Ban Kids On Flights

hoxtonbabe

My children have been flying from a very young age, my eldest who is now 13 was a delight, the youngest who will be 3 soon, started off ok, untill he was about 1, then he started to get very wriggly and noisy, at that age its got nothing to do with "control" he was at that exploring age, and whilst i did my best to keep him occupied and quiet as I really am aware of other passengers, there is only so much one can do.

once he reached 2 he seemed to calm down again, we went on a 9 hour flight to the dom republic over xmas, and other than the odd 10 second moan, or happily wanting to play with the people behind or in front (which I also stop him from doing as not everyone wants to play with kids..i for one most certainly don't and I am a parent!) he didn't make a sound, he was just glad to be flying a he loves it.

I was on a flight from Turkey once, and I had the misfortune of sitting in front of a child who constantly kicked and the parents did nothing, I was so close to decking the kid and his parents. TBH, kids playing their Nintendo or PSP with the full volume up gets to me far more than kids crying, the constant pinging from the thing just annoys the heck out of me, and why do they think everyone wants to hear Mario or Call of Duty?!?!

I do think its unfair to assume all kids are rotters on flights, but I do think the ones that are, need to be locked in the toilets till the flight lands..lol:p

musicmaker29

first class is normally pretty child light/child free (from what I've seen through the dividing curtain lol)!

I actually think people need to relax a bit - on long haul flights theres generally plenty of films etc to keep slightly older children interested. That just leaves very young children and I'm torn on that one - personally I would prefer to be away from most little uns as the sensation of flying upsets them but then, I also think young children need to be acclimatised to flying and there's only one way to do that. Also, theres no way of knowing if a child is going be ok on a plane or not so again, only one way to find out.

A 'seat miles away from kids' option probably isn't feasible so not an option really.

I have vague memories of my first flight - went to look in the cockpit, that was cool - however, I've been told that I cried all the way through my first flight no matter what my parents did - so maybe my memories are confused lol.

jackieblack

musicmaker29 wrote: »

I also think young children need to be acclimatised to flying and there's only one way to do that.

I don't agree
We didn't take our daughter on a flight until she was old enough that we knew she would behave herself properly (ditto the cinema, theatre, restaurants etc)

On the other hand, maybe anyone who wants a child free flight should have more realistic expectations and consider flying outside of school holidays or not on any flight to family destinations,
eg don't fly to Orlando on the first day of the school holidays and expect a child-free flight

Murphy_The_Cat

airheadgreg wrote: »

If one of the 10 flights was an adult only flight but cost an extra £50 pp, would you pay it over?

I wouldn't pay a 1p extra for a child only flight, but I'd be sorely tempted to spend a few £ if it stopped the kn**cheese in front of me from recling his/her seat onto my lap !

Doshwaster

DKLS wrote: »

The Bose headphones for me are worth every penny especially as they cancel every noise out, passenger noise, engine noise, and more importantly these days the noise of the staff trying to flog you carp.

These noise cancelling headphones do seem tempting but £200 is a lot of money to spend on getting to sleep when the alternative is free G&T from the drinks trolley. I suppose the headphones give less of a hangover...

dickydonkin

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

I wouldn't pay a 1p extra for a child only flight, but I'd be sorely tempted to spend a few £ if it stopped the kn**cheese in front of me from recling his/her seat onto my lap !

I agree - particularly when one is attempting eat - however, TIP: when the person in front who refused to return his seat to the upright position during mealtime attempts to drink his/her beverage (hot is better), just give the offending passengers back of the seat a sharp 'nudge' when the rim of the drinking receptacle has just touched the lips!

But I feel another can of worms has been opened here and so expect more flak from the 'I paid for my seat so if it reclines - I will recline - so basically - stuff you' brigade!

Heads down everyone!

These noise cancelling headphones do seem tempting but £200 is a lot of money to spend on getting to sleep when the alternative is free G&T from the drinks trolley.

