Airlines Considering Child-free Zones & Flights

[KittyWampus]

Airline bans babies in 1st class on long-haul jets
Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor June 28, 2011 10:10 AM

Malaysia Airlines, which has banned babies in first-class sections on its Boeing 747-400 jets, also plans to do the same in its Airbus A380 superjumbo jets.

Airline anaging director and chief exexutive Tengku Azmil told the Australian Business Traveller that the carrier has received many complaints about crying infants from first class passengers that they "spend money on 1st class and can't sleep due to crying infants."

snip

Amid rising fuel prices and airfares, along with airlines' focus on business travelers, the issue of segregating children on flights or even child-free flights has been receiving more attention. In February, Britain's Daily Mail reported that a number of airlines, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Emirates are being urged by travel specialists to consider child-free zones and flights to accommodate passengers without children.

That report came shortly after the release of a poll in the UK which showed that about 75 percent of business passengers found children on planes "irritating." The survey involved 1,000 business-class travelers and was done for the 2011 Business Travel and Meetings trade show.

http://www.boston.com/travel/blog/2011/06/airline_bans_ba.html

[Chakab]

1. Good.

I fly on a regular basis, and I'm sick and tired of listening to crying babies and ill-behaved children.

[mwooldri]

77. Time to bring back Hooters Air !

:hide:

[DemoTex]

2. Hmmmm ..

:popcorn:

[KittyWampus]

4. Couldn't resist. The comment section of the Globe was pretty predictable.

[virgogal]

3. So the crying babies will be in economy with the peons? Terrific.

[KittyWampus]

5. And that little curtain separating the two classes will TOTALLY block out the noise

:D

[LiberalFighter]

6. If they use it to plug their ears?

[donobry]

19. ...

Previous Post by wimdu

Airlines Considering Child-free Zones & Flights

Airline bans babies in 1st class on long-haul jets
Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor June 28, 2011 10:10 AM

Malaysia Airlines, which has banned babies in first-class sections on its Boeing 747-400 jets, also plans to do the same in its Airbus A380 superjumbo jets.

Airline anaging director and chief exexutive Tengku Azmil told the Australian Business Traveller that the carrier has received many complaints about crying infants from first class passengers that they "spend money on 1st class and can't sleep due to crying infants."

I fully support this idea, not that I can afford to fly first class at the moment, but even in economy, it would be nice to have a separate section, with perhaps a closed door!!

[DemoTex]

8. Many years ago (mid-1970) Southern Airways had a great TV commercial ..

Southern (which merged with North Central => Republic => Northwest => Delta) was an Atlanta based one-class service regional airline flying - mainly - DC-9s. Southern's great ad of the mid-70s showed a man boarding an airliner, having to pass through the 1st class section with champaign flowing, cavier and oysters, and the beautiful people, to get to an eastern-European-style cattle section with the peons and their snotty children, livestock, and other filth. It was the best commercial ever.

Here is that old commercial:

http://youtu.be/5bTO2iJJjbU

[locahungaria]

49. Thank you for posting that commercial!

You're right, that's got to be the best commercial ever!

I gotta bookmark that one!
:rofl:

[virgogal]

74. Best laugh of the day.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

128. Class segregation being advertised as a bad thing. Ahhh, good times. -nt

[Dulcinea]

131. I'd pay for a gum-free flight.

There is NOTHING more annoying than having to hear someone pop, crack & smack gum. I hate that worse than crying babies.

And I'll take kids over a plane full of senior citizens. Heaven help you if you need to use the bathroom.

[Bill McBlueState]

7. I would also like to see

Douchebag-free zones and flights. Loudmouthed douchebags are about as annoying as babies. Maybe even more so, since they should know better.

An international symbol for douchebag-free could be amusing.

[LadyHawkAZ]

9. Why not just put a cone of silence over each seat?

I'd pay the extra for that flight. :)

[Yavin4]

126. Then They'll Charge You For The Air In Your Cone n/t

[Blue_Tires]

10. It's not a shock to see airlines consider this...

1. This is a service that their most frequent customers have increasingly demanded...

2. The business crowd will gladly pay a premium for it, which means more revenue...

[Anakin Skywalker]

11. Rich people don't like babies? Do the pro-life fundies know about this?

[teenagebambam]

12. Babies cry. Get over it.

[Silent3]

13. Milk spoils. Drink it.

Bread gets moldy. Eat it.
Cuts bleed. Why bandage them?

