To think she should have been pissed off with herself rather than us?

[Tailfeather]

Just flew back from a lovely holiday with our baby.

We booked our flights 11 months ago and paid to pre-book the bassinet seats.

When we checked in online, the seat next to us was still free.

We were sat in our seats when the lady sitting next to us arrived. She looked at our baby, hissed 'oh for fuck's sake' and rolled her eyes. She tried to see if there was elsewhere to sit. There wasn't. So she returned, tutted and hurumphed a lot and sat next to me immediately turning her back to me after telling me that my baby had better not throw anything at her.

He was actually brilliant on the flight. Never cried once, slept for most of the journey and the worst thing he did to get was smile and wave at her. So he was less of a problem than a noisy older child or a chatty adult. I have spent flights next to snorers, smelly people, space invaders, people who talk too much, get too drunk - and they were all adults.

Now, I get that many people don't want to be near the baby on the aeroplane. I'm not offended by that. But if you are SO anti-children then surely she should have pre-booked her seat as far away from the bassinets as possible? She was obviously allocated this seat at the airport. So she should have been angry with herself rather than take it out on us. Or at least wait to see if he had been a pain before tutting and shooting us death stares. It was such an awkward journey!!

If she had mobility problems she may have been assigned that seat when booking assistance and not had a choice?

Mobility problems wouldn’t cause her to be a twat

Every bad experience Ive had a on. A flight has been due to an adult.

I used to fly a lot for work and thought a crying baby made the worst redeye companion - until one flight with a bunch of hooray henries who ho-ho'd extremely loudly throughout the flight - never had any concerns about babies after that.

But if you are SO anti-children then surely she should have pre-booked her seat as far away from the bassinets as possible

yeah - cos you always know if your plane is going to be cancelled, you are going to be bumped(with the promise of extra legroom perhaps) for a more high value customer from club... or if you have to get home quickly, or if you have been booked to fly last minute, or if, or if, or if... You can't always book a bloody seat - people who are going on holiday yes you can usually book a seat from almost a year out, if you find you are flying for whatever reason in a day or so - or less - you don't get to book.

I was flying club once on a "reward" flight ticket - lowest value ticket in the section and got bumped for a gold customer. You get some money back and promises of extra leg room etc, you might get a bit peeved in that situation.

But please can we get away from the "should have booked the seat" thing - just because you did does not mean everybody can.

‘As guess you were the only baby on this flight!’ Might have done it op

I often think ‘Oh FFS’, but I have always managed not to say it aloud!

I got on a flight with a baby and toddler. The woman already sat in the third seat immediately asked to be moved even before we sat down. It worked out well for me as we got all three seats!

My ex-boss and i once travelled on what we described as the 'creche flight' from London to Helsinki... we counted EIGHT sets of parents and babies located around our seats. Some of the babies were noisy, some were quiet, none were awful incessant screamers. We both had a couple of big gins through the flight, and agreed that at least we could get off the plane and go to a nice civilised hotel at the end of the flight!!

at least we could get off the plane and go to a nice civilised hotel at the end of the flight

I remember apologising to a man beside dd and me when she was yelling as we landed (her ears hurt, so fair enough, but she was being very loud)! He immediately said pretty much this^^! At least he could get off the plane and relax. It was very sweet of him to say.

I was on a flight from the USA recently and there was a couple in the front row of our section of the plane who had stretched themselves out across four seats. About 30 mins into the flight, the stewardesses asked them to move over as they had noticed a woman alone with a baby on her lap and wanted her to have a bassinet as there was space available. The couple had a huge tantrum about it and demanded to be moved but there was nowhere for them to go. They literally had the only two free seats on their row so how they thought that they wouldn’t end up with others sitting with them in the seats with more legroom, I’ll never know! In the fact end, this baby behaved like an angel once settled into the cot and they clearly were a bit embarrassed but I couldn’t believe the childish behaviour of a pair of adults on a pretty much full flight! Surely you know it’s luck of the draw on these things!

The same thing happened to me with my then 7 month old. We were sat in our seats, him on my lap and a woman arrived alongside me and realised she'd be sat in the seat next to me. She openly complained to her husband about the fact she'd be sat next to a baby and she turned her back to me to face him most of the the flight.
At the time as a new mum I felt really bad about it and it spoiled the excitement of going on holiday. As it was my little boy was an absolute dream, happy and smiley until 5 minutes after take off and then he zonked out and didn't make a sound the whole flight - in fact he continued to sleep after landing and it wasn't until we exited Palma airport did he wake up!
The air hostesses all remarked on how good he was but this po faced woman huffed and puffed and sighed every time I moved when DH and I was passing DS back and fore to give our arms a rest.
I also wish I'd had the courage at the time to say something.