I bought some Senheiser earphones that actually insert into the ear canal from Amazon for around 18 quid and although they are not on the same planet as the Bose - they do reduce the noise quite a lot and the sound is pretty good as well - great value!

bluenoseam

I hate it when i see kids in the departure lounge, i know it's tarring with the same brush, but you know that statistically speaking you're bound to get atleast one screamer amonst them! I was brought up basically on the premise "little boys should be seen & not heard!" - so i was a quiet child, happier to read a book or play my gameboy than running around like some form of humanised wild animal - unfortunately not everyone raises their kids this way.

However where would it stop, i know we all hate them in the cinema, on public transport (oh god why does the 1 person with 87 kids HAVE to sit next to me on the train!) & in supermarkets - so if you are selective in one place, surely it'd have to spread around making it less than practical in modern society! until such times, as someone says, i've a cracking pair of Shure headphones (albeit less pricey at £60 i believe these days) & if needed 2 paracetemol to knock me out - only have to worry about them practising Kung Fu on my back, and if that happens, mummy/daddy/socially responsible adult accompaniment get rudely woken up!!

kelloggs36

airheadgreg wrote: »

Whilst people are whining like the kids that we all hate, about generalising too much, you're still not answering the question of would you like to see adult only flights or cabins?

Say there are 10 flights from London Gatwick every day going to the South of France. You're going for a week to relax in the sun and enjoy some wine with your significant other. You don't have kids, or you've managed to ditch them with the in laws for the week and just want to keep away from children at all costs. You've even booked into a 30+ hotel in a quiet resort. Would you then want to spend 3 hours sat next to a screaming brat? I'm not saying all kids are like that, but do you want to run that risk? If one of the 10 flights was an adult only flight but cost an extra £50 pp, would you pay it over?

I know I would. Hell, without kids on the plane the in flight film may be better too!

A great idea. Don't ban kids from all flights, but give the rest of us a chance to have a relaxing flight without having to become billionnaires with our own private jets.

I personally find the terminology used here offensive as a parent. My children are people, like you, they are NOT brats and I find it disgusting that people want to avoid being in contact with small people because they can be noisy and unruly. Sometimes children (very young ones) scream because they can't communicate in any other way - babies can't say why they are uncomfortable etc and so they cry. If you are in a confined space it is embarrassing for the parents and not pleasant for the other passengers but come on, it isn't the end of the world is it? Your whole holiday isn't going to be ruined because of some inconvenience during the journey. The same argument goes in restaurants. Yes, there are some unpleasant people in the world, both adult and children and it is the adults' fault that their children are the way they are, not the children's, but you can't separate yourself from them at your convenience, I just find that utterly selfish.

kelloggs36

jackieblack wrote: »

I don't agree
We didn't take our daughter on a flight until she was old enough that we knew she would behave herself properly (ditto the cinema, theatre, restaurants etc) I have taken my children to these places since they were babies - they learn how to behave there at an early age - cinema excepted only as I knew they wouldn't sit through the film as they would get bored. Restaurants I have taken babies to many times and they have never caused an issue.

On the other hand, maybe anyone who wants a child free flight should have more realistic expectations and consider flying outside of school holidays or not on any flight to family destinations,
eg don't fly to Orlando on the first day of the school holidays and expect a child-free flight

I agree - children are people and have just as much right to be on the flights as any adult. I personally find more adults to be obnoxious and horrible than any child I have ever encountered.

Murphy_The_Cat

dpassmore wrote: »

I agree - particularly when one is attempting eat - however, TIP: when the person in front who refused to return his seat to the upright position during mealtime attempts to drink his/her beverage (hot is better), just give the offending passengers back of the seat a sharp 'nudge' when the rim of the drinking receptacle has just touched the lips!

But I feel another can of worms has been opened here and so expect more flak from the 'I paid for my seat so if it reclines - I will recline - so basically - stuff you' brigade!

Heads down everyone!

have a look at the aircraft knee defender a truly wonderful piece of kit