Have you ever witnessed anything on an airplane?

[bcla]

You could say the same thing about elderly people who can't lift their luggage to the overhead. Or even short people.

Elderly who can't do that can theoretically request a reduced-price companion fare, and some airlines will offer that for free. They can also request (typically in advance) special assistance. I don't know of any airline that would provide assistance just because someone has children.

 

[DaisyJ]

Yeah, I've had a few doozies. The ones that stick out the most are just the plain crazy people. Flying from Atlanta to Florida, we left the gate on time and then were just sitting on the tarmac. Flight attendants keep getting up and walking to a row a few behind us, which is not supposed to happen. We finally start moving again, but then my boyfriend notes we're traveling in a circle. Then we stop again. The captain finally gets on the PA and super irritatedly tells everyone that someone on the plane complained to the FAs that she thought the plane was making a "funny noise." She wouldn't listen when they said everything is fine and the plane was checked pre-flight per usual, so she called the airport, who ordered the plane grounded and sent out a maintenance crew, who obviously found nothing wrong. We finally took off and the pilot announced the FAs would remain seated the whole time and they would not be offering any food or beverage service. Pretty much everyone stared daggers at the woman for the rest of the flight. Not sure if she had some sort of weird attention issue or what, but it was obvious the pilot didn't want the FAs to have to deal with her anymore.

Another crazy lady on a New York to FL flight was just screaming and cursing at the top of her lungs complaining about the faint gas smell once we landed, claiming the airline was trying to kill us all.

"There is something wrong with the LEFT PHALANGE!!"

 

[bcla]

I've never seen a lapchild on an international flight now that you mention it. Weird, I'd never thought about it. When I travel for business, and the flight is 7-8 hours they usually put us in business and I have decent status, so its been probably 10 years since I flew coach overseas. I'm with you on the whole thing though, it seems like its an accident waiting to happen to VERY ill effect.

Depends I guess. I've heard that some airlines have bassinet setups. The hooks are typically on the bulkhead row. They're not guaranteed though, and I've heard of complaints when they were all taken.

http://www.stylehiclub.com/cruising-flying/airplane-baby-bassinet/

And back to the subject of getting liquored up, I have flown first class once in my life. There were literally about 4 passengers in a first class section that seated maybe 18, along with two flight attendants primarily serving first class. And it was first class booze too. XO Cognac, Dom Perignon or Krug, etc. I think I could have requested to keep an entire bottle but didn't think to do it.

 

[hereyago]

I remember a near miss. While flying back from MCO a couple of years ago our flight was delayed multiple times and we ended up having to be rerouted to Atlanta and then on to DTW. On the flight from Atlanta DH and I sat next to a stoned guy. He wasn't belligerent but he was obnoxious and REEKED of pot. Going on and on about how he missed his flight because he was hustling through the airport to make his flight and just had to stop and talk to a pretty girl he saw working in a sunglass shop and he bought $80 worth of sunglasses and didn't even get her number then he was RUNNING through the airport and ran into an escalator and skinned his knee so he had to go to first aid and get a couple of band aids which he had bled through and stained his pants (which he proudly showed me). Then he saw a friend several rows up and started hollering "yo dawg!!!" to get his attention and tell him to come sit in an empty seat back near us.

Then the fun started. He was on his phone talking to a friend who was supposed to pick him up at the airport and making arrangements for going bar hopping that night while we are taxiing to the runway. This is, of course, against regulations. The FA kept telling him to turn the phone off and he was just ignoring her. She was getting pretty forceful but luckily he ended his conversation and turned it off before it got too bad. Then, thankfully, he fell asleep and stayed that way for the remainder of the flight. When we landed he woke up and started complaining that no one woke him when the drink cart came by and looked at me and said "whoa did I fall asleep?!?!?! Yo dawg, I think I stopped breathing!!! Did I stop breathing?" Yes, you stopped breathing for an entire two hours and magically started breathing again upon landing.

We were happy to get off that flight.

