A major pet peeve on a plane.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

UD beat you to it. It made me laugh as I was thinking the same thing. I swear I even heard a Samuel L Jackson tone to his writting.

It is UD's world, I just get to live in it.

[wuapinmon]

How about some dude who is totally ripping farts on the plane? Should that be cause for public sighs and attitude? Just as babies need to cry, sometimes people get gassy.

Personally, I drink a lot of coffee in the terminal and always hold in my farts to I can crop-dust first class as I am walking by.

crop-dust. LOL.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I also hate when the Southwest, I usually fly Southwest because I'm not a high roller, stewardesses or stewards sing, rap, or otherwise attempt to entertain with the announcements.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

So the mom (who is a human being and may also have sensitive ears, btw) ought to stay shut away in her home listening the screaming baby instead? How old should the child be before she's allowed to travel? Maybe it'd be a better idea to just begin her confinement at the onset of pregnancy. That way no one would get hurt eyes looking at her protuberance. I mean, we wouldn't want any of the real people to be uncomfortable.

Finally someone not talking nonsense in this thread. I got the feeling you were a muckraker, you seem pretty level headed to me.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

If you are a Delta employee you can't even sit in first if traveling with child. They won't let you until the kid is 8 because they want employees to set a precedent of keeping small kids out of first. No group has eyeballs rolling into the back of their heads when they see a baby faster than first class passengers. Half the reason they pay a premium to sit there is because of the expectation that it's going to be quieter and more relaxing than the rest of the cabin.

I don't think this is true. My brother has worked for SkyWest for the last 4 years and his now 7 year old sits first class all the time.

[Tim]

I also hate when the Southwest, I usually fly Southwest because I'm not a high roller, stewardesses or stewards sing, rap, or otherwise attempt to entertain with the announcements.

OH MY GOSH! That's seriously why I don't fly Southwest! SHUT UP, FLIGHT ATTENDANTS! Is there any airline more unprofessional than Southwest?

[MarkGrace]

I don't think this is true. My brother has worked for SkyWest for the last 4 years and his now 7 year old sits first class all the time.

Skywest doesn't have first class. It's all first class!

(If you are referring to Delta, I may be off on the age, but there is a definite requirement because they don't want little kids in first class)

[MarkGrace]

Skywest doesn't have first class. It's all first class!

(If you are referring to Delta, I may be off on the age, but there is a definite requirement because they don't want little kids in first class)

Just texted Mama Grace. The Age of Accountability gets you baptized and first class if you are the dependent of a Delta employee.

[myboynoah]

There are a couple of posts here that mention the problem that we have had when flying with little kids. Our kids are fairly well-behaved, so having them act out is not a huge problem. But there is very little you can do for a 2-4 year old that is sensitive to cabin pressure changes.

On our last flight, our 4 year old daughter was fine for about five minutes until her ears felt like they were going to explode. Under those circumstances, trying to get a hysterical child to swallow, chew gum or drink anything is next to impossible. They don't want juice, they don't want ice chips, they just want the pain to go away. All they know to do is cry. So good luck with your parenting skills in that situation.

Call me selfish, but I remember having a very vague awareness that other people were around that may or may not have been annoyed by her pain. But my main concern was on consoling and comforting my daughter. Sorry if you guys were annoyed. I just didn't care a whole lot at the time.

We had as similar experience with our oldest when she was one. Flying back from SLC to WashDC, we flew through Chicago. She had a bit of a cold before we departed and as soon as we landed in Chicago to make our connection, she started screaming (we assumed an ear ache). That went on for the two hour layover. We got plenty of looks from the people in the lounge, with a number or suggestions that we stay over the night. We were only concerned about our daughter and her comfort, and being new parents, even wondered if flying like that might damage her hearing.

We opted to go forward, much to the angst I'm sure of the rest of the plane. We asked to sit on the back row and the airline complied. Got the plane, buckled in, she stopped crying, and the flight was great.

Perhaps the answer is a premium no-kids flight for those that don't want to be bothered by kids.

[cowboy]

It's the experience of the airlines as companies. My experience, like yours, is only anecdotal. That's why I posted this:

If you are a Delta employee you can't even sit in first if traveling with child. They won't let you until the kid is 8 because they want employees to set a precedent of keeping small kids out of first. No group has eyeballs rolling into the back of their heads when they see a baby faster than first class passengers. Half the reason they pay a premium to sit there is because of the expectation that it's going to be quieter and more relaxing than the rest of the cabin.

An airline wouldn't do this because of my experience. They do it because of their experience and the expectation of their customers.

I don't know that all airlines do it, but I'm guessing it's pretty standard.

We may be talking past each other here. If not I think we'll probably just agree to disagree.

I doubt anyone will argue that kids increase the probability of a bad flying experience, which is why Delta would discourage their employees from flying kids in first class. That doesn't, in my opinion, necessarily speak to the tolerance, or lack thereof, of the first class passengers.

Further, while your posts suggest inside information and you may actually have more data than I, I doubt that most first class passengers buy first class seats. Rather, I suspect that most first class passengers are frequent flyers like myself, who buy coach and get upgraded. Frequent flyers have tons of miles and usually cash them in to take family vacations, which means they fly with their kids. Flying with your own kids gives you empathy when you see others fly with theirs. Thus, my opinion that first class passengers are more tolerant.