Muttering under your breath is not swearing at someone. She was rude to talk to the OP, but no one likes babies or toddlers on a plane. It doesn't mean that they like loud and rude adults any better.

We all had murder wishes when confronted to screaming babies, children kicking seats, throwing things, listening to loud devices whilst their parents ignore them. On my last flight, my own children were kept awake because of the little brat kicking their seat constantly.

she should have been angry with herself rather than take it out on us.

She made one comment at the start of the flight. How is that taking it out on you? Unless there’s a lot more to this it seems like a non event.

We all had murder wishes when confronted to screaming babies

Personally, I've never felt the desire to murder a baby.
OP, the woman was an arsehole. She was a baby once!

It's not the baby I want to murder, it's the parents of unruly children!
of course it's a figure of speech, I am not a complete psycho

Please try and keep your baby and toddler entertained and quiet but don't ever apologise or feel bad about taking them on a plane. I've always looked people straight in the eye and given a broad smile whenever they start giving me dirty looks. I've even told other people to STFU when they start upsetting a mother trying to look after a young child. If I see someone struggling I will also offer to help them as we've all been there.

I've always looked people straight in the eye and given a broad smile whenever they start giving me dirty looks.

So you make it look like you are very proud of your misbehaving children and one of those performance parents. nothing anyone can do, but I would hate you even more.

One stupid passenger had a cabin crew having a word with another passenger, even the parents didn't say anything. The poor passenger got told off for daring to tell the kids to stop throwing rubbish at his seat and kick it!

But please can we get away from the "should have booked the seat" thing - just because you did does not mean everybody can.

This happened to us after we missed a connection in Singapore due to a storm and Singapore airlines did everything they could to accommodate us on the next day's flight and we were assigned bulkhead seats across from the bassinet seats where two families with small babies were sitting. The babies were an absolute delight. I'd rather sit next to a baby than some asshole adult which has happened in the past.

At least she didn't have (or did she?) some horrible child incessantly kicking the back of her seat - accompanied by the kind of parent who thinks you are an evil child-hater if you politely ask them to stop - and lets them carry on regardless.
That's my worst child-nightmare on planes.

Wind your neck in ikeepafork.

My DC have been on lots of long haul flights and I can never remember them bothering anyone. In fact I get a lot of compliments from the stewards and passengers telling me how quiet and well behaved they were. Anyone who throws me a look before we have even got going is going to get one back because I know I wont have anything to apologise for.

I hate sitting next to babies and children in arms on a flight. They should have to have their own seat and be strapped into a carseat. When they are on a lap there is inevitable overflow and they end up taking part of your space. The ones that are just about to turn two are the worst, they are too big to be on laps for a whole flight.

And then there's the parents who expect you to sit and smile indulgently while their child carries on and gets in your space.

The lady was rude, but babies on a plane are generally a pain in the arse.

I recently did 4 trips with my 14 ds on Virgin trains. I had a couple see us get on, roll their eyes at each other and try and move seats. Did make me feel a bit crap but ds out did himself - napped the whole time on all 4 journeys.

YANBU she was rude.

Not everyone realises that the extra leg room rows can accommodate a bassinet, I have travelled in that row many times and not encountered a baby in bassinet. That might explain her shock on seeing the baby? I am glad that you had a good trip, it’s stressful worrying about your little one on a flight.

However I will never forget a flight from Singapore with twin babies onboard with their really stroppy mum sat away from her DH playing Taylor swift loud in anger, I wish she had booked bassinet seats and booked seat next to her DH. That was a long flight, I still clench my teeth when I hear the song love story by Taylor

Wow! I wouldn’t have liked to be that lady if she’d said that sat next us about my DS! He’s been flying since 9 weeks old ( 9 flights so far) and he’s literally an angel as they are just standard events for him however we have been met with some eye rolls and ‘looks’ as people sit down near us but we meet it with immediately ‘yes? do you have an issue?’ Then explain they will look rude and judgmental when he’s better behaved than most adults as usual! Really annoys me as we pay almost the same fare for him as an adult as he has had his own seat since 11 months old yet they act as though he hasn’t as much right to be there as them, my DH is very open in that he won’t put up with glares and comments about DS just for being on a flight before he’s even made a peep so we’ve never had comments made to us so far 😬