away with kicking seats at home or on a plane. They are well adjusted kids who know that when their parents say stop that they are not going to be told twice. Even on a plane if you tell a child that when they get off the plane that such and such will happen. If it is a time out or no new toy or whatever, and you as a "good" parent actually follow thru with that punishement ,the kid will behave. I have often offered to hold a screaming baby for the mother and soothe the child and give mom a break and everyone else on the plane a break too. It isn't the infants that people are talking about, it is the toddlers that are not controlled ,who have been allowed to act like animals at home and the older ones that the parents think are sooo cute and "smart" that they think they can do no wrong that people are tired of. I have never heard of people complaining about an infant. I can see which ones are your kids lol If the kids cannot be controlled or are afraid of flying then hire someone to stay with them or start working on their behavior long before having 200 people hate you and your kid.
We don't HAVE children because we don't WANT children, so that will never happen. We don't have the stress of children because we don't want it. Having kids is a CHOICE. A lot of people who have them regret it. Think first, then procreate. Because if you don't, and you produce brats, you will definitely not be popular on a plane or anywhere else.
I have a nearly 2 year old, and I am nervous to take him across country to visit family from California to New York because of these very same people who make comments here. Maybe I WILL take my child on a plane, just so the haters don't get to win. Try to stare down aTHIS mother; you may be surprised when I don't back down to your bitterness and give it back to you.
Woo!
YES! Double yes!! I've sat beside a mother with a boy throwing a temper tantrum for 2 hours straight. ANother time the mother had her child in her lap and let the child kick the back of my seat for 6 hours!!! Why on earth do they put the children on first???? THey are tire and cranky by the time the rest get on board!!! Very unpleasant!!!
Better yet an adults only section. Let the people who are so bothered by kids pay extra to gurantee that they will not have to sit by a child that may bug them. Why should the parents have to pay more when they are not the ones complaining. Also I want to ad that I have never had to deal with this and probably never will since I have no intention of ever getting on a plane.
As both a mother and grandmother and frequent traveler, I can honestly say that I would pay for an "adult only " section. I love children, was a teacher for 20 yrs. Let's face it though, for every child that is an angel with parents that care, there are 5 children that take over the plane and the parents are totally oblivious to the fact. Pay to get away from it , yes please!
Just smack the brat and the stupid parents who think that because they made the choie to grace this planet with their horrid offspring, that everyone needs to deal with it! Nothing aggrivates me more than a screaming kid. Next one I hear is being shoved in to the overhead compartment!
Gosh! Some of you must really not like kids! Remember that you were all one of them at some point.
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