Sitting with kids on the plane

[Heidijs]

I just got off the phone with Delta...all Northwest flights after Feb 1st are being switched to Delta flight #s and you have to log onto their site...the reasons my NW seats aren't showing up on Delta is because they're Jan 28 flights and she said they're still in the process of merging and if it's on the NWA reservation, not to worry. Sounds like a mess! As long as DD4 gets to sit and look out the window I'll be happy...I tend to get sick looking out the window! I'll sit in the middle this time...

 

[bavaria]

How come? Do they recliner or are they bigger seats or something?

E+ have up to 6 inches of more legroom. Many carriers charge non-elites more for aisle or bulkhead seats or exit row seats as they are the most desired seats and given to their most valued customers.

For those of us who commute by airplane seating makes a big difference. For those who travel once a year, it may not matter.

Everyone has different priorities, and if I am flying over 200,000 miles a year I want to do so in comfort, and be able to get some rest.

I consider value, not cost.

 

[Heidijs]

E+ have up to 6 inches of more legroom. Many carriers charge non-elites more for aisle or bulkhead seats or exit row seats as they are the most desired seats and given to their most valued customers.

For those of us who commute by airplane seating makes a big difference. For those who travel once a year, it may not matter.

Everyone has different priorities, and if I am flying over 200,000 miles a year I want to do so in comfort, and be able to get some rest.

I consider value, not cost.

gotcha...if I flew that much I'd go for those seats as well! Coach seats are soooo uncomfortable...but I suck it up for 3-4 hours the best I can...it's fine if you don't have to sleep... I remember trying to turn my window into a pillow with jackets...didn't work so hot!

 

[JUJU814]

If you had asked me, and I refused, and you then started explaining all his needs to me, I would have responded with a "Look, lady, I am not babysitting your son," or, "Take it up with the flight attendant and leave me alone," and would have opened my book or looked out the window.

I would have also asked, "Why are you telling me this?? Do you expect me to care for your child??" By giving the woman next to your son instructions, you clearly were expecting her to care for him.

Or, on second thought, I may have asked you how much you were going to pay me to look after your son.

My days of looking after somebody else's kids are over...unless they're related to me.

You sound like a very kind and compassionate person.

 

[JUJU814]

I honestly don't get it when this heated topic comes up. Seriously!! It's ridiculous.

I flew Southwest solo this past weekend on a total of 4 flights. Two of them were business select so I was position a2 and a4..got to choose to sit in my preferred seat.

Three of the flights were completely full. I saw those struggling to find seats together.

As a solo able bodied traveler, I was fully empathetic and way more than willing to move if my moving could make it possible for a family or at least parent and child to sit together. I did offer but was not taken up on it.

I didn't see any parents demanding anyone to move so they could sit together. What I saw were some frazzled moms and dads just doing the best they could. Did I sit there thinking "well, they deserve it. if they wanted to sit together, they should have bought early bird or business select etc? NO

I think it is so obnoxiously RUDE and just being a total jerk and downright mean to be so full of oneself and unable to look outside oneself to think that maybe you could help another family, and yet refuse.

I cannot even IMAGINE having a small child sit next to me that doesn't have their parent there, and ignoring the child and being so cruel as to stick my nose in a book and flat out refuse to acknowledge the child or talk to the kid and maybe offer some comfort.

I'm not a great person...and I can be selfish myself..but I just think some of these responses are downright cold and I can't believe they are coming from people who once had small kids. That blows my mind.

 

[JUJU814]

Kids cry on planes all the time and are not kicked off. There is far more to this story; an aircraft doesn't return to the gate unless there is a very significant reason due to the costs and logistics involved.

Just another person who failed to take responsibility for her actions and is blaming everyone and demanding compensation.

Yesterday, LOL, there was a preschooler having a bloody FIT on take off

get off me!@!!! daddy!!!! let me gooooooooooo! get off me!!!!!!!!

