I fly with kids, I’m allowed. And I’d never blame a kid for being a kid. Yes they get bored. They get scared. Their ears pop or hurt during takeoff and landing. As I said I’ll even help out.
I just want parents to be semi responsible. So if your kids is standing in his seat and reaching over the back if my seat to pull my hair, or if he’s kicking the crap out of the seat in front if him or endlessly closing and opening the folding table… Yes the parent has a role here to stop the kid.
I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve said, “Oh C’mon rookie” in the security line.
More rules:
When you’re in the first boarding group please understand that some of us that you consider unworthy are also in the first group.
Parents should also bring stuff for the kids to do and snacks for the kids to eat. I am amazed when parents come on a plane expecting their kids to sit still when they haven’t brought them any books, games, etc. The reason that kids kick chairs is generally because they are bored, not because they are bad kids.
A frequent traveler would be in the pre-check line and wouldn’t care what other passengers knew about this. ![[basic-smile.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/83717c74df9b0ce202453063bc4f11baf0ee6b8a.gif "smile"){kind=small}
It’s like winning the lottery every time I see this on my boarding pass. Finally SOMETHING POSITIVE for the business traveler!
Take your crap at home. There I said it. We don’t want to smell THAT the whole flight. Le toilets are for pee pee, OK. 
You guys have a lit of pent up crap. Chill.
I care if you smell, don’t care about your food.
If you are lucky enough to have an aisle, you should be happy to get up 5 times to let me out. I am when I get the aisle. I did pee before I got on and will do so about three more times. Even if I don’t , il not getting a DVT so you can snooze.
I agree with those who think parents don’t care if their kids scream should be kicked off the plane.
I’ve made many mistakes in my travels. I apologize to all my fellow passengers for my selfishness during these episodes I have encountered over the years…
No, I’m sorry, you can’t taste my bloody mary to see if you want to order one or not. Sorry.
No, you can’t have a sip of my wine.
Yes, Mr. Aisle Seat, the stewardess has a great rack, and your story about how you banged a stew in Seattle is truly fascinating, I’m not sure my 8 year old daughter sitting between us is as fascinated as I am about it.
Yes, I agree that I am being unreasonable to think that my aisle seat assignment should be honored, because, after all, you “got there first”. Sorry for being such a selfish jerk and not wanting the middle seat.
Again, I’m sorry that I should have known better to continue to work on my laptop when you had to call the stewardess for the third time to complain that the light from my laptop was “ruining” the viewing of your movie.
I do apologize for being a selfish jerk for wanting my brownie that you took off my dinner tray when you passed it across to me. What was I thinking?
No, I can’t lend you a fiver for another vodka.
I don’t know what I was thinking when I complained about you putting down my tray so you could put your McDonald’s bag on it so you could spread out the wrapper to have a place to squirt the ketchup for your fries.
And yes, there are a lot of Jews in NYC, including the woman next to me - my wife.
Nice post Paul. Addressing issues with grace.
I chalk it up to people being people. Never really got mad about any of it. I found most of it absurd.
My theory of air travel is that I can spend a few hundred and be in Europe or Hawaii in a few hours. Everything else is gravy.
My tolerance for kids kicking the rear of my seat is exactly 30 seconds before I let the parents know how I feel.
I always bring foam earplugs. An infant who was screaming endlessly and was sitting directly behind me was at least tolerable while still annoying with the plugs in.
People actually did those things? ![[shock.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0b1dcf699ec319f43254f92e3f145786dcd93904.gif "shock"){kind=small}
Paul McCourt…awesome post! I would be happy to sit next to you on any flight!
(but just a bit more Tabasco in the Bloody next time please!)
;-D
All of your person should fit in YOUR seat.
Bruce
People who bring on excess carry on really annoy the crap out of me…
…and leave at least half of an armrest for me
i wrote this on another board, October 22, 2008:
had the pleasure of traveling across the country last week and thought i’d post some ramblings i threw together in the Atlanta airport between flights.
Be prepared when you get to the security gate. Everyone knows you have to take off your shoes, belt, hat, etc. and go through the metal detector…don’t act like it’s some huge inconvenience when you get to the line. Just put your shit in the little plastic bins and move along.
The airline gate person makes announcements for a reason. She will tell you how and when to board the plane. The zone is on your boarding pass, feel free to have a look at this before you sprint to the front of the line and try to climb on with the first class passengers and those with special needs…your seat will be ready and waiting when it’s your turn.
Speaking of boarding the plane, feel free to have a sense of where you and your luggage are in relation to others. I don’t appreciate you swinging your purse, satchel, rucksack, or suitcase into my head as your shuffle down the aisle.
And speaking of suitcases, feel free to make sure your carry-on bag is slightly smaller than what a Sherpa would carry up Everest. Good lord, I know it’s gonna be an extra 20 minutes in baggage claim waiting for all your worldly possessions to come down the belt, but the overhead compartment is for EVERYONE to use…just because you brought a freaking steamer trunk on board doesn’t mean you get priority.
And another thing, it might be a good thing to not tow your suitcase through the plane…it’s awkward, cumbersome, and inconvenient to the rest of us trying to get to our seats. Unless you have a disability, you should be able to pick up your 22lb. carry-on like a big boy or girl and walk it to your seat. That is, unless you decided to completely disregard the airline’s guidelines for what a carry-on bag should be and you are trying to hump 55 pounds of Starbucks water and cinnabons to your seat.
Speaking of towing suitcases and other luggage around an airport, have a look around every now and again (yes, that means BEHIND you too!) so when your bag is moving around like a snake having a grand mal seizure it doesn’t keep hitting me in the ankles and it won’t be hazard to the rest of us.
And speaking of the rest of us, if you are walking through the terminal, try doing so like you have a sense of purpose and direction. This is not a leisurely stroll through a museum, there are people trying to make connections and get the hell on their way. Sauntering down the main thoroughfare at the terminal and gawking around like you just got your first glimpse of a real-live Oompa Loompa is not getting it done.
Also, the airplane is not your living room. Keep your shoes on and your feet off the furniture. I don’t want to smell ‘em, and I don’t want to be sitting down where your bunion-ridden modes of bi-pedal modality have been resting. It’s gross. And another thing: we’re all in the same confined little space…I can hear every word you say and I’m not really that interested. I’m not against being social, just keep your voice lower than the engines which keep the plane aloft.
Finally, listen to what the flight attendants have to say when they start yapping on the microphone. If they say “remain seated until the plane comes to a complete stop and the pilot turns the sign off” then just f*cking do it! I’m so sick and tired of some ass-clown from 24 rows behind me sprinting toward the exit as soon as he spies the terminal from his window seat to try and get out 5 minutes sooner. Just wait your goddam turn like a good little passenger and I won’t have to kick the suitcase you are dragging behind you down the aisle all the way to the cockpit. Jackass.
Yup!
I am not sure anyone hates business travel more than me, but you people seem to have had experiences I find hard even to imagine. Jeez.
On 99% of my flights, my only annoyance is with the pitch and size of the seats and flight delays. I do think that on daylight and early evening flights at least, the seat back should stay up and that parents should at least try to manage unhappy kids. Mostly, I think the PAX deal with the pain of travel pretty well.