Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Inattentive parents — those with no control over their crying or naughty kids -- and rear seat kickers, little or big, rank as the two most irritating types of fellow flyers, according to Expedia.com's recently released 2013 Airplane Etiquette Study.
It's one thing to move your legs; another entirely to actually kick the back of the seat in front of you, or press your knees into it hard enough that the person seated there can feel it.
I'd say having to sit beside a person who is so large that they "overflow" into your seat is worse than hearing an upset child or experiencing a kicker.
On a recent flight, the person beside me could not lower the dividing armrest, and had to obtain a seatbelt extension. I was pressed up against the window as far as I could possibly fit and had at least four inches of this person's thigh lapping over mine, not a familiarity I cared to experience. I am of average size or slightly above, and fit easily into my own seat - and seatbelt.
Otherwise, their behavior was impeccable - but they should have been in the larger first-class seats, been required to purchase two regular seats, or if available, been offered a row to themselves. Or actually, I should have been offered that row to myself! As it was, I expect it might have been a little embarrassing for the extremely large person, and it was very uncomfortable for me.
The other extremely irritating fellow passenger would be the person seated in my vicinity, with the terrible cough and/or head cold. I can just feel those germs making their way into my space! I've offered cough drops at times, only to be turned down by the hacking person, who may also fail to adequately cover sneezes, may blow their nose noisily and dispose of the tissue in the seat back pocket (ick!), and so on.
There have been times when I myself have been forced to fly with a cold which developed when I was away from home, but I've always tried to at least control the symptoms and keep my distance from others as much as possible. Would that others would do the same. Kickers, screaming kids, and even large people are only temporary irritants and discomforts - but sick fellow travelers share their illnesses all too frequently, and thus provide very unwanted travel souvenirs.
I'm lucky. When my kid was born, a remote control popped out as well with a "pause", "stop" and "volume control" buttons on it. Much to my surprise, when my kid misbehaves, I just press stop and she does. When she is loud, I simply turn the volume down. There are also buttons labeled cute, funny, and polite. When I press these buttons, she automatically becomes cute, funny, or polite depending on what I'd like at that moment.
I pity those parents whose kids didn't come with remote controls.
Folks, you can deal with kids for a few hours. I sat next to a crying baby one flight. I slept most the flight. Sure I was woken up a couple times but it was no big deal.
Everybody else had to deal with you when you were little, now it is your turn for you to deal with the next generation.
Well sure. I mean of course that's irritating. I don't see the newsworthiness personally.
You can't help it if you have a crying kid necessarily. Certainly not if the child's an infant. But yes it's irritating for everyone, including the parents.
But thank goodness there are decent people that, even though they're irritated, act graciously anyway.
Everybody else had to deal with you when you were little, now it is your turn for you to deal with the next generation.
I disagree. The existence of kids or the fact that they're on the flight isn't the issue--it's the parents that refuse to do everything possible to keep the child quiet and not a disturbance to other passengers. I can still remember the day I yelled in a restaurant at age five. You know why I remember? My dad hauled me out to the parking lot, spanked me, waited there outside until I stopped crying, then took me back inside when I could be calm and appropriate. He was the one who chose to have me, so it was his job to make sure I was appropriate in public--rather than adopt the attitude that everyone else could just suffer because I was such a special snowflake and I had a right to be as bratty and loud as I wanted.
I have zero issue with a situation where the parent is taking every reasonable measure to keep the child quiet and under control--whether or not it's successful. A baby may scream the entire flight even while being rocked. That's no one's fault. But a toddler kicking the seat can certainly be stopped. Their parent should be constantly monitoring so that it doesn't have a chance to happen, redirecting with an apology to the passenger if it does by accident, providing activities, taking the burden on themselves rather than expecting those around them to suffer while they sit blithely by, playing on their phone.
It's one thing to move your legs; another entirely to actually kick the back of the seat in front of you, or press your knees into it hard enough that the person seated there can feel it.
It doesn't take much to feel when someone bumps the back of the seat. I know because I've received some dirty looks and I wasn't doing anything but simply changing the position of my legs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigCreek
I'd say having to sit beside a person who is so large that they "overflow" into your seat is worse. On a recent flight, the person beside me could not lower the dividing armrest, and had to obtain a seatbelt extension. I was pressed up against the window as far as I could possibly fit and had at least four inches of this person's thigh lapping over mine, not a familiarity I cared to experience. I am of average size or slightly above, and fit easily into my own seat - and seatbelt.
I totally agree. I'm slender and I still feel very claustrophobic in an airplane. I would have had a panic attack if that happened to me n a window seat. I get isle seats so I feel I can breath from all of the people surrounding me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigCreek
they should have been in the larger first-class seats
I thought it was funny to see that first class has basically become the overweight class. There wasn't a normal weighted person on any of our last four flights in first class.
I'm suspecting the only way to get through an airplane flight is to take sleeping pills or whatever it takes to knock me out. I'm getting some drugs for my next flight!
Well sure. I mean of course that's irritating. I don't see the newsworthiness personally.
You can't help it if you have a crying kid necessarily. Certainly not if the child's an infant. But yes it's irritating for everyone, including the parents.
But thank goodness there are decent people that, even though they're irritated, act graciously anyway.
Yup, that's the way I roll. I've been on both ends of the issue, as a parent of three little boys, eternally grateful for flyers who are gracious, and now, as a leisure flyer who tries very hard to extend that courtesy to other parents.
I'm lucky. When my kid was born, a remote control popped out as well with a "pause", "stop" and "volume control" buttons on it. Much to my surprise, when my kid misbehaves, I just press stop and she does. When she is loud, I simply turn the volume down. There are also buttons labeled cute, funny, and polite. When I press these buttons, she automatically becomes cute, funny, or polite depending on what I'd like at that moment.
I pity those parents whose kids didn't come with remote controls.
Folks, you can deal with kids for a few hours. I sat next to a crying baby one flight. I slept most the flight. Sure I was woken up a couple times but it was no big deal.
Everybody else had to deal with you when you were little, now it is your turn for you to deal with the next generation.
Ahem, I have a 14-year-old daughter, and she cried on an airplane once. The reason it was only once was because I scheduled the flights around her. I didn't take her when she had an ear infection, I didn't take her on red eye flights, I didn't talk her when she wa tired or hungry. And no one has to deal with your wailing toddler, and quite frankly I find the attitude of your post to be one of the toddler running the parents life. Kids don't grow out of this behavior and no it is not a phase, it will just get worse. If you can't stop her now, what are you going to do when she is 12? 14? 16 and driving?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
