This airline allows you to avoid babies during the flight
"My name is Lorenza and I am one year old. This is my first flight and I am going to try to be the best I can, but I apologize in advance if I feel irritable, scared or my ears hurt. My parents prepared this bag with candy and earplugs in case of giving a concert during the flight. I hope this helps make your trip a little more pleasant."
The text, which actually accompanied a bag with bottle caps and trinkets, was written by a mexican couple two years ago on a flight to Cancun. It wasn't the first: it was preceded by similar writing and candy from Madeline in 2014, and from two 14-week-old twins in 2012.
That generated as many positive and negative comments on the networks: there were those who praised the action, and also those who wondered if, in reality, parents should apologize in advance for the mere fact of getting on a plane with their children.
Babies can feel uncomfortable during the trip
The controversy is not new: in 2013, the binomial babies and planes came back into the limelight, when Air Asia X introduced a quiet zone on their planes in the first seven rows of their planes. There, paying an extra, only passengers from 12 years old can sit, thus keeping adults from children and infants as far as possible. Since then, other airlines such as IndiGo and Scoot Airlines have jumped on the same bandwagon. Malaysia Airlines, in fact, has already offered child-free cabins since 2012, as reported by Alternative Airlines.
Now, the controversy is coming back from the Asian continent -where all these companies are from-. A tweet from user Rahat Ahmed showed that Japan Airlines allows passengers, when choosing a seat, to know where the children and babies will be located on the plane. The matter, once again, has given rise to a heated debate on networks.
"People protest when the person responsible for the baby is distracted by his mobile"
"It's not fair that I save money to go on vacation and, instead of relaxing, I have to endure the bawling of a child possessed by Satan himself on the other side of the corridor!”, says Enmanuel, an illustrator who has just returned from a trip to Berlin. "It was really maddening... I wanted to burst into tears and arm wrestle with the kid to see who could scream the loudest." Of course, he is absolutely in favor of the measure.
"I would take it further, and ask to know the weight, complexion, cultural level and body odor of my potential travel companions... Ranking now," jokes Diego, a writer, for Traveler.es. But, beyond the jokes, there are those who take it very seriously and consider this feature of seat reservation a new way of discrimination against children , who are no longer allowed to enter certain restaurants and hotels -despite being illegal according to the opinion of organizations such as FACUA-.
“I think that, like the boys and girls, they don't have a voice because these types of issues are raised, because they are not going to make a claim for discrimination. If instead of children, we could know where a black man or a Muslim woman is going to sit , or in the case of a male chauvinist, a woman, would be discriminatory. And, if traveling next to a girl or boy seems annoying to you, then work on it, because you have also been one of them”, criticizes Noelia, a social worker.
Along the same lines is the opinion of Marta, a journalist, who believes that the measure violates the Organic Law on Data Protection: “ The next thing will be to ask if a woman goes next door, It is not going to be that he goes to the bathroom too much and bothers us too much. Or if she is an older gentleman, who is presumably going to snore and bother us.”
“I think there is paranoia with this. People don't protest because the baby does things, they protest because sometimes, many times, the person in charge is distracted with his mobile instead of attending to the creature”, says Rosario, a writer. He continues: "I'm less bothered by a crying baby, even though I have something in my brain that wants me to go rock that baby, than the guy who snores at the top of his lungs or people who breathe really hard or smell their breath or They get gas from sitting and can't help but have a smelly fart from time to time."
Carmela, a lawyer, also emphasizes, like Noelia, the psychological nuances of what she considers an "anti-child" world. “If a fly is next to you and makes a noise, who is to blame, the fly or you, who is bothering you? Well, bridging the gap between flies and children, the same thing happens. Let people work their anger and stop blaming children for your internal emotional baggage.”
There are those who see the positive part: being able to sit next to funny babies
BUT WHAT IF IT WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE?
There are those who turn the controversy around and see the issue as an opportunity: “ If they leave me the cheapest seats to be closer to the children, I say yes”, analyzes Víctor, illustrator and father. “If that means that, when you ride with a baby, the seats next to you will be free, great for me: you always need space when you go with a dwarf!” exclaims Luna, biologist and mother.
