To think this father was an idiot (Aggressive woman on plane calmed by 8-year-old)

[LifeIsAMeatball]

I sometimes wonder if I exist in another world of thinking! Just read this about a hero child on the BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czr2mmv026go

For those that don’t like clicking links: A drunk woman became belligerent on a flight to the point the crew felt the plane might need to divert.

A father stepped in and offered to calm her down by sitting her between him and his child. She calmed down and the father is now lauding his son as a hero.

No doubt the child did a cracking job, but what parent thinks that sitting an angry, sweary woman (who’d already had a bottle of whisky confiscated) next to your child mid air is sensible parenting!

Agree. Good idea to keep her distracted/try and talk to her but why didn’t he sit her on the aisle next to him, while he sat in the middle? Then his child (in the window seat) could have had the option to join in the conversation or to not be involved.
Sitting the woman right in the middle of them was basically forcing the poor child to talk to her! And at the worst subjecting him to her aggressive drunkenness.
Very odd behaviour from the dad.

But if it hadn't worked the crew would have stepped back in. It was genius and it worked and the kid is being praised for his skill and diplomacy and patience. Wins all round surely?

I wouldn't say it was dangerous, just horrendous being sat next to her for 3 hours. I wouldn't do it.

They shouldn't sell alcohol in airports and on planes, but of course, the revenue is more important to the airlines than passenger safety.

Just because he did it well, and nothing went wrong, doesn’t make this a sensible thing to do to an 8 year old, imo, @TemporarilyCantDoMyself. 8 year olds are not buffers for drunken and aggressive people.

It could have gone really wrong, very quickly, and it would have been the father’s fault.

She had done enough to be arrested on landing. That would indicate to me she’d be too unpredictable to be sat in a middle seat with my child up against the window.

I suspect the man knows his son better than anyone, and was best able to judge the situation involving the woman and risk assessed. His mum was also on the flight.

She wouldn’t have got way that if she was a man.

I know my son. He’d have been excellent too, I’m sure.

What the father didn’t know was the woman. How she’d react etc. Best case, your child is stuck next to a rambling drunk for over 3 hours. Medium case she falls into a drunken stupor and slobbers all over him or is sick. Worst she becomes violent or aggressive and needs extracting from her seat. I’d choose none of those options for my child.

I didn’t see where it says the mother was on the flight too, but don’t think it’s really relevant as the father is taking all the decision-making glory here.

Who would want to fly with these kinds of people on board??!

The word ‘hero’ does some heavy lifting. It could have backfired massively. Sitting her by a random kid could have made things much worse for everyone.

Yep and you point out the obvious and I don’t disagree with potential scenarios from a drunken person from sight, your assessment was from not being there, difficult to judge without witnessing it.

It would be interesting to hear the story as told by others on onboard.

He put his child next an aggro drunk? What an utter fuckwit.

Right. It's not actually his place, as a father, to choose to involve his son with aggressive drunks and possibly dangerous situations. His son is not a bodyshield or comfort blanket for drunken arseholes.

The father indisputably behaved - on this occasion - like an utter fuckwit.

So a drunk women is aggressive and a man is to blame for all this?

Clearly both the father and son have high EQ.

Dad made a judgement of risk and believed that calm conversation could prevent escalation and distract, perhaps drawing on previous experience

The only part I am not comfortable with is that he chose to put his very young son's face into the media

Good fot them. I had kept my 8 yo away from her.

Only a man would think of doing this lets face it! Well done to the lad though.

So a father chose to put his son in harm's way and he is also a man, which isn't relevant except that if it had been a woman she would be far more seriously lambasted for doing something so stupid?

Fixed your comment for you.

His son is 8. His EQ is not relevant. He's not even close to the age of consent and he's not a stab vest or emotional support animal for angry drunks. His father behaved with poor judgement and definitely should not be congratulated for doing something so utterly stupid.

No parent has the right to put their child in harm's way through choice. This father did so. This is irrefutable. He should be told never to be so stupid again.

I was going to say you’re right but then I saw the kid was from Salford. Will have been a walk in the park for him. 😆

Funnily enough if you search there are some slightly differing versions events on-line.

At least report one I've seen states that initially the cabin crew told the father not to get involved, and that they only OK'd his move after the lady had quietened down/calmed down slightly..

Also (according to a report in the Liverpool Echo) after arrival

"Greater Manchester Police said officers attended, but no crimes were reported."

I don't think there's any doubt it was an unpleasant incident but in terms of severity on a scale of 1 to 10, risk to the 8 year old, and whether a diversion was really on the cards or just threatened to get the lady to calm down....who knows?

Yuk.

I wouldnt sit a drunk woman or man next to my child for the duration of a flight.

Of course they should! A G&T on a holiday flight is all part of the experience.
Why punish everyone for the extreme actions of the few?