Back in 1985 when Longtime Buddy Trevor and I were flying from Johannesburg to the U.S. on our first trip together, I recall that as we took our seats (center two seats in the 6-across row), I looked around and saw that we were literally surrounded by families with babies — I mean, two babies in the row in front, three in the row behind, and two on each side.
The flight from JNB – JFK used to take about 17 hours, with a refueling stop in the Canary Islands en route. I could see that a lengthy period of pain was shortly about to begin, so I called a flight attendant over, and very quietly asked if she could find another family with babies elsewhere on the plane, and see if we could swap seats with them. She cast a glance around our seats, and a look of total sympathy came over her face. “Give me a couple of minutes”, she said, and headed off.
She was true to her word. “I found a couple with a baby who’ll swap — but they’re quite far back. Would that be okay with you two?”
She hadn’t even finished the sentence when Trevor and I were standing up, bags at ready. We even helped the couple with their baby stuff to our seats.
Nowadays, of course, airlines have made such an action almost impossible, what with fees and the deliberate splitting up of couples and families so that they can inflict “change fees” on us all, the bastards.
So I see this action as a step in the right direction:
The Turkish-Dutch airline Corendon Airlines is testing an “Only Adult” zone on flights between Amsterdam and Curaçao starting in November, according to a press release.
This area will be located at the front of the Airbus A350-900 aircraft and consists of nine XL seats with additional legroom and 93 standard seats.
I have no problem with people traveling with infants — hell, if they want to inflict that on themselves, then all power to ’em — and indeed, this is especially true when said families are bringing over Beloved Grandchildren to see Nana and Oupa. Not that I’m biased, or anything.
But let’s be honest: babies are noisy (not to say noisome) little beasts, and I can certainly sympathize with those who don’t want to endure a long-haul flight with their ears assaulted by wails which can easily drown out the sound of the jet engines.
And if it were that much of a problem for me (it isn’t really), I have no issue with an airline offering me an option to buy a little peace and quiet.
Afterthought: I was amazed that “Amsterdam – Curaçao” even existed as a fight option, but a cursory glance showed that Curaçao is one of the several connecting points from Europe to the West Indies, most notably to Aruba (still a Dutch colony).
…not that I’m suggesting anything, of course.
I don’t fly (never been on a plane since I was a young kid around 2, so I guess I was one of those annoying brats).
However, whether it be planes, or as I sometimes have to deal with restaurants, I hate hearing screaming, whining little CROTCH FRUITS.
I don’t have kids, and those who did CHOSE to have kids… and those who have kids can CHOOSE to not disturb those of us who want to go out and enjoy meals, vacations, etc in PEACE, and hire a babysitter or buy a muzzle.
If your little turd machine kid is a whiner, cryer or some other noise maker either leave them with a family member or baby sitter or don’t go out and ruin others times out.
I’m sorry, I know kids will be kids, but in some settings, like, after a long day of dealing with the ADULT babies I work with all day, I don’t want to go for a nice meal out with my wife and have to listen to someone’s fucked up noise making SEMON DEMON.
You don’t like kids then?
I don’t dislike kids. I even am not bothered by well behaved or screaming kids at places like malls or shopping stores etc.
My point is that when I want to pay the high price to dine out or go to a hotel on vacation (I drive not fly), I don’t want to, and shouldn’t have to, listen to someone else’s screaming crotch fruit.
Just like I can’t go to a restaurant and start yelling and screaming, parents should understand that they can’t bring their kids to dine out if they are going to act like that.
Unless we are talking about McDonalds or some other quick service restaurant.
Aruba pix: Doesn’t anyone go there? Is it preserved in amber?
Boring!
Coffeeman is right. If your children can’t or won’t behave in public then they do not belong in public.
I’d definitely choose a section without kids.
Flying with my rugby friends, one introduced me to scotch while flying. Funny, the brats sounded more quiet with each dose of scotch.
JQ
I’ve mostly flown in steerage and have journeyed aboard the Screamin’ Baby Express on more than one occasion.
On a somewhat unrelated note, I wish to express my gratitude for our betters at American Airlines, and you should too. Thanks to me slant-eyed mum, I use chopsticks as often as a knife & fork, and always take a pair with me when I travel. But not on American! You think screamin’ babies are bad? You need to check yourself, bro. Clearly you’ve never contemplated slant-eyed Polacks like me, who appreciate nothing more than deviously twirling our mustaches, whilst targeting unwary travelers – like YOU – to skewer, stab and impale. With our chopsticks.
American Airlines CONFISCATED my fucking hashi. To keep you safe. From me. So get down on your knees, you pathetic chattel, and pray that Mother Nature & Father Sun may one day forgive you for failing to appreciate the lengths to which Big Bro will go to insure that we are all insulated from the menace of multi cultural dining utensils. So let it be written, so let it be done. Amen. And Awoman.
On yet another unrelated note, I offer a famous family story from Casa Kotowski: when mom & dad were dating, she took him to a restaurant to sample some of the food she grew up eating. Dad liked the food, but was disappointed the portions were so small. As they were leaving, dad remarked “No wonder you people are so short. You don’t eat anything!”
I told that story to some friends a few years ago while were dining at Chipotle together. A dude at a another table overheard, and asked me “So your dad was a racist?” We all looked at him, thunderstruck that A) he had intruded into a conversation that was none of his business, and B) he was such a rancid little fuckstick. I replied “That’s right Sunshine. Now why don’t you call your mommy and have a good cry like the whiny little bitch you are.” Fuckstick turned red, but said nothing in reply. I’d like to believe he could tell by how we were looking at him so intently, that we were HOPING he would take it to another level.
Entertainment. It’s everywhere, you just have to pay attention.
Now if we could get .gov to rollback the horrendous change they made to rentals back in the ’80s that took away adult communities (apartments) for other than retirees. When I first moved rented an apartment with a roommate at one such development, it was just nice. We were by the pool, the laundry rooms were clean, the place was quiet except for some weeknight partying that didn’t get out of hand.
Then some variant of ‘fair housing act’ passed that made it discrimination to not rent to people with kids. The management company dumped our development to a shitty remote chicago-based one and within a month the place was overrun with kids that were not being controlled in any way. Complaints were ignored, the pool and laundry room became pigsties. Las Vegas Metro Police would not respond to noise complaints unless damage was done (and the banshees in the pool broke our front window that now separated us from mayhem twice; both were still taped when we left, waiting for shitty chicago management to fix them).
Needless to say none of this was sufficient to get out of our lease. Not that there was anywhere to go since at the time all the apartments in Las Vegas were being told that _any_ setaside, any effort to leave one area for adults and another for ‘families’ would be harshly prosecuted.
That must be a Vegas thing. We have “Senior” (i.e. no kids) apartment complexes all over the place.