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

[amg35]

Why is it annoying? The person made their own choice to end up in the situation

I don't think I'll explain why I find it annoying because I have this strange feeling you wouldn't understand....

 

[ChattaAlley]

I don't think I'll explain why I find it annoying because I have this strange feeling you wouldn't understand....

That sounded a bit passive aggressive as well . . . .

 

[amg35]

That sounded a bit passive aggressive as well . . . .

I also waved after I typed it.

 

[ChattaAlley]

I also waved after I typed it.

Here is me passively aggressively waving back ....Bwahahaha

 

[Owlpost23]

DH and I both get aisle seats across from each other (mobility issues.) Last month a father asked if I would move to the middle seat by DH so his family could sit together. There were plenty of seats further back (SWA) so I just said I had to have an aisle seat. Yes, there are different circumstances on different flights, but in this instance I didn't see the "need" to move.

That's my husband and I too.However,the last two flights we've taken,the seating has gone out the window on the way home and I've been stuck in the middle,which I HATE.Boo.

 

[mnrose]

My recent experience offers a different spin on this topic.

I traveled from Seattle to Orlando by myself last December. Our plane was full and I was in one of the last zones to board. I could hear a kid having a fit on the plane as I made my way to my seat. I thought to myself that I probably would have the bad luck of sitting next to him. Of course I was the lucky one. Mom was sitting at the window with Junior, a boy about 2-3, sitting in the middle seat. Junior was speaking Italian, but it was easy to understand he was unhappy.

Junior would alternate between jumping in his seat or kicking the seat in front of him. I totally sympathized with Mom. I've been there myself, so I hoped he would calm down once the plane got in the air. Our flight was delayed for some reason and we sat for another 15 minutes or so. I took advantage of the airport wifi and tried to occupy my time. Suddenly I was hit with the distinct smell of poo. Junior had an accident. I turned to Mom and told I would stand up so she could use the bathroom. She just gave me a blank stare. Maybe she was afraid of getting up so close to take off or maybe there was a language barrier, I thought.

I was getting sick from the smell and people around us were starting to make comments. Finally the plane takes off and the seatbelt sign is turned off. Junior is screaming now and I get up just to take in some fresh air. Still no movement from Mom. I get back in my seat and just sit and close my eyes...trying to not get mad at this overwhelmed, but clueless mom. It took her almost an hour into the flight before she finally pointed for me to let her into the aisle.

They return with clean clothes, but Junior is still having a tantrum. Luckily Mom takes the middle seat and Junior starts playing with the window shade. Beverages are served and it takes 30 seconds for Junior to kick Mom's tray and send her water (thank goodness it was water) all over me. Mom doesn't even offer any look of remorse, as I offer her some of my kleenex to wipe Junior's juice off her lap.

Now pay attention to this part of the story.....A man walks up to our row and says to Mom, "I'm going to the bathroom, should I take him along?" Mom answers in perfect English, "yes, and put this shirt on him". She then passes Junior over me. I turn to her and ask, "Is that your husband?" She says yes. I tell her that he can have my seat when he returns. I look behind me and see an aisle seat three rows behind ours. I gather my things and stand up...overjoyed that I can enjoy the last two hours of my flight. Dad returns and I tell him he can have my seat. He stops me and tells me that he was taking a nap and will NOT change seats with me.

The people around us, just stare at Dad in disbelief! I sit back down, shocked that Dad would subject a stranger to his son's bad behavior. Junior screams for another hour before it is revealed to all of us that he wants to nurse. Mom reluctantly nurses him to sleep while Junior's head is practically in my lap! (I have no problem with nursing, just the invasion of space)

So my question is this....how would you feel if a parent intentionally wanted to sit away from their child?

I'm game to answer. If the child is well behaved, I've got no issue with parents intentionally separating themselves....say to sit in business class. However, if the children are hooligans, then I think it behooves the parents to make sure they are properly supervised....whether that means sitting in the same row as the child, or just in the general area so they can make sure the child is behaving and intervene if s/he is not.

