For most, it doesn’t matter where they sit on the plane. However, if asked, they’d like to avoid sitting next to a crying baby or a hyper kid.
And not because people dislike kids but because they want to relax and get some quiet time when catching a flight.
Unfortunately, parents are unfairly judged for bringing kids on flights but kids have to travel too. In actuality, most of us just want parents to prepare their kids to fly the best way they can–which is easier said than done.
It has long been debated whether kids should fly first class. Passengers who fly first class pay the higher ticket price to avoid a lot of airport and flying hassles, including sitting by children. Apparently, some view first class as a reward for hard work and something kids won’t appreciate, which is why they think it should be kid-less.
Airlines have yet to ban children from their upgraded cabins–except for Maylasia airlines, which banned children from its first-class cabin years ago.
Yet it goes without saying money can’t buy everything. So if a parent wants to foot the extra cost for their child to have better seats and priority boarding, the option is there.
Whatever the choice, parents should come well-prepared when flying with their children. That means snacks, entertainment, headphones, and blankets. Basically, enough to keep the child occupied during the flight. It’s also helpful to book flights around the child’s nap time.
That is until airlines create a better way. Like Etihad, the airline at one point had inflight nannies to assist families. The college-educated nannies helped get children ready to sleep and pass the time with crafts, hand puppets, art, face painting, and magic tricks on long-haul flights.
IndiGo Airlines found a solution by creating a “quiet zone” cabin where children under the age of 12 are not allowed.
Passengers sans kids should know traveling with kids is probably more stressful for parents than it is for anyone else. The only way to guarantee a no-kid flight or somewhat guaranteed comfort is to fly privately or book the seats around you.