Was his name Jeff Spicoli?lol. I am imagining the character from Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

 

[hereyago]

I remember a near miss. While flying back from MCO a couple of years ago our flight was delayed multiple times and we ended up having to be rerouted to Atlanta and then on to DTW. On the flight from Atlanta DH and I sat next to a stoned guy. He wasn't belligerent but he was obnoxious and REEKED of pot. Going on and on about how he missed his flight because he was hustling through the airport to make his flight and just had to stop and talk to a pretty girl he saw working in a sunglass shop and he bought $80 worth of sunglasses and didn't even get her number then he was RUNNING through the airport and ran into an escalator and skinned his knee so he had to go to first aid and get a couple of band aids which he had bled through and stained his pants (which he proudly showed me). Then he saw a friend several rows up and started hollering "yo dawg!!!" to get his attention and tell him to come sit in an empty seat back near us.

Then the fun started. He was on his phone talking to a friend who was supposed to pick him up at the airport and making arrangements for going bar hopping that night while we are taxiing to the runway. This is, of course, against regulations. The FA kept telling him to turn the phone off and he was just ignoring her. She was getting pretty forceful but luckily he ended his conversation and turned it off before it got too bad. Then, thankfully, he fell asleep and stayed that way for the remainder of the flight. When we landed he woke up and started complaining that no one woke him when the drink cart came by and looked at me and said "whoa did I fall asleep?!?!?! Yo dawg, I think I stopped breathing!!! Did I stop breathing?" Yes, you stopped breathing for an entire two hours and magically started breathing again upon landing.

We were happy to get off that flight.

Was his name Jeff Spicoli?lol. I am imagining the character from Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

 

[hereyago]

I remember a near miss. While flying back from MCO a couple of years ago our flight was delayed multiple times and we ended up having to be rerouted to Atlanta and then on to DTW. On the flight from Atlanta DH and I sat next to a stoned guy. He wasn't belligerent but he was obnoxious and REEKED of pot. Going on and on about how he missed his flight because he was hustling through the airport to make his flight and just had to stop and talk to a pretty girl he saw working in a sunglass shop and he bought $80 worth of sunglasses and didn't even get her number then he was RUNNING through the airport and ran into an escalator and skinned his knee so he had to go to first aid and get a couple of band aids which he had bled through and stained his pants (which he proudly showed me). Then he saw a friend several rows up and started hollering "yo dawg!!!" to get his attention and tell him to come sit in an empty seat back near us.

Then the fun started. He was on his phone talking to a friend who was supposed to pick him up at the airport and making arrangements for going bar hopping that night while we are taxiing to the runway. This is, of course, against regulations. The FA kept telling him to turn the phone off and he was just ignoring her. She was getting pretty forceful but luckily he ended his conversation and turned it off before it got too bad. Then, thankfully, he fell asleep and stayed that way for the remainder of the flight. When we landed he woke up and started complaining that no one woke him when the drink cart came by and looked at me and said "whoa did I fall asleep?!?!?! Yo dawg, I think I stopped breathing!!! Did I stop breathing?" Yes, you stopped breathing for an entire two hours and magically started breathing again upon landing.

We were happy to get off that flight.

Was his name Jeff Spicoli?lol. I am imagining the character from Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

 

[amberpi]

Depends I guess. I've heard that some airlines have bassinet setups. The hooks are typically on the bulkhead row. They're not guaranteed though, and I've heard of complaints when they were all taken.

http://www.stylehiclub.com/cruising-flying/airplane-baby-bassinet/

And back to the subject of getting liquored up, I have flown first class once in my life. There were literally about 4 passengers in a first class section that seated maybe 18, along with two flight attendants primarily serving first class. And it was first class booze too. XO Cognac, Dom Perignon or Krug, etc. I think I could have requested to keep an entire bottle but didn't think to do it.

The food/booze quality in bus vs. first class is the same - and yeah, its quality. I enjoy that perk a lot more on personal travel than business. Never feel like I can have more than 2 drinks on company time, even if its really my time.

 

[Julylady]

I have been on one flight that had to turnaround and go back to DTW after an hour due to a medical emergency.

