RANT: I don't care if you want to sit next to your kids on the airplane

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

... but don't forget that would be after you refused to move when she asked to change seats so she could be there to take of him.

Actually, it was after she had spoken to the people at the gate, not the people on the plane.

But lets say that she did ask me, and I said no.

Maybe I need my seat because I am across from my husband and I am a terrible flyer. Or by my mother, who needs medication at a certain time.

Remember, she doesn't know why I said no. She just assumes that I am being mean. And she plans to pay me back, by sleeping while her child needs her.

 

[gwynne]

Actually, it was after she had spoken to the people at the gate, not the people on the plane.

But lets say that she did ask me, and I said no.

Maybe I need my seat because I am across from my husband and I am a terrible flyer. Or by my mother, who needs medication at a certain time.

Remember, she doesn't know why I said no. She just assumes that I am being mean. And she plans to pay me back, by sleeping while her child needs her.

I guess I think if a parent is insistent that the child sit by them, then be proactive. Book actual seats, monitor them, and if there is a problem take it up with the gate agent.
I don't get why anyone should be bothering other passengers. Adults may have good reasons for sitting where they do, and I don't think they should be shamed or pressurized into changing seats unless they wish to. If the situation is that important, let the FA's do the asking.
I sit next to dh because sometimes he needs my assistance. No, I won't be moving.

 

[asta]

Funny thing about people and assigned seats. My daughter and I have season tickets to a few different theaters in town. One time we arrived to find the people who had the seats next to us had invited friends and sat them in our seats (third row, middle). They thought my daughter had no business being at that particular play and had claimed our seats. Them offered us side balcony in the back seats. Uhm no. You can move voluntarily or I can go get an usher.

Not an airline issue but I am amazed at the number of people who take their seat assignments as just a suggestion. We go to a lot of sporting events and somewhere around us there is always someone sitting in a seat that isn't theirs. The one thing that especially gets me is how the seat poachers usually make the ticket holder show the ticket to them to prove the seat is theirs. The poachers know the seat isn't theirs so they just need to get up and move. We had to get the usher at the last hockey game because a couple refused to move out of our seats. The poachers ended up explaining that they "always" had an aisle seat and they thought they should have been able to sit there.

Sorry for the side rant.

 

[BigAlsGal]

I hate flying. I would rather have a root canal than be in such close quarters with that many people.

Unfortunately it's a necessary evil. I do it but I hate it.

 

[mnrose]

Not an airline issue but I am amazed at the number of people who take their seat assignments as just a suggestion. We go to a lot of sporting events and somewhere around us there is always someone sitting in a seat that isn't theirs. The one thing that especially gets me is how the seat poachers usually make the ticket holder show the ticket to them to prove the seat is theirs. The poachers know the seat isn't theirs so they just need to get up and move. We had to get the usher at the last hockey game because a couple refused to move out of our seats. The poachers ended up explaining that they "always" had an aisle seat and they thought they should have been able to sit there.

Sorry for the side rant.

Yup. Those people are annoying. And, they exist everywhere. "I want THIS seat...see there's one over there, go take it." The same thing happens on planes....people want to see your ticket. They bloody well know they are in the wrong seat....but I suppose they expect us to be the same kind of crass seat poachers that they are. Those people, I will NEVER switch for. If you ask me nicely BEFORE you poach my seat, I will give it due consideration and see if your suggested trade is fair and reasonable, but poach my seat? The ONLY acceptable answer would be that you had a seat in first class and instead wanted to sit in the back, and would I mind taking your assigned seat in first class? As if that would ever happen.....

 

[Magpie]

My husband and I have shuffled our seats around many times, most often without being asked. We've done it so couples can sit together. So women in hijab can sit next to me, instead of my husband. So parents can sit next to their kids (that last is a bit selfish on my part - I don't want to have to entertain/console/care for the kid!). I'll take a seat next to someone obese, so my husband doesn't have to, since I'm the skinny one in our family. Would I move in the OP's story? I really don't know! How rude is "rude"? I'd probably have asked the child where their parent was when I sat down, and things would have unfolded from there in a very different fashion.

As for another person's story about being forced to sit next to the family from hell... when I found out that dad was back a few rows, I think I'd have insisted he take the seat next to his family. And I'd have tried to get the stewardess to back me up. At the very least, I'd have made sure he understood what a sad, selfish excuse for a parent he was. (Yeah, I'm friendly and accommodating, but I can also get quite snippy when my back's up.)

I find it very disappointing that the OP never returned to clarify her original post. S/he just tossed it out there for everyone to argue over. We don't know how old the child was. We don't know whether the seat she'd have been trading for was also an aisle seat. We don't know anything.

All I do know is that I'm not particularly possessive about my seat. I just want to get to my destination, preferably without a child screaming in my ear.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

If someone told me to "have fun with their kid that gets sick frequently", I'd spend the whole flight telling the kid how irresponsible his parents are and giving them advice on how to get away with whatever they want as a teenager.

And depending on the age, maybe some discussion about certain visits one gets when they lose a tooth or on certain holidays might be in order...



(don't take me seriously folks. I would never mess with a kid that way.
There was a warning in an adult book store I visited once a long time ago, that said "If you bring your underage kid in here, they will leave with more worldly knowledge than they started with. We'll start with who the Easter Bunny REALLY is....."
Also read somewhere, someone claimed to have business cards made up with something like "tell your kid to quit kicking my seat or I'll tell them who Santa is." )

 

[Dis703]

Not an airline issue but I am amazed at the number of people who take their seat assignments as just a suggestion. We go to a lot of sporting events and somewhere around us there is always someone sitting in a seat that isn't theirs. The one thing that especially gets me is how the seat poachers usually make the ticket holder show the ticket to them to prove the seat is theirs. The poachers know the seat isn't theirs so they just need to get up and move. We had to get the usher at the last hockey game because a couple refused to move out of our seats. The poachers ended up explaining that they "always" had an aisle seat and they thought they should have been able to sit there.