What kind of ridiculous reasoning is it that because an unpleasant thing is inevitable it's somehow wrong to want to take simple steps to avoid mitigate that unpleasantness?

[Behind the Aegis]

23. Great response!

:thumbsup:

[distantearlywarning]

27. Totally agree! Thanks for injecting some sense into that argument.

[Imajika]

33. Completely agree...

As someone who has to fly frequently, there is almost nothing worse than having to sit near screaming babies. I'd pay extra to be able to sit as far away from them as possible.

I've had some 13 hour Dulles to Narita flights wrecked by out of control babies/kids endlessly crying and wailing the whole way. I don't know what is more annoying, the actual baby hollering or the parents who can't seem to control their children.

[WatsonT]

29. Airlines ban crying babies. Get over it.

[awoke_in_2003]

81. and some would gladly...

pay a premium not to hear it.

[WinkyDink]

95. Not in First-Class on some airplanes, they don't.

[kelly1mm]

14. I fully support child free flights/zones. I would pay 25% extra for a child free flight. nt

[Darth_Kitten]

37. I wouldn't pay more.

let the parents pay a bit more. ;) :hide:

[kelly1mm]

43. I like that even better! nt

[Darth_Kitten]

51. I know parents can't help it if the wee ones are suffering....

but I've been on a flight where even the attendant threw up his hands because the parents wouldn't make sure the child was strapped in properly on takeoff. Flight attendant couldn't do anymore.

I kid you not, and then hours of whining and crying...hours.

[RandySF]

15. Things I also find annoying

1. The drunk rock band that sat next to be on the flight from Detroit to Toyko getting up to use the bathroom every few minutes.
2. The lady shouting "help us Jesus" during a spate of turbulence over Colorado.
3. The guy next to us between San Francisco and Detroit who kept asking to borrow my laptop to check his email with the wi-fi service I paid for.
4. How every single passenger who sits in front of me thinks it's perfectly fine to put their seats all the way back, crashing into my knees.
5. The rude service and lost luggage on Air France.
6. Dying to use the bathroom between Tokyo and Hong Kong and not finding a single restroom available during the entire five hours.

[Initech]

16. #4 drives me crazy!!! Especially since I have a big laptop and want to watch movies on the plane.

[Lordquinton]

18. #2 would make me want to chime in with the deity of my choice

but somehow I think it would leave you in hand cuffs. Asking "Allah deliver us" probably wouldn't be taken so lightly.

[JHB]

48. Lady, if you believe Jesus can help you right now...

...then how come you don't believe he can hear you unless talk very loudly?

Have a little faith!

[GentryDixon]

50. You made me laugh out loud.

Welcome Lordquinton.:hi:

[Lordquinton]

130. Thank you

Been here a while though, don't let the post count fool ya.

[WatsonT]

30. The difference is that adults can be told to shut up and face penalties if they don't

Explain to a 6 month old that if they don't stop crying they will be arrested when you land.

Let me know how that goes.

[MurrayDelph]

34. You left off one that really pissed me off

The guy who is using his tray for his laptop, so he thinks it proper to use YOUR tray for his food and beverage.

[lapislzi]

44. Wow.

I fly fairly often, and it would NEVER occur to me to violate someone's personal space in the manner you have described. Lucky me, I rarely have to deal with space invaders, except the arm-rest hogs, who are just a nuisance. When I get on a plane, I plug in my ear buds and read my book. I use one armrest only, and take careful stock of my seatmate if a stranger to see whether he/she is a chatter or a silent type like myself. I'll make casual conversation if the other person initiates it, but I assume that everyone on a plane is equally uncomfortable and simply trying to pass the time tolerably under less than ideal conditions.

While crying children are an irritation, I actually feel sorry for their parents. Unruly children, on the other hand, annoy me no end.

I wouldn't shell out extra bucks for a child-free flight, though. I try to zone out and just get on with it.

[uppityperson]

61. You left one out. How the passenger behind me shoves against my seatback over and over

when I slightly recline it like I am allowed to. No polite requests asking if I could not recline it, but shove, shove, hit, push, etc.

