A tale of two children (in J)

[mrsterryn]

So if youre quietly sitting in your seat, settling in, is it OK for Mr 3A to walk up to you and tell you to "make sure you are quiet for the flight because I need to sleep".

Would you think thats a perfectly reasonable action from Mr 3A (who youve never met/seen or gave reason for such a request) or would you be thinking hes either a potential nutter or STFU, sit down and leave me alone?

I would be thinking hes a potential nutter and should be watched for any unreasonable behaviours during the flight because he has so little self control.

I was so impressed the OP was civil cause I have gotta say your comments came quickly to mind @Denali

 

[Forg]

Ok how come the title has changed ? My email says something different to the original title ?
Or am I being blonde and Old ?

Are you sure you're not getting confused between the notifications of posting in this thread & the newsletter? The newsletter has some comments on this topic (and I presume then points the reader to the thread), but the newsletter item doesn't have the exact same title as the thread.

 

[mrsterryn]

Are you sure you're not getting confused between the notifications of posting in this thread & the newsletter? The newsletter has some comments on this topic (and I presume then points the reader to the thread), but the newsletter item doesn't have the exact same title as the thread.

Ahhh my husband knew it was me being blonde
sorry for the off topic
Thanks

 

[Beano]

I think it was very impolite to ask your children to be quiet. It's like the signs which say "Thank you for not smoking", but I dn't smoke. What other activities should they thank you for not doing, spitting on the floor?

Anyway adults can be just as intrusive, but people say its normal chat, but there is a limit when normal chat is like a public announcement Tannoy.
I recently had a child behind me which threw a tantrum before we took off, and we were on the tarmac for 3 hours because of weather delays. Fortunatley once we took off all was quiet for the rest of the flight.
I don't particularly mind the occasional squeek; my wife says I could sleep through a crying baby.

PS can we pleae have a spll check on this site?

 

[badseed]

I'm a considerate parent but I doubt I would've been as polite in response. Yes - there are a few parents who struggle with their kids, or just give up, but they're in the minority. Most of us also want our little ones to settle in and go to sleep. But as any parent (or anyone with parents ;-) should know, kids will sometimes just flip out for no particular reason.

Thankfully my 2.5yo has just transitioned from little horror to slightly bigger IFE zombie (with iPad with 6 seasons of Thomas the Tank Engine as backup).

 

[Scarlett]

‘Candy’, in the context used at least, not being a word in Australian English.
Like ‘jail’ used not to be; and look at the horror-show that happened there when we let our guards down!

It's when 'aloominUM' starts to gain traction that we shall all know the good fight has been lost...

 

[drron]

My hubby is retired, is there a 'under 60s the wife still works and Im retired' cabin that I dont know about?

No but there is an I'm still working but my wife is retired cabin.

 

[drron]

The only children that we regularly have trouble with are well over 21.

Though how many under 12s get to spend the flight in your cabin jb.Remembering according to most airlines over 12s are adults.

 

[mrsterryn]

*grumble* I talked about this thread too much Mr Terry joined AFF
Back on topic

 

[lacuska1]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

No this is not one of those periodic threads debating whether infants / children should be allowed in the J cabin (I think angel children should be allowed, monster babies sent to the cargo hold or, better, fly DHL*)

But i was flying SQ SIN - HKG in J the other day on the early ~730am flight. In 12ACD with my two daughters - 5.5 years and 2.5 years. Connectin from Perth after bringing them to watch the Wiggles Live (the SQ 772 was also a jet plane, so they couldn't "do the propeller"^, but it was hard to explain to my children that one goes to great lengths to avoid the 737 and propeller planes if they can really help it)


Before take-off whilst boarding a man in 11A comes up to me and says would you make sure your daughters are quiet for the flight because I need to sleep. Stunned, as this this is the first time encountering this sort of request in the dozens of flights with my daughters, I compose myself, smile and tell him "hopefully". Threads from AFF / FT about narky passengers and infants in J start racing through my head. I could be the subject of a thread here! Story ended without further drama, because he managed to get the FA to move him to row 17 or somewhere back in the mini cabin and I never saw him again.

