Flying Thai with an Infant aged 6 months +

[MZurf]

To all you who fly with infants and toddlers: Please stop doing it!

While I do understand that infants/toddlers can be a bit of a nuisance sometimes, to other passengers in the same cabin, until airlines start to let us put them in a dog/cat-box with the rest of the cargo in the hold, we really don't have much choice !

Most parents understand that, and are more tolerant, having been there themselves !

Very well said, i agree 100%

While what I said was partly a joke (no sane person would suggest banning babies from all flights) this is a real problem for me and lots of other people who fly a lot.

If I only did 1-2 intercontinental flights a year I would not have had much of an issue with it (even though I do think that if you're forking out on a business class seat you should get a refund if your rest is made impossible by a bawler).

But I'm flying intercontinental every month and this is really driving me up the wall - especially if I encounter the attitude displayed by the poster RTC99Q (“ if baby cries ... so be it. people dont like f*¥k'em”, and “your babies will cry at some point. my wife always gets upset as she feels bad for the people around us. as noted earlier i say piss off.”)

The airlines are of course aware of the problem and they have been discussing possible solutions for years (separate soundproof compartments, “baby free” flights etc).

I just hope something will be done soon.

[Cereal]

I spent 10 years in the air as a flight attendant and have logged many 100's of hours over that traveling for pleasure. There is precious little I can think of than to listen to a wailing infant for 10 + hours. This includes the parents, the passengers and the staff. Everyone is miserable and I have seen serious arguments break out between exhausted parents and fed-up passengers.

As to the person who said F 'em to the people bothered by crying infants, well that is just flat out rude and disrespectful.

Ask your doctor, antihistamines and anti-nausea pills work well as do over the counter cold/cough syrups. A side effect is drowsiness. Not all doctors will agree, but given the tiniest dose your baby can sleep well and safely, and thus everyone on the plane including the parents, has a much more pleasant flight.

I don't agree that just because someone has a child, it gives them the right to ruin other peoples' time.

[rct99q]

for Smurf, I realise what you are saying is partly tongue & cheek, but you have choices. I fly a lot and have been seated next to or very near to:

a person who vomited thru the entire 12 hour flight - these people should not be allowed to fly

a guy so fat part of his leg fat covered half my seat. so I sat down on it. he complained to the in flight crew. I said i wanted a partial refund as I was not paying for his fat to fly on my seat (premium economy seat so a little bigger seatnthen econo) - fat people should not be allowed to fly

a lady whose body odour literally made my eyes water - stinky people should be denied boarding

drunks & stoners not only tend to be annoying but can be dangerous - these people should be given 10 year travel bans. i have been on three flights that had to be diverted because of these a$$holes, 2 in canada, 1 in caribbean

i have encountered people who snored so loudly in economy it woke me up in business class - people who snore should be asked to leave the aircraft immediately.

annoying talkers, mostly drunken brits or australians, who believe their stories are so funny that they need to have everyone on the aircraft here them -brits & aussies should be forbidden from purchasing tickets

korean, chinese and a few others who snort up their nose snot and then spit it out on floor in between their feet and yours, for 7 hours running...should be shot and dumped into the ocean

or my flight last May. this person seated next to me whose breath was so bad you could smell it while he breathed thru his nose. i refused to be seated next to him. the in flight crew thought i was kidding. i told them to go smell him. they refused i asked if there were any available seats to move to (i was in evergreen class premium economy) they said it was a full flight. i waited by the exit doors hoping for a no show. no luck. i walked off the aircraft. told them to pull my bags i was not flying. they told me they would call security and have me arrested for disturbance. i said go ahead. co-pilot came out to talk to me, i told him to go smell the guys breath and assured him i was not going to sit beside the guy for 11 hours. off he went.

i was booked on another flight the next day in business class with my bags waiting for me!

so people with stinky breath should sit next to me more often so i can get an upgrade - or they should get their own enclosed section of the plane and not bother anyone

me, i will take a crying baby over most of the above (all of which i have encountered on nearly every flight) especially the snot snorters who are the worst.

[samran]

done it a bit. Thai do provide the bassinet, just ask for it. If your kids are small enough they might still fit, if not, get them anyway, if they can sleep a bit squashed up.

Other than that, there isn't much any airline can do. You either suck it up and get a spare seat for them, or go business and there is usually space to lie them down on the floor for a sleep in front of your seat. Or have them on your lap.

As for one way trip is always going to be more expensive. They all do it. Look at buying a one year return in case you need to come back. More expensive than the one way, but at least you've got it.