But my most memorable incident was sitting across the row of a mom plus two young kids probably 3 and 4. As soon as we were allowed, she got out her lap top and loaded up some kids show for them to watch. Problem was she didn't have ear phones for them and cranked the sound up full blast. I was just going to call for the FA, when the woman ahead of me pushed her button. The Mom knew what was coming and told us very loudly that we had two choices. 1. We could listen to the kids show, or 2. We could hear her kids scream for the 3 hour flight. The woman ahead of me told her that there was a 3rd choice: She could keep her kids quiet. The flight attendant arrived and told her she could not play the show with the volume on and offered her ear phones for the kids. The Mom declined saying her kids refused to wear them. The flight attendant suggested that she keep the volume turned off and just let the kids watch. The Mom was furious but complied. She made several comments during the flight about how hard it was to travel with kids and how no one understood what she had to deal with.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

It may be if the kids can't handle any luggage and the parent(s) are struggling to get everything aboard. It's no fun when someone is blocking the aisle or bumping luggage into other passengers. That may be the ideal situation for checking in luggage, but of course that costs extra these days.

That's why they allow people that require extra time to board first.

 

[Gracie09]

Elderly who can't do that can theoretically request a reduced-price companion fare, and some airlines will offer that for free. They can also request (typically in advance) special assistance. I don't know of any airline that would provide assistance just because someone has children.

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/airl...aveling-senior-citizen-needs-help-111530.html

https://thepointsguy.com/2014/10/11-tips-for-traveling-with-senior-citizens/

not quite. If they are disabled they can request assistance. My MIL does. She get a wheelchair at airports. But not simply because they are senior citizens or short. And there is not special discounted companion fare because someone if elderly or disabled. But to lift your bag up to the overhead compartment (which is what you were complaining about people clogging the aisles with kids baggage) nope.

 

[bcla]

The food/booze quality in bus vs. first class is the same - and yeah, its quality. I enjoy that perk a lot more on personal travel than business. Never feel like I can have more than 2 drinks on company time, even if its really my time.

Well - I've flown business class before, and in my experience it wasn't quite the same. The booze was better (and included) in business class than in coach. Well - actually at the time booze was typically free in coach too. However, I found that first class was a step up in price, such as Moët in business, but Dom Perignon in first.

My parents also had a friend who worked for an airline. Apparently they had a perk where stuff that was supposed to be disposed of periodically could be claimed by employees. Their friends would sometimes give them to us. My folks ended up with bottles of Dom Perignon or Pol Roger Churchill. They didn't really drink the stuff and ended up giving as gifts. My mom's boss was actually kind of shocked when she gave him a bottle of Dom.

 

[amberpi]

Well - I've flown business class before, and in my experience it wasn't quite the same. The booze was better (and included) in business class than in coach. Well - actually at the time booze was typically free in coach too. However, I found that first class was a step up in price, such as Moët in business, but Dom Perignon in first.

When was booze ever free in coach? I did some flying pre-9/11, but it was all college/childhood personal stuff maybe a couple of times a year.

 

[bcla]

When was booze ever free in coach? I did some flying pre-9/11, but it was all college/childhood personal stuff maybe a couple of times a year.

Well - I'll just say that the first flights where I asked for alcohol was in 1994 on American Airlines SFO-JFK round trip. I was flying coach, and all beverages were free at the time, including alcohol. It wasn't great stuff per se, but it was free. And the liquor of course came in those little 50 ml bottles.

 

[Westcoastwild]

I've never seen a lapchild on an international flight now that you mention it. Weird, I'd never thought about it. When I travel for business, and the flight is 7-8 hours they usually put us in business and I have decent status, so its been probably 10 years since I flew coach overseas. I'm with you on the whole thing though, it seems like its an accident waiting to happen to VERY ill effect.

I don't see many lapchildren on longer flights and I always fly coach. I think at a certain point comfort wins over price for most people. Safety is a major reason I wouldn't do it, but I also just don't think it would be comfortable to have a wriggling toddler on my lap for that long.

 

[bcla]

I have been on one flight that had to turnaround and go back to DTW after an hour due to a medical emergency.

But my most memorable incident was sitting across the row of a mom plus two young kids probably 3 and 4. As soon as we were allowed, she got out her lap top and loaded up some kids show for them to watch. Problem was she didn't have ear phones for them and cranked the sound up full blast. I was just going to call for the FA, when the woman ahead of me pushed her button. The Mom knew what was coming and told us very loudly that we had two choices. 1. We could listen to the kids show, or 2. We could hear her kids scream for the 3 hour flight. The woman ahead of me told her that there was a 3rd choice: She could keep her kids quiet. The flight attendant arrived and told her she could not play the show with the volume on and offered her ear phones for the kids. The Mom declined saying her kids refused to wear them. The flight attendant suggested that she keep the volume turned off and just let the kids watch. The Mom was furious but complied. She made several comments during the flight about how hard it was to travel with kids and how no one understood what she had to deal with.