SCREAMING hysterically. The kid was obviously scared. They took off anyway. The father calmly talked to his kid and jokingly asked if anyone had any thorazine...other people were like ativan? xanax? I joined in "I have two free drink coupons"

This was the worst tantrum I heard yet on take off. Even our comedian flight attendant had a couple jokes.

 

[jodifla]

I honestly don't get it when this heated topic comes up. Seriously!! It's ridiculous.

I flew Southwest solo this past weekend on a total of 4 flights. Two of them were business select so I was position a2 and a4..got to choose to sit in my preferred seat.

Three of the flights were completely full. I saw those struggling to find seats together.

As a solo able bodied traveler, I was fully empathetic and way more than willing to move if my moving could make it possible for a family or at least parent and child to sit together. I did offer but was not taken up on it.

I didn't see any parents demanding anyone to move so they could sit together. What I saw were some frazzled moms and dads just doing the best they could. Did I sit there thinking "well, they deserve it. if they wanted to sit together, they should have bought early bird or business select etc? NO

I think it is so obnoxiously RUDE and just being a total jerk and downright mean to be so full of oneself and unable to look outside oneself to think that maybe you could help another family, and yet refuse.

I cannot even IMAGINE having a small child sit next to me that doesn't have their parent there, and ignoring the child and being so cruel as to stick my nose in a book and flat out refuse to acknowledge the child or talk to the kid and maybe offer some comfort.

I'm not a great person...and I can be selfish myself..but I just think some of these responses are downright cold and I can't believe they are coming from people who once had small kids. That blows my mind.

ITA! Well put.

 

[teine]

No, actually, MOST airlines DO let you pick your seats. It's extremely likely that tiene (I think) booked her plane tickets after all the preselectable were, well, selected. ]

Nope, I actually booked about 4 months ago...so it wasn't that. Anyway, I just contacted them yesterday and the airline had no problem assigning our seats. They're even showing up on my itinerary today. Perhaps there was a problem with the system but I never had the option at booking and my original itinerary indicated that they would be assigned upon check in. Pays to call

 

[NHdisneylover]

Okay you're right, she's not toddler age per say, but I can harldy imagine what she'd do if we got on a plane, she's never flown, and I say, you sit here and I'll be way the heck back here! She'd freak...she just turned 4 in October...I can hardly see her thinking this is "okay" and she's not a stranger friendly 4 year old either. She'd probably get very upset if I just sat her down and tried to tell her I have to sit somewhere else...I want to be right by her in case she gets frightened or has a problem...needs to use the bathroom, ears start to hurt...or she feels sick...like I need to worry about that 10 rows back...no way...

I am sure you would not reall present it to her that way. If you do give her the impression that this is how you feel then of course she will be upset though. I know that sometimes children are afraid of random things for not apparent reason, hoever I beleive the vast majority of the time children are afraid of things that their parents are afraid of and it does get transmitted to the kids somehow (dentists and planes being good examples, in this day and age niether is traumtic unless seomthing well beyond routine is happening, but most children go in worried becuase they have picekd up on their parents' fears).

Ditto this. My partner started flying alone - completely alone, as an unaccompanied minor - when she was 6. (This was in the early '80s.)

No, actually, MOST airlines DO let you pick your seats. It's extremely likely that tiene (I think) booked her plane tickets after all the preselectable were, well, selected. ]

Nope, I actually booked about 4 months ago...so it wasn't that. Anyway, I just contacted them yesterday and the airline had no problem assigning our seats. They're even showing up on my itinerary today. Perhaps there was a problem with the system but I never had the option at booking and my original itinerary indicated that they would be assigned upon check in. Pays to call

I am so glad for you that you were able to get seats together when you called. It is certainly possible that there was jsut a glitch in the system when you booked. However, it IS possible that all of the seats normally alloted for prebooking were gone even 4 months ago. We just booked flights for next year's Christmas vacation yesterday (yes 11 months early) so there can be people booking so far in advance that things are gone even by 4-5 months out.