“I like it, because so I could get close to one of them. My plane trips with children have always been fun and entertaining, ”says Rhodelinda, a communicator. Another journalist, Silvia, agrees that it is a good idea: "If we didn't have our indignant nerves so raw, it's still a great idea for everyone: the anti-children travel in silence and the parents go without the anxiety that someone might ride a chicken.
The ideas of Lidia, a communicator, go the same way, although she, in her case, adds an interesting nuance: facilitate family spaces, where parents and babies feel comfortable - instead of just proposing 'quiet zones', which is what the aforementioned airlines advocate.
"I think it's a great idea, and not only for the people who are upset because the children cry, but rather for the parents: whenever I see a baby crying on a plane, I try to give a compassionate smile to who has him in his arms because you can see the burden on his face. burden of to want him to shut up as soon as possible so that they do not call his attention those around her, instead of being able to understand what is wrong with her baby. With seats reserved for families, mothers and fathers could focus on the needs of their offspring instead of waiting for the next idiot to whistle."
What's worse, an adorable baby... or a drunk passenger?
Noelia agrees with Lidia, already mentioned: “If, as a company, you want everyone to travel more comfortably, then provides a space for boys and girls to spread out and relax, that traveling is stressful, and more so for the little ones”. Another Noelia, this time, a creator, says: “A space should be implemented in case a baby cries a lot or in case there is some type of discussion that requires more decibels than necessary... A crying child can bother the same as an adult with the mobile playing, or two gossiping”.
However, according to the experience of the latter, there are things worse than noise on a plane: “ There should be a measurement of aromas , both bad smells and perfumes: if you pass a level, you can't travel. And breathalyzer tests: I have traveled many times with drunks. And finally, a macho classic: huge men totally sprawled invading your seating space with their legs and elbows.”
For all this, she ironizes: “Perhaps the selection of Japan Airlines seats should be expanded: Are there children next to you? Are there first-timers on the plane who will spend the entire trip discussing his possible death? Could it be a two meter tall alcoholic German? Wouldn't it be half of a couple who will spend their time talking and getting up with their buddy on the other end? Can I choose to sit next to a millennial illustrator with her Mac, please? ”.
COMPLETELY IN FAVOR
Of course, there are many plane users who welcome the measure as it is proposed with open arms, such as Nuria, mother. “I respect those who don't want children around. I myself don't like all children. There are unbearable children as there are adorable children. I see the perfect measure, just like I see well restaurants that do not allow children, and even hotels . In this case they inform you of where there is a kid, they are not prohibited from entering”.
Marta, another mother, adds: “I don't think it's bad, and I'm a mother of two. I am a mother, but not blind or deaf. I know when a child can be a nuisance, whether it's on planes or in restaurants. It doesn't mean that parents don't try to manage it as well as possible, but if my son is bothering me, I am so aware of it that I prefer not to get the trip, whether they are mine or not ”.
Naiara, a childless journalist, also praises the idea: "Children can and often give you the upper hand," she points out. José Manuel, dj, and Javier, barman, are also in favor bluntly, as well as Laura, communicator and mother.
The question is: Are all babies really 'programmed' to 'bother' during a trip? According to Mª Angustias Salmerón, a pediatrician at the Ruber Internacional and La Paz hospitals, it does not have to be this way, especially if the parents are prepared for the trip.
Look at him, so sweet and innocent
Thus, the moments that can be especially uncomfortable for them are landing and takeoff, an annoyance that can be mitigated by making suck during those moments -using pacifiers, bottles or breastfeeding itself-. In addition, a few drops of paracetamol can help them if they have ear pain.
These are just some of the tips that the doctor gives us, together with a very traveling mom, in ** How to fly with your baby ** and not despair in the attempt, to which are added those provided by the expert in respectful parenting Rosa Sources at **How to Avoid Tantrums on Travel**.
maybe make journeys more comfortable for the little ones be the only thing we can do to improve everyone's flight until choice of seats is implemented, or not, in Europe.