Jake Brodsky wrote:
Kingfish wrote:
Can't get your kid to behave on a plane? There's always Trailways...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16773655/?GT1=8921

I'm appalled at how many of you were cheering AirTran on for their
behavior. I'm a father of three typically well behaved children.

Perhaps most of you prefer not to remember, but kids have energy: LOTS
of energy. Yes, my kids do sit still on aircraft. I've taught them
very well how to behave in airports and on board an airplane. They also
have practice from long road trips. They've done well --even my three
year old.

Yet everyone has an off day. I don't know what the situation was with
these parents or why their kid was such a problem. When I've traveled
with my three children, I took their car seats with them on board the
airliner. It wasn't easy. However, they felt right at home and they
all behaved very well. Expecting a child to sit still in a seat they're
not familiar with is no simple affair, especially when it has so many
buttons and stuff to play with.

I'd have given the parents a few minutes to calm the kid down. It makes
for better press...

Jake Brodsky
Just how long do you want to give them? According to the article the
flight was already delayed 15 minutes. The parents could not or would
not get the child into her seat. The plane can't pull back until
everyone is in their seat and belted in. Do you tell all the other
people on the flight that they had better not have connecting flights
because you need to delay more for these parents? Perhaps the parents
should have thought about the rest of the passengers and offered to get
off the plane because their daughter was too upset to fly. I have 2
children and yes I've had to deal with meltdowns. It's not fun but I've
had to leave restaurants because I could not get my kids to stop acting
out. Bottom line is one person should not be allowed to mess up the
lives of 112 others when it's avoidable.