To think children should be banned from long-haul flights in economy?

[OneGreenLeader]

Before I get jumped on - I don’t hate children. But I do think it’s unfair that someone paying hundreds or even thousands for a flight has to endure hours of screaming, kicking seats, or being disturbed constantly. Some parents try, but let’s be honest, others just don’t care. Shouldn’t there be designated “family zones” or restrictions on certain routes/times? AIBU to say it’s inconsiderate to bring babies or toddlers on 10+ hour flights?

Surely if children were going to be banned from anywhere, especially on the basis that people had paid a lot for their tickets, they would be banned from first and business class so forced to fly economy! They can’t kick other seats there but the noise would be just as excruciating.

If you travel on public transport then you run the risk of having people travelling with you, not behaving as you want them.

I can't ban people from the bus, annoying as it may be or travelling by train on a 3 or 4 hour journey - people are allowed to buy tickets and travel, whatever their age. Thats the public part, its available to public.

Get a private jet, if you have the funds - it's popular in some circles rather than flying first class.

Alternatively get ear plugs

i think it s very intolerant. My kids are big now, but they were always well behaved.
baby crying at take off and landing is because of the pressure in their ears so they need to suck something, bottles, breastfeeding or similar.

what about drunk adults? Do you think they should be enclosed in a separate area too?

as the reclining is concerned yes it is a right especially on a long haul flight, not during meal time though, and if everyone was reclining it wouldnt be an issue

Totally get that and I don’t expect silence or perfection from kids. I’m talking more about those situations where a child is kicking the seat for six hours or screaming on and off the whole flight and the parent does nothing. That kind of thing becomes hard to ignore after 10+ hours, especially in economy when there’s no space or escape.

I’m not suggesting banning all kids everywhere - just wondering if more could be done to make the experience better for everyone, like family sections or quiet zones, especially on long-haul.

I wonder what would be next..anyone with tics, tourettes, stims...what about old people who snore when they fall asleep? Teenagers...they can be noisy. It's a public place. Babies and children are people in a public place. Child free flights could be a thing for people willing to pay extra but why should parents pay extra for long haul flights? That's totally unfair.

I’m not sure what flights you’re getting on but in the countless flights I’ve taken, long and short haul, I have never experienced any of these things. People watching porn without headphones actually had me laughing

DT’s have flown in business class from a few months old - never caused any problems whereas those who start drinking in the airport and continue with more drinks in the flight, should be banned!

One problem I thought of straightaway with that. If you have parents of quiet children or those easily overwhelmed stuck in a family zone full of shouting loud kids or crying babies...it's not just adults who like quiet! Mu autistic 10 year old wouldn't cope with that at all.

In my experience it is the parents at fault when kids go crazy on flights, and I have seen plenty of examples of that where the parents put on headphones and allow them to do as they please. But this is outweighed by all the times the kids have been good as gold and their parents have kept them occupied and looked after them
properly during the flight - no problem at all. I’d pay more for a child free area to avoid the first type, but I don’t think the majority of families should have to be corralled into a family area due to the behaviour of the few.

You can't "behave well" at 6 months. If the baby is not hungry, uncomfortable, in pain or in need of a diaper change the baby will "behave well".

I've never had anything too bad with children on long-haul flights, any issues tend to be from drunk/entitled/inconsiderate adults.

Yes babies and toddlers screaming, but I can zone it out as I know it's not really something that can be helped, I assume it's when their ears hurt.

Adults are just as bad, if not worse. There was recently a thread about seat reclining and some utter arsehole mumsnetters claimed that if the person in front of them reclined then they would repeatedly hit the chair.

Sorry yabu! People have to travel with kids. It's very stressful for parents. A plane isn't a hotel it's a form of transport. Your holiday at the end of it is for relaxing.

Yes, people should parent their kids. But I think most do. I very much doubt many let their kids 'kick the seat' for 6h.

I'm not opposed to people being able to pay to sit away from kids but not always possible.

Drunk adults on flights have ruined far more trips for me than babies.

I've been flying long haul for 40 years and have never come across any kids having tantrums or babies who scream and cry the whole way.
My own kids all behaved too, they slept of played/read books, and now with the introduction of TV's the youngest was very easily entertained had a happy flyer.

