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well no kidding. do you really think a mom of 8 can put her kids on a Delta 1st class flight across the country? Maybe family is more important to her??
A mom of eight has more problems than deciding which carrier to fly...
Then you WALK them around the galley area as long as it isn't meal time.
Most long haul carriers will book parents with younger kids in the bulkheads so there is room at your feet for the kid to be on the floor playing as an FYI. It also alleviates the seat kicking problem.
Exactly how big do you thin the galley area is?
And how many bulkheads do you think are available? They're usually taken up by the frequent flyers with long legs who are able to select priority seating.
And how many bulkheads do you think are available? They're usually taken up by the frequent flyers with long legs who are able to select priority seating.
Have you ever actually flown on a long haul wide body aircraft?
@ annerk, you're certainly full of advice on how to parent or otherwise keep kids quiet on long flights. It's not all bad, but are you sure you aren't being a bit hypocritical?
My wife I have two little ones myself, ages 2 and 4. We try to train them to be appropriately behaved at all times, including at home. This includes some time each week where they must sit still and be quiet for a couple of hours at a time. But we experience a lot of setbacks and disappointments because they're still just kids and there is no one thing that works all the time with either kid. Sometimes we spank. Sometimes we use timeouts. Sometimes we just talk to them, and sometimes we rely on distractions and other things. Sometimes they sleep and let us off the hook. But there are still times where they just act out and it feels impossible to stop.
I cannot presume to tell anyone else how to handle such a situation on a plane or elsewhere. Yeah, if it seems like the parent doesn't care at all, then it's legitimately irritating to everyone else. But who am I to say that a parent isn't even trying? Unless maybe they are literally passed out drunk or something (which sounded like an exaggeration, honestly), why not give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they're doing something that's worked in the past and it's just not working now. Or maybe they're just out of gas and not thinking straight. If there's a way to help them without making things worse, great, but at a certain point all I can control is my own reaction to an unpleasant situation.
@ annerk, you're certainly full of advice on how to parent or otherwise keep kids quiet on long flights. It's not all bad, but are you sure you aren't being a bit hypocritical?
My wife I have two little ones myself, ages 2 and 4. We try to train them to be appropriately behaved at all times, including at home. This includes some time each week where they must sit still and be quiet for a couple of hours at a time. But we experience a lot of setbacks and disappointments because they're still just kids and there is no one thing that works all the time on either kid. Sometimes we spank. Sometimes we use timeouts. Sometimes we just talk to them, and sometimes we rely on distractions and other things. Sometimes they sleep and let us off the hook. But there are still times where they just act out and it feels impossible to stop.
I cannot presume to tell anyone else how to handle such a situation on a plane or elsewhere. Yeah, if it seems like the parent doesn't care at all, then it's legitimately irritating to everyone else. But who am I to say that a parent isn't even trying? Unless maybe they are literally passed out drunk or something (which sounded like an exaggeration, honestly) why not give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they're doing something that's worked in the past and it's just not working now. Or maybe they're just out of gas and not thinking straight. If there's a way to help them without making things worse, great, but at a certain point all I can control is my own reaction to an unpleasant situation.
Unfortunately it wasn't an exaggeration that they were passed out drunk. I wish I could say it was.
Parents aren't allowed to run out of gas--that's part of being a parent. If they can't keep up, as I've stated, bring someone else along to help.
I have said many times over that if the parent is truly doing everything under the sun, has come prepared, is actively engaged, and is apologetic to those around them, for a kid under two (or one with a developmental disability) I give them a pass. The problem is that far too often it's older kids--preschoolers or even above--who know better, but the parents are too self-absorbed or too scared to say no to their children. Or worse yet, flat out idiots that board a plane with nothing to keep a kid occupied or expect that those around them will babysit during the flight.
On a recent long haul a mother was trying to carry a car seat and a infant up the stairs in front of us (we boarded via removable stairs, not a jetway for this flight) and her three year old was struggling to climb the stairs on his own behind her. He could do it on his own, but he was obviously scared and it was challenging for him. I took his hand and helped him up the stairs. Yes, it was self-serving, the flight was already over an hour late for departure and the faster he got up those stairs, the faster we could take off. But it was also the right thing to do. Would I have amused the kid on the plane? No. Not my job. Big difference.
I don't hate kids. I do feel that far too many parents are either stupid or lazy when it comes to parenting, and those traits really magnify when they are flying.
Have you ever actually flown on a long haul wide body aircraft?
Yes, I have. I guess size is relative. Galleys even on large planes still aren't very large, especially when competing with others who are using the space to move around.
I have said many times over that if the parent is truly doing everything under the sun, has come prepared, is actively engaged, and is apologetic to those around them, for a kid under two (or one with a developmental disability) I give them a pass. The problem is that far too often it's older kids--preschoolers or even above--who know better, but the parents are too self-absorbed or too scared to say no to their children. Or worse yet, flat out idiots that board a plane with nothing to keep a kid occupied or expect that those around them will babysit during the flight.
That's mighty big of you to give some kids a pass, but you can't always look at an older kid and know if they are neurotypical. You don't know that they "know better." And you don't know what struggles the parent deals with, whether their children are neurotypical or not.
Instead of making assumptions, a little compassion goes a long way.
Then you WALK them around the galley area as long as it isn't meal time.
Most long haul carriers will book parents with younger kids in the bulkheads so there is room at your feet for the kid to be on the floor playing as an FYI. It also alleviates the seat kicking problem.
As a former flight attendant I will tell you that children are not allowed, nor appreciated in the galley areas. Why would you even suggest such a thing?
Yes, I have. I guess size is relative. Galleys even on large planes still aren't very large, especially when competing with others who are using the space to move around.
On the long hauls, families with infants and toddlers ARE given priority for bulkhead seats.
There is actually a decent amount of space at the rear lav area on the lower deck of a 380, and the rear lav/galley area on the 777/767/A340.
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