If you don't want someone in front of you reclining their seat, get a seat where there IS no one in front of you.

[RandySF]

111. Easier said than done

I can't exactly get up and move when I have my family with me. And no one ever seems to "slightly" reline. They seem think it's ok to bring the entire seat back crashing into my knees (I'm 6'4"). So the "shoving" part is a bit unavoidable in my case.

[uppityperson]

112. bulkhead seating is a good answer for you. Occasionally pushing on the back of seat in front

of you happens. I am talking about someone hitting their fist into the back of my seat, or their knee, over and over and over and over.

[Liberal_in_LA]

82. horrible! n/t

[HughBeaumont]

120. #4 SUPER sucks.

I get into heated arguments with pro-recliner motherfuckers who don't get that god-damnit, I have ZERO room as it is and you're shitting that up even worse by being a total dick.

[jberryhill]

17. So I guess all that "concern" about the TSA searching kids is just BS

If it was up to folks here, they'd just tell the kids to bugger off at the airport door.

[Silent3]

28. What does concern have to do with it?

Here's a simple two-question survey for you:

1. Choose A or B:
....A: I'd prefer that children not be subjected to invasive searches.
....B: I don't care if children are subjected to invasive searches.

2. Choose A or B:
....A: I'd prefer to have a quiet flight without the sound of crying, screaming children.
....B: I don't care if my flight includes the sound of crying, screaming children.

How exactly is the answer to question #1 linked to the answer to question #2?

If it was up to folks here, they'd just tell the kids to bugger off at the airport door.

You do realize that if airlines had child-free flights that would only necessarily result in a change of where small children flew, on which planes or in which sections of each plane, right?

Do you have any more spurious logic to bring to bear on the subject matter?

[Alcibiades]

138. Actually, no, it's a toe in the door

Sort of like the way they began charging for baggage, the way they began eliminating meals, etc.

It will be old person-free flights next. 14th amendment covers everybody: if it's a legal service, children should have the same right to use it.

Some kids are OK to fly, some not. It's funny, but when you talk about any group here, folks are like "Hey, that's a broad brush you're using." But when folks are irritated at the mere existence of children, suddenly everyone's ready to demonize the next generation.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. Well this does not surprise me

oh and it should not pass constitutional muster, but hey, whatever, it will happen...

And yes I do not have kids, and no, I do not think it is right to do this... as much as little johnny and little susie are at times annoying. When they cry due to ear aches, I get it... now there are kids that are quite not able to behave.. and even with those kids... I am willing to fly in a plane with them on board. I will blame the parents when I curse...

The ones crying over hurting ears, tummies and other annoyances, no, not really. Flying can be painful for even us adults... try flying with a cold...

[MineralMan]

114. I don't believe that Malaysia Airlines is subject to the US Constitution.

Truly, I don't. So, I guess they will do as they please. Other airlines fly the same routes, I believe. Perhaps those who object to this policy will choose to fly on a different airline. :shrug:

[taterguy]

135. What part of the Constitution are they violating?

Really, I'd like to know.

Are the operators of amusement park rides that say you have to be a certain height also unconstitutional?

[JonLP24]

21. I worry more about TSA

than crying babies. Ears pop, I can deal with that.

[Behind the Aegis]

22. Awesome!

[Ohio Joe]

24. When I used to travel a lot I would have loved this

I hated being next to kids on flights.

[Behind the Aegis]

25. Especially those smoking, Olive Garden eatin' , circumcised dick-waving ones!

:evilgrin:

[WatsonT]

31. What airlines do you use?

I need to remember to never fly on it.

[awoke_in_2003]

85. I don't know...

you get dinner, a show, and an after meal smoke :)

[awoke_in_2003]

84. Ooh, I am 2 out of three...

I will leave which ones to imagination :)

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dembotoz]

32. sometimes you need to move a child from point a to point b

they bought a seat
don't see kiddy prices and seats.

to travel with children is awful enough
lets not make it even worse.

[Lance_Boyle]

38. The 'kiddy price' seat is FREE

Small children are permitted to travel on a parent's lap for FREE. The child-free zones could easily be funded by charging parents to bring their screamers onto the plane in the first place.