Sorry for the side rant.

We went to a concert a few months ago and there were 2 ladies in our seats. They were apparently moved there from the balcony (we were on the floor 8th row) and they were not going to move for us despite the fact I showed them our tickets with the seat numbers. An usher came over to assist and they just kept saying "but they told us to sit here." Finally the usher just had them move over a couple of seats but they were obviously very annoyed and giving us dirty looks. That's the first time I have ever encountered such a thing and it blew my mind that they were trying to argue with us about sitting there.

We have a local movie theatre where you pick your seats in advance and there are often people in our seats when we arrive, but they are at least nice about moving. Not sure why it's such a hard concept to sit in the seats you chose though.

 

[Poohforyou]

So the OP was last seen viewing this thread about an hour ago but has not posted again. I think this thread is some kind of social experiment for a grad school course.

 

[gwynne]

So the OP was last seen viewing this thread about an hour ago but has not posted again. I think this thread is some kind of social experiment for a grad school course.

Or just a bit of fun to pass the time...

 

[CPanther95]

... but don't forget that would be after you refused to move when she asked to change seats so she could be there to take of him.

That would be an awkward convo:

"Ma'am, I called your bluff - at least I thought it had been a bluff - but now realize the merits of switching seats. I'll be glad to switch now."

"Switch to a vomit soaked airline seat? Let's poll some nearby passengers to see what the market value is on such a switch and I'll accept the average of those responses."

 

[declansdad]

So the OP was last seen viewing this thread about an hour ago but has not posted again. I think this thread is some kind of social experiment for a grad school course.

Or just a bit of fun to pass the time...

or maybe they said what they had to say. Unless they come back and fill everyone in, we will never know.

 

[RedAngie]

Passive-aggressive would be more along the lines of saying, "Well, most people would want a parent and child to sit together" or speaking to their child, "Honey it's OK, some people are only concerned with themselves and have no consideration for others"

My response, not directly to the child but loud enough for both to hear "Some Mommies need to look in a mirror before speaking."

 

[bookgirl]

I have comforted more than one sick and crying child while their parent ignored them (though not on a plane) at that point they were probably better off with me anyway.

I have amused quite a few kids (both on plans and at sporting events) since their parents seemed incapable of planning ahead that their kid might get hungry/thirsty/bored and I've interacted with a few whose parents did everything right but just had a fussy kid.

It happens, and honestly kids don't bother me nearly as much as the juvenile behavior I see from adults.

So again, I might not move to your middle seat just so you can sit with your kid.

 

[roseaster]

I guess I don't understand why people are assuming that someone doesn't want to move just because they are a big ol' meanie or they don't have kids.

People have a variety of reasons for wanting or needing to sit where they paid to sit. It may not be something you consider important, or you may consider your issue more important, but whose needs trumps whose is very subjective. Not the least of which is that, hypothetically, I paid to sit here and I'm not keen on throwing away money, and you won't reimburse me.

If I was sitting next to a child who was crying and sick or misbehaving to the point where it disturbed me (and I am another one who is blessed to be able to fall asleep before the plane even levels off) you can bet I would be ringing that bell repeatedly foe you to get up and tend to your child.

The majority of us send our kids to school 8 hours a day starting at about age 5. We expect them to be able to maintain certain behavior for that 8 hours without us hovering over them. Given that scenario, I would assume that the majority of our kids can maintain themselves for a few hours on a plane, especially knowing we are only a few aisles away.

I have a kid that, oddly, got carsick on long trips, but never gets sick on a plane. From the age of about 5 on, she knew to announce she didn't feel well, and vomit in a bag without making a big, crying production over it. You can bet, though, if it were that anxiety or trauma inducing that she were vomiting all over herself and crying we wouldn't have been taking her on any long car trips.

BTW. After the 1st drive to WDW we learned that dramamine was our friend.

 

[Flight]

I boarded and sat at my aisle seat. Shortly after, a man came on and sat in the row across from me at the window seat. He was coughing and hacking - obviously not feeling well. Later, a couple boarded and the wife had the window seat next to me and the husband had the aisle seat next to the coughing passenger. Before they sat down, they asked me if I would change to the other aisle seat (next to the coughing passenger) so they could sit together. I politely declined. The couple was surprised because I only had to move from one aisle seat to another aisle seat in the same row.

I was immediately aware that this could be considered insensitive and selfish. I hope that when the husband sat down and experienced the coughing man next to him for the entire flight, he realized why I had declined to move.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

I projectile vomit up and down all the isles if I don't get a free upgrade to 1st class. My wife holds her breath til she passes out if she isn't upgraded with me. I always try to warn the flight crew but they simply don't believe til we're forced to call the bluff.

 

[Kitty 34]

So the OP was last seen viewing this thread about an hour ago but has not posted again. I think this thread is some kind of social experiment for a grad school course.

His/Her grad paper should be quite interesting!!!

 

[kugelette]

Or just a bit of fun to pass the time...

Considering how ridiculous and entertaining the responses are, I'd guess it's this one.

 

[kugelette]

That would be an awkward convo:

"Ma'am, I called your bluff - at least I thought it had been a bluff - but now realize the merits of switching seats. I'll be glad to switch now."

"Switch to a vomit soaked airline seat? Let's poll some nearby passengers to see what the market value is on such a switch and I'll accept the average of those responses."

This is the best comment in this thread. Thanks for the literal lol.