Forming an Opportunity Belief ~ Assignment Four

I have a belief that most people find sitting next to a child/baby on an airplane is quite frustrating. 

Honestly, it doesn't bother me because I love babies and I think people should be more understanding... Babies cry! They especially cry on airplanes because there ears pop and they're too young to know what is going on. I have been on a lot of airplanes and every time I am on one, there seems to be a baby and there is ALWAYS someone complaining about it. 

I interviewed three people that have sat next to babies and children on airplanes to get their thoughts on how they feel about it. They were all of different ages. The first one was male that was 21 years old. The second one was also male that was 38 years old. The last one was female that was 55 years old. I asked them ten questions to get their opinions on the matter.

Keep in mind, these answers are not exactly what they said. When I interviewed them, I took notes and these are the notes, listed below. 

Interview One:

I will start with the 21 year old.

1. Have you ever sat next to a baby/child on an airplane?

~ Yes, I have. I have sat next to children of all ages.

2. How do you feel about it?

~ I don't mind sitting near babies, due to the fact that I normally use headphones during my flight. However, being next to young children that parents don't supervise is quite disturbing.

3. Why do you feel this way?

~ I feel this way because if young children are not supervised, they can be reckless and disturb me as the flight goes along. For example, a young child that does not behave well may have a tendency to hit the back of my seat.

4. Given a choice, would you opt out of sitting next to a baby/child on an airplane?

~ I don't care enough to opt out of sitting next to a baby or a child. I would prefer not to sit next to them, but I would not opt out of it if was the only seat available.

5. Have you thought about ways to improve the situation?

~ Yes I have.

6. If so, what have you come up with?

~ To improve the situation, I wear headphones so I can block out most of the noise when I fly. I have not been able to fix the problem of the child kicking/bumping my seat though.

7. When or if you had a baby/child, would/did you feel differently? If so, explain.

~ I would feel a lot different about the situation. I don't have any kids right now but I do want them in the future. It is easy to judge someone else when you aren't in the same situation. I think I would be a bit more understanding once I have children of my own.

8. Would you pay extra to go on an airplane that doesn't have babies or children on it?

~ I would not pay extra to be away from a baby or child during a flight. I am a college student so I tend to look for the cheapest flights when I do travel but even if I did have the extra money, I still don't think I would do it.

9. In your opinion, would you say a lot of people have a problem with sitting next to babies/children on an airplane? 

~ I believe that many people, given the opportunity, would not want to sit next to a baby.

10. Do you agree with people who do have a problem with it? Explain. 

~ I understand why people might get frustrated with children, but I believe that people should be more understanding. I also think it's harder for people who don't have kids to understand because they don't know how hard it is.

Interview Two: 

This is with the 38 year old.

1. Have you ever sat next to a baby/child on an airplane?

~ Yes I have.

2. How do you feel about it?

~ It was a moment of "I hope this is a short flight". I had one of the last tickets to board for my option was a center seat or one with a man and his one year old. His first statement to me was "Are you sure about this?".

3. Why do you feel this way?

~ I just know I always hear babies crying on planes. It's not their fault but I do not enjoy listening to it.

4. Given a choice, would you opt out of sitting next to a baby/child on an airplane?

~ Of course. Everyone else that had boarded before me which was 90%, also chose not to sit next to him and the child.

5. Have you thought about ways to improve the situation?

~ Yes but there really isn't a great way to improve the situation once a baby is on board. I personally wouldn't take my baby on a flight. Babies express emotion through crying. When they experience the change in pressure within their ears, it is normal to be uncomfortable especially when they do not know what is going on. It is also a cramped space so you can't stand up and walk the baby around and usually you are supposed to have your seatbelt fastened.

6. If so, what have you come up with?

~ One idea is to put anyone with a lap passenger (or a non paying passenger ~ child or dog) in the last four or five rows of the airplane. This would be great excuse they would be close to the bathroom and would also have some extra space in the back. They are also the furthest away from the highest priced seats in the front. The problem is that in today's day and age, people don't like to be told what to do. It would be hard to force mothers to the back of the plane.