[dembotoz]

47. have not had a kid that small in quite a few years

that did not occur to me

[mwooldri]

73. Kiddy price seat is not free.

To qualify for the "free" travel, the child needs to be under 2 years old. Taxes and fees also have to be paid for the infant to travel in the parent's lap, so it's not "free". Also any rational parent(s) would consider the length of the flight involved. A short flight may be OK; Transatlantic - no way. My family and I took one trip when my eldest son was an infant. We purchased the seat for him, but he didn't want the seat or the car seat at all - it was sleep on mother all the way there and all the way back.

Child free flights are already available. Security checks are also less intrusive I hear too. Also I hear the service is unbeatable. They call them private jets.

[Lance_Boyle]

96. Maybe the private jets ought to be for the children

leave the commercial air to those who pay for their seats. Enjoy the free ride while it lasts.

[gkhouston]

134. We always bought a seat for the munchkin, and were limited

as to which flights we could take--many airplanes have seats too narrow to accommodate safety seats (and ours was one of the narrower models). Both of the times we flew overseas, we had a seat for our daughter, but she'd only sleep on me.

[WatsonT]

40. "to travel with children is awful enough"

To travel with someone elses kid is worse.

[stubtoe]

72. +1

[Atman]

35. Try flying to/from Orlando on a child-free flight.

I grew up in Florida, and my wife and I still have lots of family down there, so we fly home often. There is no such thing as a "child-free" flight to Orlando. We call it the "Mickey Mouse Express." It's a relatively short (2 1/2 - 3 hour) flight from Connecticut to O'ville, and it's cheap. But the flights are ALWAYS packed with a million runny-nosed screaming rug-rats. And we almost always get sick about a few days after we get home. I would pay twice the ticket price for a smaller plane with no children on it.

.

[Silent3]

36. That's odd. I used to fly to Orlando fairly often...

...once or twice a year because I had family not far from Orlando (mostly moved to Ohio now). I flew Southwest because they were the only airline with non-stops from the very convenient nearby airport in Manchester, NH, the airport I always try to use to avoid flying out of Boston.

I'm certainly no big fan of the noise of screaming, crying, fussing, obnoxious kids. I certainly had to deal with that noise from time to time. But I don't remember the problem being especially worse or more frequent on those flights.

[Atman]

42. We try to fly out of Providence instead of Hartford.

Providence is farther away, but it's a nicer airport and Southwest's fairs are always cheaper from there. The flight down isn't usually a problem, but the flights home are alway -- always -- filled with screaming kids in Mickey Mouse hats.

[Silent3]

65. Maybe New Hampshire just has better-behaved kids.

Or maybe I've just been lucky. ;)

[stubtoe]

39. child-free zones and flights to accommodate passengers without children

Wow, what a concept! Accommodating we the child-free!

I really do like the idea of child-free zones and especially child-free flights. On a long flight, this would make all the difference.

[Darth_Kitten]

52. It would save on medication, that's for sure.

:evilgrin:

[lapislzi]

59. Revising my earlier position...

I might consider paying extra for a child-free flight for a very long haul OR if I ever had the means to afford first class. Since #2 is never going to happen, I'll be stuck in the cattle car with the kiddies should the hubby and I ever decide to take that trip to Bora Bora. Oh, well. There are worse things than suffering through a few hours of kid stuff on the way to paradise. On the other hand, I can understand business travelers who use flight time for sleep and work to be annoyed by noisy children.

[awoke_in_2003]

86. If I ever win the lottery...

I am opening up a child and cell phone free restaurant. And if you are a loud mouth adult, you get an unceremonious kick in the ass, too.

[Name removed]

41. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Fumesucker]

45. Great, now they'll have flights for those who were never children..

:evilgrin:

[Darth_Kitten]

54. I never got to fly anywhere as a child.

:(

[Fumesucker]

67. Me neither..

I guess it's our fault for choosing the wrong parents.

:hi:

[Darth_Kitten]

115. Actually, the first time my Mom got in a plane, I paid for the trip!

She was a single Mom, so no Disneyland trips, etc, for me as a kid.

She was so cute being in a plane for the first time (over 60 years old) I brought an extra pair of headphones to distract her. :rofl:

[blueamy66]

118. I flew everywhere, as my Dad was an AA employee.

As non-revs, we had to dress up...dresses and stockings for me and a shirt, tie and jacket for my brother. We were on our best behavior, as our parents PARENTED us. If we misbehaved, our free flight privileges could have been "yanked".

