Grrrrrrr: children on planes are fighting words
Ban babies on board? “Stop kids from flying altogether or at least create a special children’s section on planes?” asks travel expert Christopher Elliott.
“That’s what a growing number of frequent travelers want to do,” he answers.
First, the airlines in recent months confiscated children’s “sippy” cups and then their toys such as flying airplanes (with the rationale they could be bombs).
Mr Elliott, who is a syndicated columnist who gives travel advice and helps solve travel problems, says one of his most popular stories in a recent newsletter was about banning kids entirely from airplanes. He cites the experience of Linda Rolle.
“I’ve have had some horrible experiences,” she says. “Once, a 2-year-old finished his bottle and heaved it over his head and it landed on my head. Large bump, large headache, no blood. Also, no apology from mommy – only giggles and ‘isn’t he cute’.”
Children are ubiquitous on flights these days. Nearly one-half of US adults recently polled by the Travel Industry Association of America said they included kids on a trip during the past five years.
The most dramatic rise in juvenile passengers came from corporate travelers. In 1997, 24.4 million business trips included a child, compared with 7.4 million business trips a decade earlier. That’s an increase of 230 percent.
Any surprise, then, that the number of complaints about kids is on the rise? Said Jerry Clavner, a sociology and anthropology professor from Cleveland:
“Traveling on a domestic airline with children on board is like traveling with a Chihuahua with diarrhea,” he says. “Kids are hyperactive and they can’t control themselves. The plane is an unnatural environment, and you’re going to get bizarre behavior.”
There are no easy answers but Mr Elliott quotes Stevanne Auerbach, the Director of the Institute for Childhood Resources in San Francisco. She said:
“You need appropriate games, puppets and activities to keep kids occupied. The baby sleeps, the flight crew and passengers arrive relaxed.”
Report by David Wilkening
David
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