I find out later from the meal cart passenger manifest that said person in 11A was a "Dr xx_" - PhD or MBBS / MD I don't know I guess maybe Mr Dr needs to sleep to perform a crucial operation later that day, or maybe he was partying too late at Zouk** the night before and was hungover, or simply scarred from his last flight with the nightmare toddler from hell. I certainly hope he was not a pediatrician - he would be better suited as a radiologist or a colo-rectal surgeon with that sort of children skills.

He wasn't overly rude so I wasn't particularly offended - and he wasn't nasty or giving me evil death star(e)s. Still I thought it was pretty brazen for someone to be so open and upfront, especially when nothing had even happened yet. I certainly wouldn't have dared to be s vocal, I guess better be open and upfront than stewing like a beef bourguignon in your seat. Or maybe he likes George Bush Jnr and subscribes to his doctrine of "preemptive strikes"***.

Still 11A (bassinet row) is a particularly weird seat choice if one wanted to be as far away from infants as possible.

I told my wife and she told her mummy friends and they found this encounter incredulous and said I was too polite - they would have had some harsher words. Maybe I was too kind then, or maybe I subscribe to Bush Snr's vision of a "kinder" and "gentler" society**** (may he RIP).

What would you do?

*My daughters equivocally belong to the angel category - IFE keeps them well entertained. the only time being when my eldest was 3 and i brought her to the MH J toilet on the 737 to discipline her for being naughty - and she decided to vomit on me (maybe as payback for making her fly the MH recliner seats?)
** Zouk (club) - Wikipedia
*** Bush Doctrine - Wikipedia
**** Opinion | George H.W. Bush’s Uncommon Grace

^
^

probably the doctor had some very bad experience like I did with noisy kids on the plane hence he tried to preemptive warning-but obviously he failed as you stage yourself as the victim and everybody else who pay top dollars for a business or first class seat have to put up with parents who are not willing to control the behavior of their brood-good for you if you are the few who willing to do something about that but why make a big fuss about this event???

 

[lacuska1]

sure it happened to me a few times-like screaming kid from DXB to BUD all the way in the smaller cabin of a 777-after flying from Adelaide the previous night-some Indian parent who have no idea how to behave on a plane.Or some Singapurian parents with 2 kids in first class from ZRH to Sin-on SQ.So we all know these sort of behavior pattern when 'family' people feels they are entitled to let their kids do whatever they like-this is not a playground-and families with noisy kids should have a special place -maybe the back of the plane where they all can sit together and enjoy -a special cabin reserved to families with infants and small children-they could set it up -1-2 rows for business and the rest for Y-so they wouldn't disturb others-that would make sense than there wouldn't be any confrontations like this guy is so apprehensive about.

 

[Pushka]

probably the doctor had some very bad experience like I did with noisy kids on the plane hence he tried to preemptive warning-but obviously he failed as you stage yourself as the victim and everybody else who pay top dollars for a business or first class seat have to put up with parents who are not willing to control the behavior of their brood-good for you if you are the few who willing to do something about that but why make a big fuss about this event???

I think ermen behaved impeccably in the situation that he was presented with and I dont think I might have. Yes, I understand the person may have had a bad experience but he had no right to assume that every situation is the same. ermen was merely telling a story and obviously one in which we are interested. He did the opposite of making a fuss in the first instance.

I too give a bit of a groan when I see a child in Business but I cannot remember ever being disturbed by a child. Its the "maybe they are a screamer and the parents wont give a rats" scenario. But that hasn't eventuated yet....on a plane. We've all seen that kind of episode. I would never dare say to a passenger what this person told ermen.

One of my children would have been a nightmare in J not that we could afford to fly in J when the kids were young. I did feel better travelling in Y with him however. Guess that will rile a few people here too.