Yep, I even got to fly in First Class all the time. There was no crying, we ate what we were served, we sAT quietly and read or played.....what the fuck has happened to PARENTING????

We chewed gum to prevent the ear issues and thanked whomever for the chance to fly so much.

PARENT PEOPLE.

[jberryhill]

46. Unusually overweight people bother me more than children ever have

Last week, I had a 15 hour flight from Chicago to Hong Kong (United flight 895).

I ended up standing in the back of the plane for several hours because I simply could not occupy the remaining half of my seat after:

1. Some 300 pounder did not buy an extra seat and expected he would be re-seated next to one, and

2. It was a full flight.

Sorry, buddy, but if you want an empty seat next to you, you BUY one.

The best - the absolute BEST - thing about this guy... He was wearing a short sleeved shirt and had open sores on his left arm (the one that he felt I would enjoy having in my ribs for 15 hours).

And, yes I perfectly realize that the seats are pretty small as it is, and that this guy probably can't help his condition, but that is NO DIFFERENT from the children who cannot change their age either, and who folks want to banish from planes.

If we're going to do children up this way (and kids on planes don't bother me - I know I'm unusual in that regard), then I sincerely hope the overweight are next.

[badtoworse]

55. I thought some airlines required such a passenger to buy 2 seats

I guess United isn't one of them.

[jberryhill]

57. The FA said the gate agent must have screwed up....

...and let me ride in a jump seat for a good part of the flight.

Damndest experience I ever had on a flight - I didn't have a seat.

[CTyankee]

70. I go to Europe yearly and one nice thing is that there aren't usually

any obese people on them. However, I don't fly to Scandinavia so I could be talking about just France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. I'm going to Holland in October and am wondering if the Dutch have a tendency be heavier...

[awoke_in_2003]

87. "wondering if the Dutch have a tendency be heavier"...

not in my experience.

[CTyankee]

101. In researching the typical diet of the Dutch I see lots of sausage and potatoes, washed down

with beer (and some raw fish). So I wondered whether they had weight issues as a result...

[awoke_in_2003]

106. A company I worked for...

was owned by a Dutch firm. While their diet is like you say, they also tend to be more physically active. When I was over there, I think there were more bikes than cars in the parking lot.

[CTyankee]

108. Yes, I have heard about the Dutch and their bikes!

We need more of that over here!

[jberryhill]

92. Uh... you think they are fat in Hong Kong?

Europeans have nothing on Asians in the "compact size" department, but the destination of the flight has nothing to do with whether a fat American is going too.

[CTyankee]

100. I can't recall seeing a truly obese American on my European flights and

I do see them on domestic flights. Do only non-obese (not necessarily thin) Americans go to Europe? I find that an odd conclusion...but perhaps mobility issues play into this. It might not be easy on obese Americans to navigate around European cities, especially ones that limit auto traffic such as a city like Florence. You can just get around better by walking. In Paris, of course, you have the Metro but you have to be super mobile to navigate that (plus one to two flights of stairs down and up in stations). Just a thought...

[cherokeeprogressive]

89. Don't forget people with Tourettes.

[bluestateguy]

97. Some airlines have tried to make them buy a second seat

(assuming the flight was full)

and like clockwork, they got sued.

[jberryhill]

110. Good thing kids don't sue.. The fat adults need to find another way to travel

And that is why we can do just about anything to children.

[Shagbark Hickory]

53. Put the crying babies and their parents in the cargo hold. nt

[TBF]

113. Well, not quite, but as a parent I would advocate that families be in a section together -

and they might even put some toys and little tables in that section to keep the kids occupied. Even when my daughter was a baby we would buy the 3 seats across & put her in a car seat in the middle (they fall asleep easier that way because they are used to sleeping in their car seats). I don't believe in the "carry them in your lap" business - unsafe and pisses off the people around you.

[Odin2005]

117. What a horrible thing to post. NOT funny.

[stuntcat]

56. nice. I'm hoping for a day I can live in a child-free neighborhood, or even a whole childfree town.

I mean it. The selfishness of my fecund neighbors is helping turn me against them all.

[mwooldri]

76. Who is going to take care of the aged later on?

No kids? I guess the town's population would go extinct - assuming no one else moved in.