I flew back from Singapore to SFO once. Right behind me were a couple of children (it was 3-3-3 seating) and there was an older woman (looked like perhaps the grandma) sitting with them. They were a bit unruly, but ok on the first leg (from Singapore to Hong Kong). Well, I was then surprised to see the older woman exit the plane in Hong Kong! The kids were perhaps 8 and 10? And, I thought alone. I found it a bit strange that someone would send unaccompanied children that far alone, but hey, not my monkeys, not my zoo. Well, on the next leg, those two kids were out.of.control. Kicking my seat, grabbing on the headrest, etc. They got a fair number of dirty looks from me. I thought for sure they would fall asleep (overnight flight) but no such luck. Imagine my surprise when we got to SFO, and mom and dad came back to coach from their business class seats to fetch the two monsters, eh children. That bugged me. Not once did they come back and check on them. Not once. Bizarre. I don't think that's ok at all.

 

[hegsag]

I was flying home from Fort Lauderdale Sunday evening when a woman demanded that I move from my aisle seat so she could sit next to her kid who would be sitting in the middle seat. This was after SnoToriousBIG 2016, so every single flight was full.

I don't give a ratatouille if you want to sit with your kids. I paid for this aisle seat assignment and you wanted to take your chances at the airport! You can keep trying the passive aggressive "well he gets motion sickness." I have a kid and had dogs and witnessed one whelp puppies twice. I can handle it. Unless you want to pay me five times what I paid for this seat, keep moving on! The flight attendant made her go to her seat several rows back!

The only time I have ever given up my seat and in first no less was for someone in uniform. Their willingness to die for their country trumps someone who doesn't want to pay for their seat every day of the year!

Wow, 14 pages! I'll be honest and say that I haven't read any replies! As a mother myself, I can tell you that I would always (with the exception of needing to sit with my own child) be willing to give up my seat so a parent and child can sit together.

 

[roseaster]

Call me and the phantom OP whatever name you choose. I am NOT giving up a seat for which I paid extra unless the swap puts me in 1st class.

 

[Disney_Alli]

Flying to Florida to meet my family I once boarded a plane to find a "gentleman" in my seat. He informed me that he'd checked in too late for his family to sit together and he "needed" to sit with his "children" (two teens about 14 and 16) and told me I could just sit in his seat (another aisle seat further up on the opposite side) I had chosen my seat very deliberately because I was suffering from tendinitis in my left elbow and I wanted it protected from the aisle and possible bumps. I was only about 23 at the time and unwilling to argue so I took his seat. I sat with two lovely gentleman traveling on business who decided I must be a native Floridian because of my tan. I was happy to be away from the obnoxious teens who were loud through the entire flight but was rendered near tears when an FA bumped my elbow with the drink cart which was the scenario I was trying to avoid with my original seat selection (and the reason I had logged on exactly 24 hrs prior to my flight which the dad flat out admitted he didn't feel like doing) If that scenario or the OP's happened now - no way would I switch just because some mother needed to sit beside her snowflake. Sorry, not sorry.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Some optiosn depending on how much you want to get there.
1) If you have to be there by a certain time you check other airports. I flew FLL to ALB NY on Saturday Albany isn't all that far from NYC. That if just one airport I know of there may have been flights on others.
2) You plan for the possibility that you MAY get separated.
3) You be polite to those you ask for help and don't get upset if they decline
4) You offer those people some benefit. I have on SW had those that knew the FA would be unlikely to ask those to move on their behalf do it themselves with the same perk (Offer to give them a drink coupon or buy them a drink for moving) for example.

This is fair so long as you agree to not judge them that they were not trying to cheat the system or anything. We don't know anything about the mom in the OP. Just that she made the demand. But so far--the DIS knows it was a ploy to avoid seat upcharges so that she could get a better seat since she was so cheap.

The notion that she all the things she "should have" done regarding changing her travel time and destination are curious to say the least.

I have only been affected by snow once where my flight was cancelled while I sat on the runway. That was an interesting juggling the rebookings from flight to flight. I was flying by myself. While I eventually did get my destination changed to a larger airport with more options and a little closer to my ultimate destination (2ish hour drive instead of 3)--it wasn't as simple as that. In fact, they acted like I was breaking all kinds of rules for even asking. To me, it was logical. To the airline--it was NOT what I booked. But eventually, I did get the new airport. After having my 2nd and 3rd attempt flights cancelled. Fun times. And on one of those flights, when I was booked onto whatever number attempt--I felt like a kid getting caught cheating on a test because when the ticket agent saw my original destination, she was going to make me go there instead. Thankfully, she ended up honoring my request.

Are current policies better and airlines more cooperative that 1 is even doable?

