Crying Babies On Airplanes

The rightly maligned airline industry may soon have another issue to deal with---but, in their own resourceful way, one it will likely capitalize on.

Crying babies are the issue—and a proposed solution to either segregate them or create a class of flights that are childfree.

I agree that a screaming infant can be more than simply annoying in such a confined space where exit is not an option. However, being a parent, my sympathy tends to go out to the little loudmouth and especially his or her parents. When any of our three kids were young, air travel was a challenge on many fronts. The extra luggage that kids require, from car seats to strollers to formula and diapers, not to mention carrying the baby too—means that Mom or Dad will be stressed out long before the wheels are up. Babies pick up on that stress and then, combined with the physiological effects of hurtling one’s body through space— the results can be explosive.

The New York Times has devoted some of its editorial space to dealing with the issue—and possible solutions. Much of the irritation comes from a perception that the parents are doing little if anything to calm the child down. If that’s the case, I might likewise get worked up. Generally though, I see parents doing EVERYTHING to change their baby’s frown upside down. If wearing the barf bag on your head like a party hat will do the trick, I can see the whole plane joining in.

Here are a couple of videos—one from an angry mother who was ticked off by insensitive parents—and another with tips on how to calm your baby down:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6pIQNpE7NY&feature=related




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR91ph4HVSQ&feature=fvw



The issues facing airlines are many, but customer dissatisfaction has never been lower. Moves to charge grossly overweight passengers a double fare have common sense behind them. I’ve been stuck in a middle seat between two sumo wrestlers and to say the flight was “uncomfortable” is not doing justice to the experience.

Luggage fees have likewise galvanized the public into a collective loathing for airlines. With the exception of Southwest (“It’s On!), the airlines are making millions in baggage fees. This trend has caused everyone to attempt air travel with “carry-on” baggage the size of a cow. Overhead bins are crammed so tight that a hard landing can cause the doors to burst open and its contents to shower on everyone below.

Headphones cost extra. Wi-Fi is an additional charge. And now, there’s talk of a “family section” where the only adults subjected to the concert of screams will be the parents and grandparents?

But, be careful what you wish for.

Any parent can tell you that a nearby baby crying can cause a chain reaction. To squeeze them all together in, say, the back of the plane---could backfire and create a symphony of bloodcurdling screams that could rival the noise of that jet engine outside your window. Unless a hermitically sealed, sound-proof barrier is part of the design, it might be a better idea to give the airlines another item to sell you:

Ear plugs.

If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com