7. When or if you had a baby/child, would/did you feel differently? If so, explain.

~ We were poor and not exposed to the option of flying. I still don't think I would feel differently though.

8. Would you pay extra to go on an airplane that doesn't have babies or children on it?

~ Yes, definitely. Many times I fly up front to get as far away as possible. I usually have to work on flights so sitting next to a crying baby can be counterproductive and very distracting. I have noise cancelling headphones now though so I don't mind as much as I used to.

9. In your opinion, would you say a lot of people have a problem with sitting next to babies/children on an airplane? 

~ No one likes sitting next to a baby. Many times, the parents don't even like sitting with their own crying baby. It is stressful for everyone. It is hard for a man or a woman to sit there and listen to their baby cry when they know they can't do anything to stop it.

10. Do you agree with people who do have a problem with it? Explain. 

~ I do agree to a certain extent. I have a problem with the people who say something to the parents about it because they can't do anything. Some people are just rude and disrespectful. I don't mind people making light of it though through jokes and things of that nature. Most babies traveling are healthy and usually go to sleep after reaching 10,000 feet in the air.

Interview Three:

This is with the 55 year old.

1. Have you ever sat next to a baby/child on an airplane?

~ Yes.

2. How do you feel about it?

~ I wanted to hold the baby and I have been asked to on occasion. I have also offered to hold the baby/child if a mother was traveling alone and needed help. I think this gives the mom a break and makes the long flight go by much faster.

3. Why do you feel this way?

~ I love children and they have a certain smell about them! I love the baby smell.

4. Given a choice, would you opt out of sitting next to a baby/child on an airplane?

~ No, of course not. Most children are well behaved. It's usually the inexperienced parent or just the parent in general who has the problem and not the child.

5. Have you thought about ways to improve the situation?

~ Yes.

6. If so, what have you come up with?

~ If I were to see someone with a problem I would offer to help by perhaps switching seats. If fact, I have had to do that on occasion. I have also offered suggestions and helped with the baby.

7. When or if you had a baby/child, would/did you feel differently? If so, explain.

~ I have children and would not feel any different. Often times when children cry on planes, it's because their little ears hurt and the parents don't know how to remedy the pain. New mothers usually really appreciate the suggestions that I give. Sometimes the babies and children don't feel well, just like you or me.

8. Would you pay extra to go on an airplane that doesn't have babies or children on it?

~ No. I don't mind the children. They can be very entertaining. I have seen the worst with babies too. I have been thrown up on by a strangers baby and had to sit with the baby vomit on me for five hours. How does someone get upset at a little angel like that? Again, I really think it's the parent with the issue and not the child.

9. In your opinion, would you say a lot of people have a problem with sitting next to babies/children on an airplane? 

~ I have traveled a lot for my career. Regular flights and RedEye flights were super common. I have seen a lot of people with problems with the babies and I just don't understand it.

10. Do you agree with people who do have a problem with it? Explain.

~ No I don't agree. Unless you have an over abundance of cash, most people travel in coach. These people are just like you or me and have a little human along with them. People are at the mercy of the flight place and assigned seating. If people are respectful about the matter, then I am okay with it. It's when people are rude and inconsiderate. That's when I have an issue.


IN CONCLUSION...

I thought this exercise was really interesting because it was neat to see everyones point of view. The female that I interviewed definitely loved babies and was clear about it. The men liked babies too but weren't fond of when they cried. A couple things that I did notice about all of the interviews is that they all agreed with the fact that people should be understanding and respectful because the parents can't control it. They also agreed that most people do not care for sitting next to babies and children on airplanes as they do not enjoy the crying and the mess that comes with it. It was nice to know that they were understanding people who respected parents that take their kids on an airplane. It can be a cool thing for a kid. I would love to send these ten questions to more people of all races, ages and genders to get more of an idea of what people think!