Tuesday, February 5th, 2013
Children under age 12 will be banned from the first seven rows of airplanes making long flights to China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Australia, and Nepal beginning this week. The area, called “Quiet Zone,” is supposed to protect passengers’ peace of mind from the intrusions that noisy or fussy children can bring to an airline flight. More from CNN:
The child-free area, called the “Quiet Zone,” has softer lighting and is sectioned off from the rest of the plane by toilets and bulkheads, the theory being you won’t be able to hear the kids who are toward the back of the plane.
Still, anyone who’s been within 100 meters of a screaming child will know that their cries won’t be stifled by a few partition curtains.
Just as cigarette smoke could waft into the non-smoking areas before it was banned, so too will noise, said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, speaking to NBC news when AirAsia X’s new option was announced last year.
“If you were just one row away from the smoking section, you still got the smoke,” he said. “And you’ll still hear the screams … if a child has strong lungs.”
Last year, Malaysia Airlines banned children under age 2 from its first-class cabins, and restricted children’s access to other areas of their planes.
Image: Toddler looking at airplanes, via Shutterstock
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Thursday, September 6th, 2012
A California couple says their 16-year-old son wasn’t allowed to board a plane last weekend because airline employees described him as a “flight risk.” But Joan and Robert Vanderhorst believe they were actually removed from the American Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey to Los Angeles because employees did not want their son Bede, who has Down Syndrome, to sit in first class. The New York Daily News reports:
Bede and his parents had been in Jackson, N.J., visiting family and were eager to make the long return flight home. On a “lark” they had even upgraded their seats to first class, shelling out an extra $625 dollars.
“My wife said, ‘oh Bede’s never flown first class,’ he’ll be so excited.”
Vanderhorst said Bede, a freshman in high school, has flown “at least 30 times” through his life and has never caused any trouble.
Nothing was different before Sunday’s flight, he said. Bede was sticking close to his parents and was not acting unruly, nor was he upset.
But as the family waited to board, an American Airlines official pulled them aside and said the pilot had observed Bede and didn’t feel safe allowing him on the plane.
The airline told the Daily News that Bede was “agitated” in the waiting area. “Asking the family to take the next flight was a decision that was made with careful consideration and that was done based on the behavior of the teen,” the airline said. The family was escorted away from the gate by police, and rebooked on a United Airlines flight. Bede’s parents are considering a lawsuit accusing the airline of violating the teen’s civil rights and the Americans With Disabilities Act.
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Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
Any parent who has tried to soothe a fussy baby at 30,000 feet knows that flying with little ones is no picnic. It’s even worse when your fellow passengers are less than understanding.
One couple tried an interesting strategy when flying recently with their 14-week-old twins: they passed out candy to everyone on the plane, along with a note explaining that this was the twins’ first flight, reports The Huffington Post’s Lisa Belkin. The note apologized in advance for any crying, and offered earplugs to anyone who needed them.
One passenger posted a photo of the treats on the website Reddit on Sunday with this description: “Brilliant and thoughtful parents handed these out to everyone on my flight.”
The photo sparked instant debate. Within a day, it had attracted more than 3,000 comments and had been viewed more than a million times. Some people praised the gesture and expressed sympathy for the parents, while others stated that babies just don’t belong on planes. Some complained about times that they’d had to sit next to babies who cried or had dirty diapers.
One commenter suggested that the candy was unnecessary. “Really? You don’t find this to be overkill?” papabusche said. “I don’t require an apology for a crying baby on a plane. This is to be expected. I’m ok with it. People have babies, and they need to travel too.”
The subject of children on planes has sparked intense discussion in recent years. Last summer, Malaysia Airline banned babies under age 2 from the first class cabins of its Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A380 superjumbo jets.
Readers, what do you think? Were the treats a smart move, or overkill?
Image: Candy from babies via gigantomachy / Reddit.
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Monday, July 16th, 2012
A New York congressman has introduced a piece of legislation that would keep families from being forced to sit apart from each other on commercial airline flights. “Air travel is complicated and expensive enough for families without adding new stresses,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) in a statement announcing the legislation, called “Families Flying Together Act of 2012.” The statement continued:
As airlines change policies and increase fees for a variety of basic services, it is becoming more difficult for families to sit together on commercial flights. From airlines charging a fee to make advance seat assignments, to charging a premium for window or aisle seats, to eliminating advanced boarding for parents with small children, the obstacles for families are growing. There are increasing reports of people being separated from their children when they arrive to board the aircraft. When this happens, the only recourse is to rely on another passenger to willingly change seats. This is an inconvenience for everyone involved and not an efficient business practice. It is also potentially unsafe and traumatic for the families involved.
Image: Family getting on airplane, via Shutterstock.
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