 

[monoccular]

Yes I can sometimes get annoyed by screaming kids.
More so by undisciplined rowdy ones. Especially those in the seat behind who continually kick the seat without being asked (are kids allowed to be told these days?) to desist by their parents. They are the only times I have turned around and spoken to parents.
Many infants get scared and also get more pressure related ear issues than adults, and their only response is screaming.
Yes I do sometimes go for a bulkhead seat and am prepared to put up with the occasional bassinet.
But to pre-empt a mother with kids is just not Kosher.
I am more intimidated by seeing an elephant lumbering down the aisle when the seat beside me is vacant
(I may be regarded as quite antisocial as I put on by noise cancelling headphones as soon as I sit and rarely engage with adjacent PAX, which usually keep out most of the annoyances other than kicking).

 

[Matt_01]

.....The first time I flew in Business, I was stunned to discover that someone had a young child there, and it was noisy for the entire Au to US flight. $8 grand down the gurgler.

The child's parents would have also had to pony up for the child's seat so they have just as much right to be there.

Why on earth are children allowed in Business? Look at the name... Business.

"Business" is less of a mouthful than "I can afford it or my employer is funding Class".

 

[mannej]

probably the doctor had some very bad experience like I did with noisy kids on the plane hence he tried to preemptive warning-but obviously he failed as you stage yourself as the victim and everybody else who pay top dollars for a business or first class seat have to put up with parents who are not willing to control the behavior of their brood-good for you if you are the few who willing to do something about that but why make a big fuss about this event???

Perhaps commenting based on stereotypes and assumptions is what surprised the OP here. I am not so sure they have done anything wrong here, nor have they suggested any type of victim mentality.

 

[Janflyer]

Personally, I would have waited to see if the children misbehaved in flight before saying anything, but at the end of the day, a polite request was made and answered with a polite response

What concerns me more is the OP checking out the names on the passenger manifest:

I find out later from the meal cart passenger manifest that said person in 11A was a "Dr xx_"

That is an invasion of privacy on the part of the OP towards all other passengers on the flight and to my thinking a far more serious issue.

 

[Flying mermaid]

So many grumpy people on this thread. . If people are honest there are all sorts of reasons why, when you pay big dollars for things, the experience gets ruined by selfish people. My pet hate is people taking photos at musicals even when they have been told not to. Just ruins it.

I travelled extensively with children (all paid for out of our own money) in F and J. It might be called business but if anyone thinks Qantas (or any other airline) is going to turn down 4 or 5 J or F fares just because the people are on holiday, then they are living in fairy land . I was complimented on our kids behaviour many times. Now that I am pushing 70 and out of the mixing with kids group, I do eye a child in F or J a bit apprehensively, but I have never had my sleep disturbed. They can be cute to talk to as well - had a real charmer in J on the way back from Joburg a few years ago.

 

[mrtupperware]

There's an easy solution to the "kids in business class" problem. Charge parents more for the child - something like double or triple, if the kids behave refund the difference to the parents, if they don't pass the money to passengers that were impacted by the bad behaviour. Win / win for everyone

 

[Pushka]

My pet hate is people taking photos at musicals even when they have been told not to. Just ruins it.

Or worse. An older woman HUMMING when Andrea Bocelli was singing in a concert. And this was after she had taken photos with her LCD screen leaning across me. Needless to say I just said Stop! She did. And glared at me for the rest of the night and refused to stand for the standing ovation. cough. I just giggled a bit.

There's an easy solution to the "kids in business class" problem. Charge parents more for the child - something like double or triple, if the kids behave refund the difference to the parents, if they don't pass the money to passengers that were impacted by the bad behaviour. Win / win for everyone

Que?

 

[Matt_01]

There's an easy solution to the "kids in business class" problem. Charge parents more for the child - something like double or triple, if the kids behave refund the difference to the parents, if they don't pass the money to passengers that were impacted by the bad behaviour. Win / win for everyone

Well this is about the most ridiculous post I have come across on AFF, even if it is being sarcastic.