Vent - babies on longnhaul flights

whitesatin

ILW wrote: »

I am not blaming the children. I do blame adults for putting children into unsuitable situations though.

I.e. what you think is unsuitable. As we get older it is easy to lose tolerance. Each to their own. We have to take the rough with the smooth.

fluffnutter

Equaliser123 wrote: »

A380's are a superb aircraft and, I'm sorry, but your comment really isn't borne out by engineering fact.

It's just what my friend - who works in the aeronautical industry as a component tester - told me. <shrugs>

emmbrook

ILW wrote: »

Britain ruled to world with an attitude that children should be seen and not heard. All gone downhill since we have become so "tolerant".

So children are to blame for the loss of the empire? Wow.... Words fail me.

Were you always seen and not heard?

ILW

emmbrook wrote: »

So children are to blame for the loss of the empire? Wow.... Words fail me.

Were you always seen and not heard?

Never subjected to a long haul flight until I could be trusted to behave.

tbw

It always amuses me how the world is split into those who have children and who seem to think that everything has to adjust to accommodate their needs and those who don't have children and who seem to believe that children should be kept in cages until they are at least 12 !

DH and I travel a lot and, yes, its pretty wearing on flights which have crying babies. We both have noise reduction headphones bought mainly to block this out and, on the whole, they work prestty well. Personally I wouldn't take very small children on flights unless it was really essential - the pressure problems do seem to affect babies and they are boubd to cry if they are in pain (and its not like adults who know to swallow or suck sweets to sort the pressure out). I don't expect everyone to agree though and if parents feel its Ok then thats their own choice. I've never come across any parents with crying babies who are anything other than frazzled and embarassed when they can't calm their babies down - they certainly don't do it to annoy other passengers and deserve a bit of understanding.

What does REALLY hack me off is parents with older children - ie old enough to have been taught reasonable behaviour - who allow them to run around the plane creating problems for other passengers or to contantly kick, bang and grab the back of my seat. And when I politely ask them if they could please stop banging me, give me a mouthful all about their 'right' to do as they ***ing well please ! I don't expect children to be 'seen and not heard' but I don't expect my journey to be an absolute misery when a bit of consideration would solve it. Tolerance and understanding cuts both ways. The children aren't ever going to behave any better when the parents have that sort of attitude - and behave with exactly the same lack of consideration themselves.

Equaliser123

fluffnutter wrote: »

It's just what my friend - who works in the aeronautical industry as a component tester - told me. <shrugs>

I'd say your friend doesn't actually know what he's talking about then.

Either that or he needs to pipe up and identify a problem rather than being a doom and gloom-monger with little factual back-up to his stories.

Azari

fluffnutter wrote: »

It's just what my friend - who works in the aeronautical industry as a component tester - told me. <shrugs>

The Civil Aviation Authority (and equivalent bodies throughout the world) employ many specialist engineers to perform the certification of civil aircraft. These people, individually and collectively, know a great deal more about what makes an aircraft safe than people such as component fitters, cabin crew, or pilots.

I suspect that your friend is taking the view that 'if one of those goes down a lot of people will die'.

This is, of course, true, but as there will be fewer flights for any given number of passengers, compared to smaller aircraft, it all evens out in the end.

And as the A380 is relatively recently certified (and is built using the accumulated safely knowledge of all aircraft before it), you can rest assured that it is an extremely safe aeroplane.

whitesatin

I must have been very lucky when flying. On the whole, most children are well behaved and babies don't cry more than anywhere else.

Some adults, on the other hand...........LOL.

Equaliser123

tbw wrote: »

It always amuses me how the world is split into those who have children and who seem to think that everything has to adjust to accommodate their needs and those who don't have children and who seem to believe that children should be kept in cages until they are at least 12 !

.

There is a third category - those with children who don't assume that everything (and everyone) has to adjust but who expect people to be a little understanding of the fact that children are just that - children.

Totally agree however that banging on seats, etc is unacceptable and poor parenting.

tbw

Equaliser123 wrote: »

There is a third category - those with children who don't assume that everything (and everyone) has to adjust but who expect people to be a little understanding of the fact that children are just that - children.

Totally agree however that banging on seats, etc is unacceptable and poor parenting.

I know - I like to think I am one of them. Unfortunately we seem to be a minority group.