[MZurf]

for Smurf, I realise what you are saying is partly tongue & cheek, but you have choices. I fly a lot and have been seated next to or very near to:

a person who vomited thru the entire 12 hour flight - these people should not be allowed to fly

a guy so fat part of his leg fat covered half my seat. so I sat down on it. he complained to the in flight crew. I said i wanted a partial refund as I was not paying for his fat to fly on my seat (premium economy seat so a little bigger seatnthen econo) - fat people should not be allowed to fly

a lady whose body odour literally made my eyes water - stinky people should be denied boarding

drunks & stoners not only tend to be annoying but can be dangerous - these people should be given 10 year travel bans. i have been on three flights that had to be diverted because of these a$$holes, 2 in canada, 1 in caribbean

i have encountered people who snored so loudly in economy it woke me up in business class - people who snore should be asked to leave the aircraft immediately.

annoying talkers, mostly drunken brits or australians, who believe their stories are so funny that they need to have everyone on the aircraft here them -brits & aussies should be forbidden from purchasing tickets

korean, chinese and a few others who snort up their nose snot and then spit it out on floor in between their feet and yours, for 7 hours running...should be shot and dumped into the ocean

or my flight last May. this person seated next to me whose breath was so bad you could smell it while he breathed thru his nose. i refused to be seated next to him. the in flight crew thought i was kidding. i told them to go smell him. they refused i asked if there were any available seats to move to (i was in evergreen class premium economy) they said it was a full flight. i waited by the exit doors hoping for a no show. no luck. i walked off the aircraft. told them to pull my bags i was not flying. they told me they would call security and have me arrested for disturbance. i said go ahead. co-pilot came out to talk to me, i told him to go smell the guys breath and assured him i was not going to sit beside the guy for 11 hours. off he went.

i was booked on another flight the next day in business class with my bags waiting for me!

so people with stinky breath should sit next to me more often so i can get an upgrade - or they should get their own enclosed section of the plane and not bother anyone

me, i will take a crying baby over most of the above (all of which i have encountered on nearly every flight) especially the snot snorters who are the worst.

No, I don't have any choices, I can't walk out the door when the crying starts. That's the whole issue. You're basically lock up for hours in a very small cylinder and if you're in anything except 1st class or forward in business a wailing toddler will keep you awake.

Regarding all the other annoying passengers you list I fully agree, but this thread is about babies on planes, and personally I encounter many more wailing babies than drunks and fat people etc.

[David48]

done it a bit. Thai do provide the bassinet, just ask for it. If your kids are small enough they might still fit, if not, get them anyway, if they can sleep a bit squashed up.

Other than that, there isn't much any airline can do. You either suck it up and get a spare seat for them, or go business and there is usually space to lie them down on the floor for a sleep in front of your seat. Or have them on your lap.

As for one way trip is always going to be more expensive. They all do it. Look at buying a one year return in case you need to come back. More expensive than the one way, but at least you've got it.

Mate, if only it was that simple.

I searched off-site to the Baby Forums etc.

Once you reach the age of 6 months ... it is a firm no.

I got MissFarmGirl (my partner) to confirm that from the Thai end ... I rang Thai in Australia ... same answer ... NO

There is a height/weight/age limit ... break one of them ... NO

.

[samran]

done it a bit. Thai do provide the bassinet, just ask for it. If your kids are small enough they might still fit, if not, get them anyway, if they can sleep a bit squashed up.

Other than that, there isn't much any airline can do. You either suck it up and get a spare seat for them, or go business and there is usually space to lie them down on the floor for a sleep in front of your seat. Or have them on your lap.

As for one way trip is always going to be more expensive. They all do it. Look at buying a one year return in case you need to come back. More expensive than the one way, but at least you've got it.

Mate, if only it was that simple.

I searched off-site to the Baby Forums etc.

Once you reach the age of 6 months ... it is a firm no.

I got MissFarmGirl (my partner) to confirm that from the Thai end ... I rang Thai in Australia ... same answer ... NO

There is a height/weight/age limit ... break one of them ... NO

.

understood. When we boarded, they were available to us. Which actually pissed me off as I'm 6 foot + and hate the bulkhead as there is no room for me to strech my legs. I booked to sit elsewhere but you end up back at the bulkhead. Its cause you have an infant...

[Ricardo]

One thing.you can do, to help avoid crying babies, is to book on-line a seat further away from the bulkheads ?

It's not a total solution, but it sometimes helps.