So I am going through my normal
routine of getting ready for work this morning when my ears are bombarded by
what I can only describe as logical ignorance. Have you heard of these so
called "child free zone" seats airlines are doing? Apparently for a
little extra money you can purchase seats in a special zone guaranteed to be
free of children and all the "headache" that comes along with flying next
to one. You know the headaches:
1.
Tantrums
2.
Kicking of the seats
3.
Incessant crying
4.
Parent and/or child constantly
getting up or switching seats
5.
Food/Drink spills
I get the headaches and why people
want to avoid them. As the parent of the child I want to avoid them too. I mean
if you think your headache is big after dealing with any of the above imagine
mine. I called this whole idea or new offering logical ignorance because as
someone who has flown on a plane and as someone who has had to endure the
incessant crying or tantrums I don't know anywhere on the plane you can go and
avoid that. Now I believe the biggest plane I have been on was the Boeing
767-the one where each of the side aisles seat two to a row with the middle
seating three to a row. I felt it to be a fairly nice size plane. Even on that
plane I could hear the crying and there wasn't a child near me for rows.
Children have mastered the shrill and ain’t no escaping it.
Now this is what really threw me for
a loop and sent me off the deep end: the wider seats and extended leg room. I
forgot to mention that earlier but apparently this zone comes with slightly
wider seats and extended leg room. If anyone should need wider seats and extra
leg room it would be the passengers flying with small children. I’ve flown with
my toddler and I would've paid a little extra money to have both of those. It
would have made for a more comfortable flight which in turn could have made for
a more enjoyable toddler. Instead we were both cramped into what is already
space designated for slugs. Oh and for those that do not have children do you
know how much extra stuff you have to lug around with you to appease your
toddler. I had so much stuff crammed under the seat in front of me I thought
the person sitting there was going to lose it. Who cares if my son isn't
kicking your seat when you have the mother digging under your rear end all
flight to retrieve diaper bags, blankets, snacks, and movie videos.
So airlines I say to you that what would have been smart and
the most logical route was to create parent safe zones. Maybe the seats could
be colorful and decorated like a pediatrician's office. Maybe you give out kid
friendly snacks in those zones and have special kid appropriate movies. Maybe
that zone comes with blocks or little toys to entertain the kiddies instead of
a pillow and blanket. I don't know because I can't speak for all parents. So
why don't you survey some parents and hold some focus groups to see how you can
make our flights more comfortable which in turn would make EVERYONE's flight
more enjoyable. I don't know it just seems to me you are solving the wrong end
of the problem.