Don't talk nonsense op

I agree that crying because of ear pressure is totally understandable - I wouldn’t expect babies to suffer in silence and I don’t think anyone should be punished for that kind of thing. My issue is more with prolonged disruption where the parents seems totally disengaged or unbothered while others are clearly trying to rest.

I absolutely agree drunk, disruptive adults are a problem too and they do get dealt with by staff if they’re disturbing others. But with kids, the bar for action is much higher, even if the impact on the cabin is similar.

I’m not suggesting banning kids entirely - more wondering if there are creative ways to make the experience more manageable for everyone, especially on long flights where people are spending a lot and hoping to rest.

I've never had a flight ruined by a child. To be fair, I don't often fly long haul.

It's always adults that are the problem!

When we fly the four of us (2 adults and 2 DDs) my DDs are always impeccably behaved, although they're both teenagers now. DH likes to sit with both of them - DD1 has the window, DD2 in the middle and DH on the aisle, meaning he gets more leg room as DD2 is short. I'm always on the aisle seat across from them. Great, you might think. Hero DH has to deal with the kids but no! I always end up sitting next to an adult who is up and down like a bride's fucking nightie the whole flight, meaning I keep having to get up! They need something out of their bag, they need the toilet etc.

The last time I flew I ended up with the whole row of seats to myself! Yes, jackpot! No such bloody luck! There was a group of lads on a lads holiday who wanted to swap seats with a couple in front of me so the couple both came and sat next to me. 😡 I swear the lad had a drug problem, he was off to the loo every two minutes! Ffs.

Well, that's an easy problem to solve. When it happened to me I 1. Turned around and gently asked the kid to stop kicking me. 2. Asked his mum to mind his feet when he did it again. Didn't have to go with 3. Tell the flight attendant because I think she didn't want me to turn around again.

Have you ever actually encountered a child kicking a seat for 6 hours? Seems like a massive exaggeration to me. You sound miserable.

Can we have a booze free section of the plane so anyone who wants to drink can fuck off there?

Can we have a fat person section of the plane so I don't have to squeeze over to accommodate them encroaching on my space? We can weigh them too so I get cheaper tickets for my weight and luggage? Why should I pay their share of the fuel?

Can we have an intolerant person section of the plane where anyone with obnoxious views can sit so I don't have to listen to them for hours (including as a third party rather than participant)?

Have you ever actually encountered a child kicking a seat for 6 hours? Seems like a massive exaggeration to me. You sound miserable.

On one holiday, the kid in front of us was scrambling about. Shouting, trying to climb over the seat back. The parents ignored the kid and had nothing to entertain him. It was a trying flight.

On the way back there was a toddler adjacent. The parents were so engaged and lovely. They had toys, colouring books etc. Did not have a moment's disruption.

You can't punish all families because of the shit parents.

Besides its not just economy, short haul business class I had two unattended kids behind me about 8 and 10. Fighting, shouting, kicking the seats. I thought they were travelling alone. No kids meals booked and the FAs had to be quite involved in explaining the food options to them.

They got steadily more disruptive and at hour 4 of the flight they were both lying down across the two seats and the divider section slapping, hair pulling etc shortly before descent, I turned round and firmly told them off. They then sat like angels till landing.

Their parents were seated together about 4 rows back. I had actually noticed them previously because they were drinking heavily and in the end the cabin crew handed over a bottle of champagne rather than run backwards and forwards with glass after glass.

Crap parents aren't confined to economy.

The last 2 long haul flights I was on last year, children I'd say ...1 was 6 months, other maybe a year old. Not a peep out of either of them for 13 hours. I was really impressed particularly as older one was on a parents lap the whole time...how exhausting for all of them
Younger child had a bassinet

I hear you and I agree that public spaces are for everyone and we can’t expect total silence or perfection from any group. This isn’t about policing every sound or excluding people with conditions they can’t control. It’s more about trying to address situations where inconsiderate parenting leads to prolonged disruption, especially on long-haul flights were people are trying to sleep, manage jet lag, or work.

I’m not saying parents should pay more - in fact, I suggested adult-only or quiet cabin options for those willing to pay extra, not forcing families to. Just like there are different classes, I don’t think it’s wild to explore different configurations that try to balance comfort for everyone.

It’s not about discrimination - it’s about finding practical solutions to recurring issues people experience on long flights.

I went to the States last year. A lifelong dream trip for a particular event. It was amazing from start to finish.

You need to re- evaluate what you think is ‘horrific’- your privilege is not pretty.