Family kicked off flight because of a 2 year olds tantrum

Diamond Member Joined: Nov 30 2006 Posts: 2613

Car seats are heavy to lug around if you won't need them at your destination. Some airlines give you trouble over it, though if it is a US airline they're required to allow it. (Foreign airlines are not and some won't.) Honestly, I know more people who fly without car seats than with.

My in-laws live 3,500 miles away. My GMIL is 93 and can't fly. We have to take our kids on a plane.

Moderator Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 18393

Car seats might not have been practical for their particular travel situation. They had 2 young kids (2 and 3) and if they were taking busses (I have no idea) with no room for carseats, they would be shlepping luggage for 4, 2 young kids, and also 2 car seats?

I am a big car seat fanatic (and the mom being a ped should be too...) but a lot of people feel comfortable flying without one.

I think part of the issue is the kid had JUST turned 2. My daughter turned 2 yesterday. No way can she be expected to behave herself so young. She doesn't understand at all. The commenters have no concept of what it means to have just turned 2. If she had flown a few weeks prior, she could have been a lap child....
_________________
http://a-natural-birth.com
Let me know privately what you would like to see on this; I'm still working on it Smile

Complimentary ad for being a mod

The parents should have been better prepared (in terms of having something for the child to do or getting the child ready to take off; perhaps not buckling the child in until when the plane is to take off).

BUT the airlines need to do their part. Friendlier, have a kids toy ready for the little ones. Talk to the child and tell them "When I come back again I'll have another present for you. But you have to sit quietly now!"

In the end however, parents need to make sacrifices; including staying home or going only to places one can reach by car until a child can travel well.
_________________
But then again, I'm a dragon.
"The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he�s in prison."
� Fyodor Dostoevsky (via cosmic-rebirth)

Fox, I don't know many people who have the option of living near both their parents and their in-laws. OK, that's not quite true, because I live in Israel and most things here are reasonably close to most other things (by American standards, anyway).

But I don't know many American people who aren't stuck a plane ride away from at least one set of relatives. Nothing to do with young people these days choosing to go live far away, just the reality of the two families already being far apart.

Diamond Member Joined: Oct 25 2007 Posts: 4917

Diamond Member Joined: Oct 25 2007 Posts: 4917

Last edited by Ruchel on Tue, Mar 13 2012, 2:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

Have you noticed? Cultures where children cannot go to restaurant or on family trips tend to have fewer kids and later. You would have to, you cannot stop breathing at 20.

Even fewer kids (and more divorces...) in cultures where it is "abusive" to take a vacation without your children.Kids leave the nest (or are big), and then... at best you're two room mates, c'v.

Now yes, educate your kids. Don't allow them to be hellions. And apologize if you try to keep them calm and fail.

Btw, "just one plane or train ride away" tends to be often in the beginning, then life and kids get in the way and it's less and less often.

Another question: car seat in plane?
_________________

"You will have many many children and make successful shidduchim beh", rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
"It's all cultural, disagree respectfully", me

I don't think these parents were being very irresponsible at all.

And lucky you, that you could afford to buy a house near your parents, and pay tuition, and find a job in the area. Not all young couples now are so lucky.

Executive Member Joined: Jul 25 2011 Posts: 370

I absolutely agree with Jetblue, and that is taking into account my 1 year old.
This winter my husband and I flew to Israel for vacation. I purchased a seat for the baby, and planned on bringing a carseat onto the plane for him but I was still a nervous wreck. I even chose flights that were inconvenient but worked with his naps. In the end we left him with family members. Smartest thing I ever did.
When I fly I don't like little kids driving me crazy, either bring kids who can handle the flight, leave them with family, or don't go. I was on the verge of cancelling my tickets when the very sweet family members offered to take him.

Diamond Member Joined: Oct 25 2007 Posts: 4917

FYI, the sticker does NOT say that the seat is FAA approved. If you're looking for that, you won't find it. What you need is this:

In fact, most car seats are FAA approved. Booster seats are NOT. See, eg,

http://www.carseatsite.com/recommended_car_seats.htm

ETA of course, its awfully ethnocentric of me -- and the FAA -- to think that those stickers exist outside the US. Embarassed

Platinum Member Joined: Aug 17 2011 Posts: 6158

When we flew out west for this past Sukkos, the crew stopped boarding about seven minutes early. I was stopped in security because of my sheital. I was at the gate with a good five minutes to spare. They would not let me on although the rest of my family was telling them I am on the way. They said because of the new fines for lateness, the airlines are compensating by boarding early. I don't know the ontime rules of flying internationally; but that could have been a big factor. I was told by the airline personal that the penalties are really steep and they are under big pressure to have a good on time.

Diamond Member Joined: Oct 25 2007 Posts: 4917

Gold Member Joined: Apr 16 2005 Posts: 1943

Unfortunately, there's no going back. We live in a global society these days and we will not be going back to the times when we all lived near our extended families and only rarely had reason to travel outside our hometowns. I agree that it is ideal to live near family and take that into account when deciding where to live, but there are so many reasons why people move it's not possible to say that it's just selfishness or irresponsible planning that make long trips to see family necessary. Perhaps family seating will eventually become necessary for interplanetary flights!

My family lives in the American Midwest, while my husband's parents live in Australia. I suppose we shouldn't have gotten married, because we knew travel would be necessary.

Also, I don't see why it would necessarily be easier to travel once a family has older children. Yes, older children can be more self-sufficient and even help with younger siblings. If they do well enough on their own to allow the parents to focus on the babies and toddlers, how is that easier than a couple who only has babies and/or toddlers?
_________________
Binah

Beginner Joined: Feb 13 2010 Posts: 20

My parents are French and my paternal grandparents are in Paris. I haven't gone since before having my baby (and that was minus DH and DS1), though they've come here twice. We recently took the baby on a trip to Florida to see my maternal grandparents and it was fine. We are going to Paris IY'H in May. it's a little different- longer flight, bigger baby (turning one next month), international etc, so I will need to be prepare more than before, but yes, I will avail myself of my right to take him to Paris to see his family. I will be loaded with toys, snacks, and my nursing cover; I will let him watch TV, even though I generally don't; we booked the bulkhead seats this time even though it cost extra (for Florida, we managed without b/c it's only a 2 hour flight). Most importantly, we booked the flight at such a time so as NOT to interfere with his nap schedule even though it was more expensive and less convenient in other ways. I did my part, and with Hashem's help, it should work out. If it doesn't, well, maybe the other adults in the world need to grow up and show a little respect for the people who will be paying their social security (and doing without for themselves, because it probably won't exist anymore by the time I'm old enough to use it, let alone my children).

ETA: I have a toddler too, almost 3. I did not travel with him when he was little because I was afraid of the hassle. No More! And he's been fine too every time he's flown. He's a pro by now!