Airtran makes NY Times on Sunday

[trales]

For those of you who were following the AirTran thread, the story made it into this Sunday's NY Times. I finally got around to reading that section. Here is the link, I have never done a link before and hope it works. If not, it was in Sunday's Week in Review section Ideas and Trends.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/weekinreview/22sharkey.html

[mickminmom]

Thanks for posting..I had not seen that article.

Makes me happy that we are driving on our vacation this year!! Yikes!!

Chris

[american_mama]

That article makes me feel almost ill... the anger and judgementalism directed at parents and children. I wish the family travel exert they quoted several times had mentioned that: it's not just the rules that are a problem, or maybe not even mainly the problem. It's the convenient targeting of parents and helpless (although irritating) children for the frustrations of the flight attendants and other travelers on the plane. Where is the grown up ability to say, oh well, it's only for a few hours and, after all, it's worse for the parents who are sitting right next to that child? Where is the tolerance for a parent who may be on their second or third leg of a flight with said cranky child, and may think a few loose cheerios on the floor are a good tradeoff for a quiet child?

Also, I know I personally would welcome a family section on an airplane. Why not do it?

[DrSally]

I read the article. A family section would be a good idea, as intolerance for children on planes seems to be reaching a fever pitch.

[cuca_]

I find this article annoying at best. We travel often, and I in my experience intolerance of children in planes has increased in the past year. I agree with Karen that this might be because it is convenient to target parents for the frustrations of air crews and other travellers.

I have encountered plenty of annoying, inconsiderate, loud and drunk travellers. Are they going to separate a section of the plane for those kinds of passengers? I've been sitting near passengers that have not stopped talking for most of the flight, and as annoying as they are I would never dream of telling them to shut up.

People need to be realistic about what flying commercial is like. I personally would not want to have a family section in the airplane. I want to be able to chose my seat like every other passenger. So unless they are giving me a discounted fare for travelling in the family section, I do not think is fair that the airline can decide where I can or cannot sit with my family.

Carmen
DD May 2003
DD May 2005
and a third due Dec 2007!

[lmwbasye]

I also think that this article ignores a lot of other factors (aren't drunks supposed to not be able to fly?). I would not want a family section....first of all, planes are not THAT big - I think you'd still be able to hear a screaming child anyway; 2nd - there are times when DS is quiet while another is screaming and while I feel bad for the other parent, I'm grateful we aren't sitting so close that it bothers DS and gets him going; I'd worry that if all the kids together, everyone would be worked up and no one would have a prayer of getting their child to settle down/sleep, actually making matters worse.

I also agree with the PP that children may be smaller, but they have rights, too. When I pay for DS to fly, I expect to be able to pick my seat like everyone else and be given the same respects.