[Pool Hall Ace]

80. It's a big assumption that no one else would move in.

Somewhere out there are children who are looking forward to growing up and living in a childfree neighborhood. I know, because I used to be one of those children.

[REP]

107. I don't know about you, but I filled my Bingo card and started a new one with this thread!

Weird thing is that the people with kids who aren't posting are usually the parents who have well-behaved kids that nobody minds being around.

[FLPanhandle]

58. I support this fully.

As a business traveler trying to get work done, prepare for a meeting, or grab a nap before working, a child crying has a big impact.

[jberryhill]

62. And what makes you more important?

You know what I do?

Fly in the night before and sleep in a hotel room.

[FLPanhandle]

64. Nice, if schedules permit.

Most of my Europe trips don't allow that luxury. Usually, I land, go to the hotel for a quick shower and off to work with whatever sleep I can get on the plane.

I'll just ignore the silly "what make you more important?" comment.

As for why I support no babies in first class or business class, people pay 3 times or many times more for those seats. The reason for paying a premium price is to have a better travel experience. If a screaming baby does not allow you better travel experience, then why pay the premium?

[jberryhill]

66. I happen to be one of "those people who pay more"

And I find it astounding that any human considers themselves somehow more entitled to something for which they've paid the same price as anyone else.

Last year I put in three European trips, one Asian one, and Kenya of all places, and this year is shaping up to be about the same.

I have never had a child be as much of a nuisance as MANY of the adults onboard.

The calendar has 365 days a year in it. Use one of those to go the night before. It's even cheaper than upgrading an unrestricted coach fare.

If the rest of the world is not conforming to your schedule, that's really just too bad for you then.

You can even get a free shower at the Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt, but I sincerely doubt you are checking in anywhere before 11 AM.

[FLPanhandle]

68. You missed the point obviously.

"I find it astounding that any human considers themselves somehow more entitled to something for which they've paid the same price as anyone else." I am not paying the same price as anyone else, I'm paying much more. Why shouldn't I expect more?

You are also one of "those people who pay more". If you don't feel you are more entitled to something (bigger seat, better food, free drinks, quieter space, etc), then why are you paying more?

Bottom line, you DO expect more that's why you are paying the premium. If babies screaming don't bother you, great for you. Your mistake is assuming that everyone feels the same as you do. Obviously, you are wrong with that assumption.

[jberryhill]

69. I do not assume everyone else feels the same as I do

Nor do I expect others to conform to my idea of convenience. Unlike others here.

It's the whiny adults on flights that drive me batty.

Like I said upthread, I was on a 15 hour flight to Hong Kong last week. Plenty of kids with no problems. The huge fat slob next to me - major problem.

[FLPanhandle]

71. Not everyone is you.

Airlines are running a business, if a high majority of their business class passengers feel that a screaming baby is negating the premium price the airline charges, then the business is going to listen.

You don't mind noisy babies, but you are in the small minority otherwise the airlines wouldn't be considering this.

[jberryhill]

91. Yeah, and if a majority doesn't like blacks, gays, whatever...

Thank you, Senator Paul.

[FLPanhandle]

94. Oh jeez..

Weak my friend, very weak.

[jberryhill]

102. Yes, and children are among the weakest

[FLPanhandle]

109. Think of the children!

:rofl:

[zappaman]

60. a child free flight?

Where do I sign up!?

[ScreamingMeemie]

63. I hope, someday soon, they ban the guy that brings the oversized "carryon"

on board and then puts it in the spot above my seat so that I have to put mine way in the back. :thumbsup:

[Safetykitten]

75. I am going to breast feed my pitbull in a baby outfit on my next flight. And I'm a guy.

[awoke_in_2003]

90. Place a take out order...

at Olive Garden before attempting this.

[awoke_in_2003]

78. If it weren't for the free...

prostrate exams, this would make me willing to fly again.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

79. no!!! !!!!!! !!!!!!!!!! !!!! !!!!!!!!!!

i first posted this as yes!!!! then realized that only the rich will have this privilege

fuck that noise

[BigDemVoter]

83. Sorry if this is offensive. . .

BUT. . . I would pay considerably more $$ to ensure I don't have to sit anywhere near small children on long-haul flights!

All that screaming just drives me CRAZY.