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

This is fair so long as you agree to not judge them that they were not trying to cheat the system or anything. We don't know anything about the mom in the OP. Just that she made the demand. But so far--the DIS knows it was a ploy to avoid seat upcharges so that she could get a better seat since she was so cheap.

The notion that she all the things she "should have" done regarding changing her travel time and destination are curious to say the least.

I have only been affected by snow once where my flight was cancelled while I sat on the runway. That was an interesting juggling the rebookings from flight to flight. I was flying by myself. While I eventually did get my destination changed to a larger airport with more options and a little closer to my ultimate destination (2ish hour drive instead of 3)--it wasn't as simple as that. In fact, they acted like I was breaking all kinds of rules for even asking. To me, it was logical. To the airline--it was NOT what I booked. But eventually, I did get the new airport. After having my 2nd and 3rd attempt flights cancelled. Fun times. And on one of those flights, when I was booked onto whatever number attempt--I felt like a kid getting caught cheating on a test because when the ticket agent saw my original destination, she was going to make me go there instead. Thankfully, she ended up honoring my request.

Are current policies better and airlines more cooperative that 1 is even doable?

Do you really think the OP would have come on the DIS to rant if the Mom has walked up to the OP and asked nicely to sit beside her 4 year old special needs child who gets airsick? And then politely walked away with an "I understand, have a nice flight" when the OP declined to trade seats?

 

[Maxpowers]

Okay the gist of the post seems to be:

Rude people = bad
Seat switch okay for similar seat

I agree.

Done.

100

 

[robinb]

Hi DanceswithDisney! I see you're viewing your thread right now!

 

[kaytieeldr]

The notion that she all the things she "should have" done regarding changing her travel time and destination are curious to say the least.

Okay, well, she "should have" prepared her child for the possibility they would not be seated together.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

How do you "see" that a poster is online and viewing a thread they posted on? I'm not questioning the validity, I am just asking how you see it.

 

[robinb]

How do you "see" that a poster is online and viewing a thread they posted on? I'm not questioning the validity, I am just asking how you see it.

Click on their name.

 

[JaxDad]

If it's OK to choose to give up a seat or not, then isn't it OK for the OP to choose to post on the thread again or not? The thread seems to be doing just fine as is. In fact it's probably much longer and more interesting than if she had made additional clarifications.

 

[Turn the Page]

OK, the gist I'm getting here is everyone hates the middle seat. I would be totally willing to intentionally book a middle seat for say $75 off the airfare....less if the airfare is cheaper.

Are you listening Delta? I would be willing to purposefully book a middle seat for each member of my family, that's 4 people, for $75 less than the published fare per person.

Do we have a deal?

 

[PollyannaMom]

BUT the right thing for the woman to have done would be to ask the person in the middle seat of her row to change seats with her child.

What if the person in the middle was sitting next to her own toddler in the window seat?

But seriously, we could "what if" all day. - I think we are all victims of an OP who decided to see how amusing this would get.

 

[kamik86]

This is fair so long as you agree to not judge them that they were not trying to cheat the system or anything. We don't know anything about the mom in the OP. Just that she made the demand. But so far--the DIS knows it was a ploy to avoid seat upcharges so that she could get a better seat since she was so cheap.

The notion that she all the things she "should have" done regarding changing her travel time and destination are curious to say the least.

I have only been affected by snow once where my flight was cancelled while I sat on the runway. That was an interesting juggling the rebookings from flight to flight. I was flying by myself. While I eventually did get my destination changed to a larger airport with more options and a little closer to my ultimate destination (2ish hour drive instead of 3)--it wasn't as simple as that. In fact, they acted like I was breaking all kinds of rules for even asking. To me, it was logical. To the airline--it was NOT what I booked. But eventually, I did get the new airport. After having my 2nd and 3rd attempt flights cancelled. Fun times. And on one of those flights, when I was booked onto whatever number attempt--I felt like a kid getting caught cheating on a test because when the ticket agent saw my original destination, she was going to make me go there instead. Thankfully, she ended up honoring my request.

Are current policies better and airlines more cooperative that 1 is even doable?

I did it on SW. Due to storms up and down the east coast (not snow lightning this time) my flight was delayed, my connection to Albany left 30 min before we arrived. I got the agent to switch me to go to Hartford and had my DH call and switch my rental car. The other guy arriving at the rental agency with me did the same thing as he was supposed to go to providence that day.

Now my baggage still went to Albany but that is ok I just had to drive over the next day and get it.