Screaming Baby Warning System Launched

[clareprop]

Japan Airlines seat map helps avoid screaming babies


https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49836599

I've always worked on the basis that public transport is just that and you have to deal with whatever it throws at you.

[PAXboy]

As a short term attention PR exercise, it should work. But, short term!

[zed3]

Having been on a BA flight from Heathrow to the Seychelles in Business class last June with an infant, not ours, (+/- 15months) on board at the front of the cabin I am biased. The child moaned for it's mother and when given to her moaned for the father. It was allowed to toddle up and down the cabin, with smiling parents. This for an over night flight. On the return three weeks later, yes it was there again. This was a daytime flight... 10 hours and the same attitude prevailed. Why are people so self absorbed? Having paid my well earned monies for two seats, why am I confronted with this? When we had young children they were not on long haul flights until of an age that they could understand life and other people's needs... that to me is life and respect... upbringing also.
I'm seemingly getting ancient and grouchy... but...?

[TCU]

Zed3. People are self absorbed regardless of location

We dragged our young one round the world....and still do, albeit he is now in his teens. He only let us down once, as a 15 month old on a TAP flight from Oporto to Heathrow, screaming his nuts off from the moment of boarding....I dunno why, sometimes they just do!. Some 30-45 minutes into the flight a group of elderly Portuguese ladies sat behind us suggested we pass the boy to them. Within 5 minutes he was sorted and soon fell asleep in one of their arms.

You see Zed 3, sometimes people are not quite so self absorbed.

[zed3]

Sorry, should have said, 'SOME people self absorbed'. I accept life as it is delivered, within reason, yet others are so self concerned or otherwise put, don't think of the grand scale of things. I wouldn't think of taking a 15month old child on a long haul flight unless it was really necessary. I DO know that the parents were embarrassed but didn't wish to show it. I also saw that TWO seats were occupied with two adults plus a child occupying those two seats. I personally find that unacceptable on a 10+ hour flight.
Just my sixpennyworth as a paying passenger.

[BRUpax]

Some parents can be lucky with their kids, others not. Having said that I find that where kids are concerned I'm not a very tolerant passenger, especially in C Class (paid for by my own hard earned money), but that's most likely because I was a lucky parent! Both my boys flew from a very young age and were never any trouble whatsoever. Same with my grandson. Good parenting? No, just bloody lucky!

[ZFT]

Some parents can be lucky with their kids, others not. Having said that I find that where kids are concerned I'm not a very tolerant passenger, especially in C Class (paid for by my own hard earned money), but that's most likely because I was a lucky parent! Both my boys flew from a very young age and were never any trouble whatsoever. Same with my grandson. Good parenting? No, just bloody lucky!

I think it is much more to do with the parents than you are crediting.

Whilst I can sympathize with a very young baby, I have none with unruly and downright disruptive children. Totally down to parenting or lack of

I also recall MAS used to operate a child free zone on their LHR - KL flights in the late 90s.

[Kiltrash]

At least Children will have suitably embarrassed Parents to keep them in check, imaging being a Man Utd fan and discover you are at next to a Scouser?. When they can get on the web site icon so you know which team supporter has which seat gives you a chance to find a friend and while away a long flight in the bliss of a fellow fan, while at the other end you wife is happily chatting to a fellow Loose Woman..... Win Win

[flyingfemme]

I don’t have children and am not keen on squalling brats in public but you can’t tar them all with the same brush. Years ago DH and I had club seats on a nighttime transatlantic flight with Lufthansa. The only occupants of the 747 upper deck were us, a woman, a babe in arms and a small girl of around 3/4 years old. We expected he worst but they were reward seats so not feeling too entitled. The babe was tucked up in a big seat with blankets and pillows and slept all night (silently) between feeds/changes/cuddles - from the crew as well as the mother. The girl took a seat away from everyone else, asked the crew for what she wanted (politely) and was similarly unnoticeable. A peaceful night was had by all. I can only assume that most children/babies are reacting to an unfamiliar environment and the parents don’t know how to pre-empt or deal with it.

[Mr Mac]

Flyingfemme
I had the same worry on an EK flight down to DXB one night when a Manchester footballer with kids, and I believe late wife and Nanny boarded in Business Class. Nanny took kids who were quite young to their seats,and not a word heard from them all night. Was very grateful as I was going onto Korea. Also had a little lad down to Nairobi with BA in Business early 2000,s who had been to a hospital in London with his Mum, and was in a brace between his ankles, once again quiet as a mouse apart from playing Peek a Boo with my wife for a short while before tiredness overcame them both. Those are the ones I remember kindly there are countless others over the years who have been some what more vocal shall we say, and don,t mention some of the parents !

Cheers
Mr Mac

[TLDNMCL]

I have quite a low tolerance to minor noises, minor irritations such as people who can't wait a a counter without rat-tat-tatting their credit card or coins on the surface, or those who have to constantly clank the side of their glass with finger rings in pubs etc., yet loud unavoidable noise I can deal with (even sleep through quite often).

Screaming, or tantrum-throwing babies and toddlers can be very trying, but they are a fact of life.

I was flying Dublin to London (45-50 mins maximum), and had a middle seat; by the window was a "Very Important Lady", and in the aisle seat a Japanese lady with a babe in arms. All was well until the engine note went up on the take off roll, which is when the tiddler started squealing - cue daggers from the VIL. The lady with the baby had very limited English, and in between efforts to comfort her child was attempting to signal apologies to those around her. Not good enough for our VIL, who spent the whole flight shaking her newspaper very loudly, exhaling equally loudly, tutting, and "For God's Saking" for the whole duration of the flight.

The lady with the baby just couldn't calm him/her down and was in tears at one point herself. On landing the baby calmed down as soon as the engines were wound down, but VIL was only just getting properly wound up. The sort who un-clicks her seat belt the second you turn off the runway and starts the "Excuse me I need to get my things for the locker."

One of the FA's gave me a tap on the elbow as I was getting off and said "You picked the wrong seat today eh?" "I don't mind, babies cry." "Maybe, but adults have a choice how much noise they make." Gave me a grin at the end of a crappy working week.

[Rush2112]

I often wonder why airlines who offer multiple flights a day to certain locations, e.g., SQ 4x daily to LHR, why one couldn't be child-free. I would pay extra. On that flight, I always go J and I reckon at least 50% of the time, there is a screaming kid which I really don't need on a 13 hr flight.

[Sobelena]

I often thought the same Rush2112. Then I reminded myself how often noisy adults spoilt a flight more often than a screaming baby! 😉

[Kiltrash]

Which is worse, 1or 2 noisy children or a party of Hen or Stag's to Prague or Vegas?.at least the Captain could throw them off the flight and get reported in the' Fail'