Flightster

Flying First: Does Age Matter?

• by Bobby Laurie
• on August 31st, 2010
• 5 Comments

It’s the age old question: does age matter? Okay, well, maybe it’s not the question everyone is asking but it is one that many travelers are wondering about.

Summer travel is still in full swing and it’s not expected to lull for another few weeks and this year, it seems toddlers are traveling in abundance. Flights to either Orange County/Los Angeles and Orlando are usually jam packed with kids on their way to the mouse’s house, but this year they’re going everywhere, including first class.

On one of my recent flights from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles I encountered a situation I’ve never run into before. I had two adults in First with their two lap children. For those who don’t know, a lap child is defined as a child under age two that doesn’t require the purchase of a seat, but can rather sit on their parents “lap” for the duration of the flight. Granted, the best place to fly with a lap child would be in first class because of the oversized seat and extra legroom. But, these particular children were not happy about flying cross country and made that known. From the moment we closed the main cabin door these children screamed their little heads off. I’m not talking about a cry, or even a scream, I’m talking the loudest most obnoxious screaming and panting you’ve ever heard. Both of them, at the same time. I thought for sure the movement of the aircraft coupled with the vibrations from take off would put these children to sleep, but I was wrong.

Once we got in the air I walked over to the parents and asked them if there was anything I could get for them such as juice, milk, water; basically, nicely saying: “What do you need to make the crying stop, now?”

“Nothing. We’re doing okay,” the mom said with a smile. Okay then, my duty was done. I offered my assistance and they declined. What more can a flight attendant do? I began to deliver my service to the first class cabin amidst the screams coming from row two. Each passenger I spoke to I apologized for the disruption and assured them I offered my assistance. I returned to the galley to prep the passengers meals and gather their beverage orders and the whole time, the children were still screaming. Now, we’re going on an hour. I glimpsed into the aisle and saw the flight attendants in the main cabin starting their service. I walked into the aisle and stood at the empty end of the cart, mostly to get a moment away from the noise, and I looked at one of the other flight attendants with a look of horror on my face. “I don’t know what to do, these kids won’t stop.. and everyone up there is getting annoyed,” I vented. She responded, “It sounds like you have 10 kids up there.. what’s going on?” I said, “actually, it’s just two of them.”

I served everyone their meals, dessert and cleaned it all way except for the parents of the children. There was no way I could place a tray in front of them without the kids knocking it over. So I told the parents when the children slept, I’d be more than happy to serve their meals. They were okay with that. Finally, the Mom stood up and took one of the kids into the bathroom to hopefully calm them down. After returning to her seat, now, two hours into our flight, it worked. The child stopped crying and was sleeping.

Honestly, I was afraid to move, or even blink. I didn’t want any noise in the cabin for fear they would both wake up again.

Now, I handled that situation the best I could. There’s a fine line between flight attendants and parents. If we persist to help in a situation like this some parents will perceive that we are putting down their skills as a parent and may get upset. There’s only so much we can do with someone else’s children.

For instance, the recent news of the Southwest Airlines flight attendant who held a child after it’s mother allegedly hit them can be taken two ways. One, the child could very well have been abused by their parents but, two, at the same time, some parents believe in the parenting style of a “smack” or two to reprimand a misbehaving child. That flight attendant walked a fine line between helping a child and overstepping their boundaries.

But, back to the topic at hand: is it fair to have children in first class, who may misbehave and cause a disturbance, amongst other passengers who have paid top dollar to fly in the same cabin expecting solitude and service? Should there be an age limit?

Yvette from the blog AirlinesAngel said: “Sometimes it’s the parents that are more of an issue than the kids, as they think the crew will look after their kids while they booze.” This statement is very true, though in my situation the parents weren’t drinking but they also didn’t act in any way to try and quiet their children. They repeatedly said “they’ll stop on their own.”

@Cassivella on Twitter added: “No kids under 12 in First Class.” Flightster’s own Shannon Albert agreed, “As a parent of 2, even I say hell yes. 12+ maybe.” And, @KariMyBags agreed,but with a lower age limit, “Yes! At least 8 and above.”

For now it seems no matter what cabin class you might be sitting in, it’s best to remember that an airplane is considered public transportation (though there are more rules and regulations than a bus) and though you might have paid more for your ticket, you never know who might be sitting next to you.

I think Amelia from the blog Incase of Emergency said it best: “First airline to make kid-free flights will make a fortune!”

Bobby Laurie

Bobby Laurie, author of the book Planely Speaking and television travel correspondent, currently works as a Flight Attendant at a low-cost airline and as a freelance journalist. After graduating from the Pennsylvania College of Technology with a degree in Mass Media Communication, Bobby combined his passion for both journalism and travel by writing about the travel industry through his insider knowledge and personal experiences. You can read Bobby's blog about being a flight attendant and the airline industry by visiting UpUpAndAGay.com.