A tale of two children (in J)

[JohnK]

Honestly, if I’m reclining I’d expect to be disturbed. Saves a lot of disappointment.

That's a silly thought. You're entitled to recline and everyone can suffer. After all you've paid good money for your seat.

 

[mrsterryn]

@JohnK you mention your daughter uses a tablet does she use headphones?

 

[ermen]

So who amongst us would do this.
Passenger gives up first-class seat for mother with ill baby

"Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: A US passenger has been praised for giving up his seat in first-class for a mother with an 11-month-old sick baby, although he says he doesn't think it was such a big deal.

Jason Kunselman, who was travelling from Orlando to Philadelphia on American Airlines on December 6, said he saw Kelsey Zwick and her daughter Lucy getting ready to board.

She was carrying the baby's oxygen machine and, he said, he gave up his seat after learning the two were sitting at the back of the plane,The York Daily Record reported."

I wonder if anyone in the F cabin then complained about an infant in their cabin.

I may on a SH flight. though LH would be a different matter i would have thought.

Once i wanted to give up my MH J seat on the 737 to an extremely frail elderly lady who has difficult walking on a JHB - KUL sector. Turns out though before I could get out she was assisted and put in row 5 (first row of Y) with a spare seat beside her so not much extra benefit to moving her back a few rows forward.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

'Tis a bit odd the cabin of a Concorde & seeing what were effectively the same as a Y seat these days … if I remember correctly it was F service despite Y space? Wonder what carry-on allowance was?

FWIW: 2 pieces, one 'medium' bag 55x45x20 and one smal bag. Total 12 kg. But they had express delivery where you could drop your cabin bag at the door and have it in the arrivals hall by 8 minutes after arrival (pretty much as soon as you got from the plane to the reclaim it was there).

 

[JohnK]

Don't most of them have a latch underneath that raises the armrest if required?

I tried it recently. Forget if JQ or QF but can't move the latch.

All this pales in comparison when sitting next to a passenger with BO

Not pleasant.

 

[Pushka]

@JohnK you mention your daughter uses a tablet does she use headphones?

Now this is a discussion I had this very day but in a cafe. SIL who has cared for 2 grandchildren for a few years now, lets them play with the iPhone and watch videos and play games as we chat. I’m acutely aware of the emanating noise from said phones and she isn’t. Whenever I or my brother (her husband) go to switch down the volume she says it’s fine. Brother and I say nup. I think people who have young uns in their lives become immune to the inconveniences their behaviour has on others. My brother who has only just retired hasn’t developed that immunity. I don’t have little kids in my close life other than the ones today.

 

[JohnK]

Even infants incur (admittedly low) fees, even when sitting on a parent's lap. So the options are to pay exactly what everyone else is paying or to pay 20% of what everyone else is paying to carry a 10kg waste generation machine on your lap and panic about it offending others for the entire journey.

It is far from the rort that some seem to think it is.

I paid over $1,000 for my 21 month old daughter on TG award in First and business.

$184 one-way BNE-SYD is extremely steep airfare for a 2 year old. Unfortunately I cannot afford that airfare.

 

[JohnK]

@JohnK you mention your daughter uses a tablet does she use headphones?

Good question. She has been putting on headphones but not while using the tablet. That is something we need to teach her.

Note 5 weeks ago was first flight with tablet and I'm conscious of noise and I'm certain we did not cross the line.

 

[maureeng]

I took my 8 year old granddaughter to Hong Kong in J then on to Beijing. Staff commented on how polite and well mannered she was. She was probably the quietest in the cabin. I would have been a bit embarrassed if before the flight took off if someone said to me that they hoped she would be quiet. That kind of comment even if said politely could make one feel uncomfortable.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I took my 8 year old granddaughter to Hong Kong in J then on to Beijing. Staff commented on how polite and well mannered she was.

Interesting in itself. If it's newsworthy enough for the crew to make such a comment, what does it say about other children the crew come in contact with? Unless the crew say it to every parent (in which case it's a bit meaningless.)

 

[33kft]

Interesting in itself. If it's newsworthy enough for the crew to make such a comment, what does it say about other children the crew come in contact with? Unless the crew say it to every parent (in which case it's a bit meaningless.)

It's just banal conversation. Taking a child anywhere always gets you a comment on how well they behaved. I doubt they even think about it before they say it.

 

[drron]

Not always.On AA the FAs said that about grandson and then took him up to the coughpit.No other young child got that experience.

 

[Pushka]

It's just banal conversation. Taking a child anywhere always gets you a comment on how well they behaved. I doubt they even think about it before they say it.

When a child doesn’t behave well nothing would be said.

 

[33kft]

Not always.On AA the FAs said that about grandson and then took him up to the coughpit.No other young child got that experience.

I agree, that is exceptional.

When a child doesn’t behave well nothing would be said.

True also, all I'm pointing out is that I can't recall a single trip where we haven't had cabin crew + pax say this while traveling with our infant (which is very very much appreciated, btw), and being small and curious and unaware of the world around her, I can tell you that she's no more or less well behaved than 80% of the infants out there (but would likely be pretty well traveled in comparison), so it seems to be based on an expectation that she'd scream the entire time. When that is the perceived baseline I can tell you that it's pretty easy to impress, since if she does get upset it takes only a few minutes to divert her attention.

But keep in mind also that kids are kids and planes are planes. On almost every trip we've had she's managed to need to be changed the minute we get on the plane. This is the absolute worst time as everyone needs to be seated and buckled and all of the pushback, takeoff and climb takes time and in the meantime you have this little thing that expects to be attended to immediately as she usually is, and a bunch of regulations that say you can't, so she's going to be a bit unsettled and require extra attention diversion from us, and she'll make a bit of unavoidable noise in the meantime.

Thankfully we still get the compliments at the end so it shows that pax and crew are supportive as long as you're going to ensure that the child isn't unreasonably disruptive, which I think is very generous and again is something we as new parents greatly appreciate.

 

[JohnK]

That sounds very odd indeed! My procedure is the reverse... you slide back in the seat, so your bottom is right against the seat back. This creates the room to stand up. Trying to stand up from a slouched-down position would be difficult!

I've got all sorts of issues and in extreme pain. I'm uncomfortable as it is in those tiny seats. I'm not going to go out of my way to ensure I don't inconvenience someone who doesn't care about anyone other than themselves.

In saying that I won't yank the seat in front but I will use the seat in front for support to get up.

 

[mrsterryn]

Children aren't not the worse thing
Eye masks for light and the monitors on
Ear plugs for noise
but can someone please suggest for the situation I just had
This poor person must have been in agony as their sleeping umm....gas was ...the worse I have ever smelt and I am married with a son and a dog so I know and cope with smells but these were just.....

 

[Hvr]

This poor person must have been in agony as their sleeping umm....gas was ...the worse I have ever smelt

Ummm, sorry but when I fly it happens.

Did you get a warning or were they SBDs?

 

[mrsterryn]

Ummm, sorry but when I fly it happens.

Did you get a warning or were they SBDs?

Definitely the wafting SBD type
But really I was whinging for me but to have that degree of SBD I did think they would have to be uncomfortable and possible if aware uncomfortable they are doing that
On the original part the flight I was on today in emerald city appear to have 5 small children as in under 5s in it...just for interest . I was grateful that for once I didn't get my seat in there

 

[Hvr]

Definitely the wafting SBD type

Maybe it was the same one bouncing off the walls?

 

[mrsterryn]

Maybe it was the same one bouncing off the walls?

Oops..have edited my post to say I didn't get emerald city this trip
Nope all adults around me this trip on the map cabin
Would have to say At least 80% were going on holidays.