[Liberal_in_LA]

88. Heard a kid having a meltdown in the store recently. Incredibly annoying noise.

Yeah, I know the kid can't help it.

[bluestateguy]

93. I don't really care about this

Bring back complimentary meals, 86 the bag fees and for heaven's sake restore some decent customer service to the flight attendants again like back in the olden days.

[Blue_Tires]

132. and some legroom, too

please?

[Pithlet]

98. Everyone happy about this aren't thinking it through

If this becomes standard practice, you either won't be able to afford it or want to pay the much higher premium or you'll run into the chance won't be able to find seats on it. Then you'll end up on flights and sections with higher concentration of kids. If I were a anti- kit bigot, I absolutely would not want this to happen.

[jberryhill]

103. Lol... no, these folks don't get how airline seating works

And you are absolutely correct about the result.

It's like being the guy seated in the last "non smoking row" back when they had smoking sections.

No airline is going to run with seats empty in the "child section" or vice versa, and that's where the rubber meets the road on this thing.

The blather is generated solely due to Malaysian Air no longer taking children in first class.

In the coach seats, the airlines fill 'em. Period. The equipment utilization factors, price differentiation and the optimization programs run by the airlines translate into fewer empty seats on ANY flight these days.

[Glassunion]

99. 75 percent of business passengers found children on planes "irritating."

I find RW Fundamentalists, Glenn Beck, Fox News, the Phelps', people who chew with their mouth open, people who snore, people who wear brown shoes with a black belt, people who take too large of a carry on, people who don't shut their damn phone off, pirates, pixies, unicorns and fake vomit sales people irritating as well... Can I get my own plane?

[jberryhill]

104. Most business passengers are pretty irritating, too

[Glassunion]

105. I agree.

Would you like the front or the back of the plane?

[Odin2005]

116. Wow, sickening that there are that many child-hating assholes.

[NeedleCast]

121. Hyperbole Man To The Rescue

Because the fact that I don't want to sit next to a screaming, crying child or have the back of my seat used as a punching bag means that I am a child hater.

Only on DU...

[WatsonT]

122. You may find the sound of a child screaming to be music to your ears

the vast majority of humanity does not.

It is cruel to force someone else to suffer because you decided to reproduce.

It has nothing to do with hating children.

[ProfessorGAC]

123. +1

The simple tack of "child hater" is intellectually lazy. Other people's children are not my responsibility. The kids are the responsbility of those who parented them and expecting others to simply tolerate every situation is inequitable.

I like kids. If our's hadn't died at birth, he'd be a college graduate by now. But, nobody in my family ever expected anyone else to tolerate, cheerfully, any of their kids' disruptions.
GAC

[JanMichael]

124. Child hating assholes? Wtf? I was just reading comments by folks

that prefer peaceful, child free flights? What's the big deal? How does that make them "assholes?"

[Romulox]

127. Intolerance is a two way street. nt

[LibDemAlways]

119. As one who has spent many an uncomfortable hour listening to

a screaming child aboard an aircraft, I say go for it. I'd be willing to pay more to sit in a "child free zone." And, don't accuse me of being a child hater, I'm a mom.

[LoZoccolo]

125. Good, first class is not for small children. n/t

[Name removed]

129. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madamesilverspurs]

133. Kids are fine.

But I'd have to cheer if the airlines established "inconsiderate asshole"-free zones. Every time I fly the seat in front of me is occupied by the jerkwad who demands the right to slam his seat back with such force that my drink goes flying and I have no room to read or do anything else. Yes, asshole, you paid good money for your ticket (unlike, apparently, the passengers you abuse with your behavior); but at the very least, a little warning would be much appreciated.

I've played with, read to or cuddled dozens of babies and young children on airplanes; the last thing harried parents need is people bitching at them, and I'd rather help than add to their difficulties. That said, there is no help for dealing with the crude lack of consideration of some adult passengers.


-

[LisaL]

136. I think that's great. I flew recently and the woman next to me

had not one, but two toddlers, one she kept in her lap. That kid kept hitting me with her feet, and both of the kids were screaming and crying the whole time. No escape.

[Buns_of_Fire]

137. After reading this entire thread (yes, I did!), I've come to two conclusions:

(1) I've got way too much time on my hands; and
(2) They ought to sell popcorn in bigger bags.