2 posts tagged “travel”

...people who give dirty looks to crying babies and their parents on airplanes. I actually heard someone "shush!" an infant today on a plane. And it wasn't one of the parents.

First of all, if you have kids that have grown a bit older (like mine), muster up some empathy for those poor, beleaguered parents, Instead of a scowl, flash them a smile. You remember how bad it can be traveling with an unhappy infant.

Second, if you don't have kids and can't muster up some sympathy from the cup of human kindness, just remember this: you were once a baby, and you probably ruined the trips of others when you your ears popped on the descent, too!

Third, realize that by allowing your frustration and irritation show, you will, in most cases, cause a lot of stress and discomfort for the parents of said baby. That, in turn, makes them unhappy and stressed with their kid. And this, in turn, makes the tot even more unhappy. The cycle is so viscious.

So lighten up, be a little friendly, or worst care scenario, stick your head phones on and drowned out junior. But save your scowls for the adults who can make air travel so miserable: the guy who's drunk on cocktails 45 minutes into a trans-Atlantic flight, the traveler with the pea-sized bladder who insists on a window seat, or the jerks who try to board before their zone is called. That crying baby isn't looking so culpable after all......

On a recent flight to the West Coast, I had one of those "I wonder what took them so long" moments when I flipped the latch to let down my tray table and viola! An ad appeared smack dab across my lap! It was peddling hazelnut coffee creamer or some such nonesense.

I wonder who it was that made their annual bonus by coming up with this idea of covering every square inch of the tray with promotions? What irked me even more is that back in the good ol' days, everyone was given a tray of food during a long flight which would cover up such uninvited marketing. Now? A smile and $5 gets you some rubbery cubes of cheese and a few packs of saltines.

Between that and the flight attendants spending more time briniging my attention to the Dividend Miles co-promotion with Bank of America than the location of the emergency exit aisles, it seems we've crossed a line. Friendly skies indeed...