This opinion is reinforced by the fact that the majority of people who have kids expressed opinions similar to my own in this thread. In contrast, most without parents expressed opinions in one form or another that they would rather not sit next to kids. This is fine, because nobody has to enjoy sitting next to a kid that may scream at any minute. However, I doubt that anyone posting in this thread would do what I saw last night, or exhibit the behavior that was the impetus for the thread. I was simply expressing an opinion that parents should be given a chance before they sit down.

Peace.

[MarkGrace]

We may be talking past each other here. If not I think we'll probably just agree to disagree.

I doubt anyone will argue that kids increase the probability of a bad flying experience, which is why Delta would discourage their employees from flying kids in first class. That doesn't, in my opinion, necessarily speak to the tolerance, or lack thereof, of the first class passengers.

Further, while your posts suggest inside information and you may actually have more data than I, I doubt that most first class passengers buy first class seats. Rather, I suspect that most first class passengers are frequent flyers like myself, who buy coach and get upgraded. Frequent flyers have tons of miles and usually cash them in to take family vacations, which means they fly with their kids. Flying with your own kids gives you empathy when you see others fly with theirs. Thus, my opinion that first class passengers are more tolerant.

This opinion is reinforced by the fact that the majority of people who have kids expressed opinions similar to my own in this thread. In contrast, most without parents expressed opinions in one form or another that they would rather not sit next to kids. This is fine, because nobody has to enjoy sitting next to a kid that may scream at any minute. However, I doubt that anyone posting in this thread would do what I saw last night, or exhibit the behavior that was the impetus for the thread. I was simply expressing an opinion that parents should be given a chance before they sit down.

Peace.

The second half of your comment doesn't support the first. Our discussion is about first class passengers, and while the first half addresses that again with anecdotal evidence, the second regresses into a comment about the nature of kids and flying in general. With that disconnect, I'm not sure how your opinion is reinforced by the majority of comments in this thread. In fact, the only other person that addressed first class (at least that I noticed) was Mindful, and she agreed with me.

It's great that you have the opinion that first class passengers are nice and cuddly and love kids and all the noise they bring with them. And despite my own personal opinion, what I'm giving you does not rely on my opinion or yours. Delta has a preference that young kids don't fly first class. They would never tell a passenger that, because a passenger has the rights they've paid for, but I know that in general that's how they feel. Delta does not allow dependents of employees under the age of 8 in first because with employees, they can tell them what to do, and they want the precedent set. This is based on the notion that their first class passengers (whether they pay, get upgraded, whatever -- mode is irrelevant) have the expectation that the first class cabin is going to being quieter and less hectic than the back of the plan. You may think they are a tolerable bunch, but in the industry they are viewed as being demanding, intolerable, impatient and pretty big a-holes in general. If there was no such expectation from that group of passengers, there would be no such policy.

Again, I can only speak to one airline. But I would suspect this is mostly uniform.

[TripletDaddy]

The second half of your comment doesn't support the first. Our discussion is about first class passengers, and while the first half addresses that again with anecdotal evidence, the second regresses into a comment about the nature of kids and flying in general. With that disconnect, I'm not sure how your opinion is reinforced by the majority of comments in this thread. In fact, the only other person that addressed first class (at least that I noticed) was Mindful, and she agreed with me.

It's great that you have the opinion that first class passengers are nice and cuddly and love kids and all the noise they bring with them. And despite my own personal opinion, what I'm giving you does not rely on my opinion or yours. Delta has a preference that young kids don't fly first class. They would never tell a passenger that, because a passenger has the rights they've paid for, but I know that in general that's how they feel. Delta does not allow dependents of employees under the age of 8 in first because with employees, they can tell them what to do, and they want the precedent set. This is based on the notion that their first class passengers (whether they pay, get upgraded, whatever -- mode is irrelevant) have the expectation that the first class cabin is going to being quieter and less hectic than the back of the plan. You may think they are a tolerable bunch, but they are viewed as being demanding, intolerable, and pretty big a-holes in general. If there was no such expectation from that group of passengers, there would be no such policy.

Again, I can only speak to one airline. But I would suspect this is mostly uniform.

It definitely is not the policy on UAL. Children on comps are free to fly the friendly skies in any section of the passenger cabin.

Go Cowboy's theory!

[MarkGrace]

It definitely is not the policy on UAL. Children on comps are free to fly the friendly skies in any section of the passenger cabin.

Go Cowboy's theory!

I don't know what UAL is, but they are on Delta as well.

I guess you didn't read very carefully? But I already knew my posts don't warrant your full attention. I'm not all that insightful or interesting.

EDIT: Oh, United, I think.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I don't know what UAL is, but they are on Delta as well.

I guess you didn't read very carefully? But I already knew my posts don't warrant your full attention. I'm not all that insightful or interesting.

EDIT: Oh, United, I think.

That is how I read it.

[FMCoug]

I remember flying with my wife and our two very young boys from Texas to Utah. It was a struggle to keep them quiet. Given the fact that we were traveling to attend the funeral of my two-year-old nephew, had anyone expressed that opinion to me during the flight I most likely would have decked them.

I had the same thought. But mine was the time my wife had to fly with 4 kids from 6 down to an infant ... to my Mom's funeral. Texas to California. I had flown out earlier to make arrangements. I guess my wife should have driven from Texas to CA for the funeral. By herself.