Well - the last time I flew I took advantage of the free WiFi for a movie selection but forgot to bring any kind of headphones. So I sort of turned up the volume, but once a FA told me it had to be mute or with headphones and I complied. It was really weird too, since the movie had closed captioning, but the only option was Hebrew. I actually left that on and kind of tried to figure out what was going on.

 

[amberpi]

I don't see many lapchildren on longer flights and I always fly coach. I think at a certain point comfort wins over price for most people. Safety is a major reason I wouldn't do it, but I also just don't think it would be comfortable to have a wriggling toddler on my lap for that long.

If I had to pay money and not miles to fly, I'd go coach all day long. It doesn't matter to me how I get somewhere; they can put me in the cargo hold if I get there on time. I think you're right about the long flights, its too uncomfortable, I also think that people just don't fly with small children on long flights as often as they are willing to do a little 2 hour flights.

 

[bcla]

I don't see many lapchildren on longer flights and I always fly coach. I think at a certain point comfort wins over price for most people. Safety is a major reason I wouldn't do it, but I also just don't think it would be comfortable to have a wriggling toddler on my lap for that long.

Well - one deal is that although a lap infant might be something like 10% of an adult discount fare, an infant can typically get a seat for about 50% of an adult discount fare. I've also flown internationally with my kid before, and there are practical child discount fares. Hardly any leisure travelers bother with domestic discount child fares, since they're discounted from full fare.

 

[RedAngie]

When was booze ever free in coach? I did some flying pre-9/11, but it was all college/childhood personal stuff maybe a couple of times a year.

Years ago many international flights served coach passengers free booze. I remember it being so on Lufthansa and a TWA flight to London.

In the 1980s during some fare wars USAir and Eastern flights between the Northeast and Florida also offered free alcohol in coach to entice passengers.

 

[Brazen Wench]

The only thing I have ever witnessed was when I was 11 years old and Mom and I were traveling to the Bahamas for a vacation. Our flight got delayed and I imagine many people were drinking while waiting out the delay. Well to add to that the flight added free alcohol on the flight because of the delay and several of the passengers started to get sloshed and very loud and cursing a lot. They were doing anything physical to harm anyone else just being loud and obnoxious and there were kids like me on the plane. I believe they were cut off which is what started the cursing.

 

[Westcoastwild]

I have been on one flight that had to turnaround and go back to DTW after an hour due to a medical emergency.

But my most memorable incident was sitting across the row of a mom plus two young kids probably 3 and 4. As soon as we were allowed, she got out her lap top and loaded up some kids show for them to watch. Problem was she didn't have ear phones for them and cranked the sound up full blast. I was just going to call for the FA, when the woman ahead of me pushed her button. The Mom knew what was coming and told us very loudly that we had two choices. 1. We could listen to the kids show, or 2. We could hear her kids scream for the 3 hour flight. The woman ahead of me told her that there was a 3rd choice: She could keep her kids quiet. The flight attendant arrived and told her she could not play the show with the volume on and offered her ear phones for the kids. The Mom declined saying her kids refused to wear them. The flight attendant suggested that she keep the volume turned off and just let the kids watch. The Mom was furious but complied. She made several comments during the flight about how hard it was to travel with kids and how no one understood what she had to deal with.

Yeah. This is kind of my point with people who argue that they need a whole suitcase for kids entertainment stuff. I get the whole problem of flying with kids. But as a kid, my parents never packed us a whole bunch of stuff as a distraction, they never got us a DVD player, they knew we wouldn't tote it for the whole trip and they sure weren't going to tote it for us. Yes, I do remember being bored. But we didn't need that stuff to behave. Our parents weren't going to put up with excessive noise or antics that incovenienced other people and we knew it.

If a baby is screaming, I don't mind. I really don't. I'm uncomfortable too, baby. If a five year old or a 10 year old, or a 15 year old is melting down, or having a tantrum, that's a different thing. And I realize people have bad days, and some kids have other things going on, like a disability. But almost every incident I can think of that has been really awful it was clearly the parents that are enabling or worsening that behavior. I'm rarely made uncomfortable by other people's kids. It's other people's parenting that bothers me.