Why Is Your Child on This Airplane?

I recently read a column that purported to advise parents how to deal with "child haters" who mistreat them just for bringing their kids on an airplane trip.

Excuse me? In a conversation a few years ago, my co-blogger Crosscheck said something that was like a revelation to me:

There is no reason for young children to travel on an airplane.

I have thought about this almost every time I've flown for the last several years. And after all that thinking about it, I have come to the following conclusion:

In the vast majority of cases, there is actually no reason for young children to travel on an aircraft (i.e., kids too young to understand the expectation of civil behavior). The exceptions would be the following:

• an ill child traveling to see a specialist for a severe disease; 

• a family paying its respects to a dying grandparent; or 

• a family relocating permanently across the country.

Otherwise? Why subject yourself to the agony of lugging all that crap around with you (strollers, diapers, wipes, formula, pacifiers, toys, books, video games)? 

Why subject other passengers to the avoidable interference in what is already a stressful pursuit (being cooped up in the tube in the sky)?

Why make the kids go through often-painful sinus compression and decompression (that they don't understand how to remedy), dehydration, and other deleterious effects of air travel? 

Just stay home, or take a driving trip, a train trip, or a boat trip.

Photo via Creative Commons 

Flying on 9/11

Both Crosscheck and I are flying internationally (EX USA) today, the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Airport traffic seems moderate for a Sunday, perhaps a little lighter than normal. We will see and hear some industry stats in the days to come.

For me, flying on 9/11 wasn't a personal statement about freedom, or sending a statement to terrorists, it was a function of knowing that I had to be in Europe on September 12, and picking a flight that would get me there overnight from the East Coast. Only after getting the confirmation email did I look and think, "Oh crap, that departure is the 10th anniversary of September 11!"

But I didn't think about changing my plans. If anything, security leading up to today has been more strict (at least...I assume it has!), and scoring an upgrade (money + miles on CO) was smooth.

Here's to pondering the changes 9/11 brought (not just to air travel), and to safer flying from now on.

Will You Fly on September 11?

While booking some travel today, it occurred to me that some people will avoid flying on 9/11/11, the tenth anniversary of the infamous hijackings.

On the other hand, my co-author Crosscheck pointed out that the inevitable heightening of security screenings might make 9/11 among the safer days for flying – from an anti-terrorism standpoint, anyway.


Are you flying on 9/11? Or are you avoiding it?