Thursday, April 14, 2011.....
I'm going to apologize in advance because I know I might offend some parents out there, but I have a beef with some parents who travel with small children AND not for the reason you think.
Small children make noise. That's okay. What's not okay is when I make my airplane reservations,choose my seat, but a parent with a small child comes into my row and turns to me and asks if her child can sit in my window seat. I politely turn to the mother and say no. She then turns to her child and tells him, "Sorry Johnny, but the nice lady won't move so you can't sit by the window" and promptly turns her head to see if I heard her.
This happened to me years ago on a red-eye from CA to NY. I thought it a fluke until I talked with my sister the other day. She was on a flight back to NJ and this family was sitting in her row when she boarded the plane. She went to get into her seat when the father asked if he could sit in her seat (he implied that he wanted to sit with his family). She said no and he, and other members of his brood, got up and moved. He went and talked to the flight attendant and my sister discovered no one in his party were sitting in her row to begin with.
So....what's my point to this story? When you book your tickets, if you plan ahead like I do, pick your seat. Don't pull out the kid card, it's just wrong. If I make the time (an additional minute) to choose a window seat, do the same.
I understand it must be hard traveling with a toddler, but that doesn't excuse you from doing the same thing I do when I make a reservation. Oh yeah, if you want till last minute, this still doesn't excuse you and give you the right for my seat.
15 comments:
When I fly, I always choose a window seat if one is available. I don't blame you for sticking to your guns......or in this case, to your seat. I like to be able to look out and see things.
This has happened to me too! And I also refused. Partly because it would have left ME in the middle seat (Uh...no) and partly because I too chose that seat deliberately so that I could look out of the window and rest my head on the wall and not have people clambering over me to get to the damn bathroom every five minutes. So no, your kid cannot have my damn seat.
I still believe anyone with a kid should be seated in a special kid section at the back where they can be as crazy as they want and leave the rest of us alone.
Hell I think airlines should operate some child-free flights. I'd pay extra to fly one.
I completely agree. The thing is, it's so easy and quick to book your seat ahead of time that this problem shouldn't arise. If a parent knew their kid would want the window seat, why did they not sort that out ahead of time?!
Yeesh. Good for you for sticking by your seat!
i hear you...thats wrong...if you want it book it...i am not a middle seat fan, aisle all the way...
I don't get it. We just flew with our kids to California and we made my kid sit in the middle. The grown ups need elbow room! Who puts a kid in the window seat?
;-)
I have never had that happen but I do think the seats you get are the seats you get.
Matty – So do I. I also like to prop my head up against the window and try to sleep on the flight.
Veg Ass – WTH? Since when did anyone ever think “Oh, I know that person would really love to seat in the middle seat because she looks as though she loves to be uncomfortable” NOT. I had my sister read today’s blog and she loved your idea of the child free flight.
Dree – Exactly.
Brian – Is anyone a middle seat fan? You and my sister are aisle seat fans.
Mandy – Actually, it sounds as though you planned ahead and picked your seats prior to boarding. Smart woman.
BV – Now that you said that, it may happen on your trip to New Orleans.
I think the child free flight is an awesome idea. I would also go for child-free movie theatres and child-free restaurants. I'm a big fan of children most of the time, but not when I'm paying big money for my experience.
We didn't take our small children to grown-up movies or grown-up restaurants. That's what babysitters are for. But I guess that's a whole seperate rant. Lol.
♥Spot
Airline travel has reached the point that bus travel reached before it began its long slide into the night - close to intolerable with little customer value other than getting as uncomfortably as possible from point A to point B.
The worst is that at least part of it is from the travelers lack of manners.
Spot - I have seen people take their 5 year olds into horror movies and I think WTH? So stupid.
Dan - maybe the way to go is in a cargo flight like a UPS or Fed-Ex plane where there are no people to be obnoxious.
People can be so rude! My husband use to travel a lot and hated being around kids. He said they should put them all in one place!
I haven't pulled the kid card, but I have noticed that since I started traveling with a kid (designating infant in arms) my seat assignments get messed up ALL THE TIME. I book 12A, confirm it online, get to the gate and find out I am now in 22B. Then people look at me like I am some sort of monster because I picked a middle seat with a kid.
Amen, sista!
I always reserve the bulkhead seat and get looks (sometimes dirty) when people walk past me.
Well, tough noogies!!!
I normally just refuse, but if I'm feeling extra snarky I tell the person that *I* booked my seat, and my ticket, in advance so I'd get the one I wanted, but that for $200 I'd be willing to change seats with their demon spawn (more for longer flights or middle seats), cash upfront.
For some reason they get all offended by that. Meh, if they really wanted to sit together or in the seat I picked, they could learn to work the computer. It's not tough- you can even change your seat as you're checking in...
AMEN!
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