# Infants Fly Free? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 19, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229 "2012-04-19T01:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![secretsmile36](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@secretsmile36](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/secretsmile36)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/41 "2012-04-19T15:51:44Z")
I have a strange feeling you’re not particulary fond of children. What are the parents supposed to do leave them home alone? I find the whole tone of your post rather offensive. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/42 "2012-04-19T15:53:44Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > I like animals, and I felt bad for the poor dog who was just scared, but it is ridiculous to claim that pets are 100% fine and babies are 100% awful. What is the name of this logical fallacy? A: "I don’t like it when babies cry. B: “Why are you so in favor of yelping puppies and drunken morons!” I’m getting pretty tired of this sort of “logic.” ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/43 "2012-04-19T16:03:37Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > the queers, and the coons, the reds and the Jews. Pink Floyd Reference! I win the thread. Also, to your other points Rune, yes, Malaysian airline stewardesses are perfect but from a purely practical point I get the feeling that mere mortals don’t stand a chance. Whereas the slightly less “glossy” staff that inhabiting the aisles of BA/AA etc. offer something more attainable. One suspects that they would, and they’d be dirty as well. And to the OP? get a grip. You know the risks when you buy your ticket. They allow other human beings on the plane too so…tough! ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/44 "2012-04-19T16:18:29Z")
That’s why I always carry earplugs when I fly. I can tolerate crying babies on a plane better than when I go out to a restaurant or movie. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/45 "2012-04-19T16:22:56Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Pink Floyd Reference! I win the thread. No “reds” in “In the Flesh”. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/46 "2012-04-19T16:40:05Z")
Can we at least ban babies from First Class? ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/47 "2012-04-19T16:43:16Z")
Yeah, because if it weren’t for the crying babies, flying would be an awesome experience. There’s nothing I love more than being packed in nose-to-butthole with 200 strangers while we all pretend that we’re not inhaling each other’s body soil and farts. We went to France a couple of weeks ago on vacation. There was a maybe 2-year-old French kid sitting a few rows back who jibber-jabbered throughout the flight, but he was mostly adorable. The best part was our descent in to CDG - we hit some pretty hairy turbulence, and everybody was looking a little green and glancing around nervously. Except for this kid; he _loved_ it, going “Woooo! WHEEEEE! PAPA! WHEEEEEEE!” and giggling every time the bottom dropped out from under us. It made me smile, and briefly distracted everyone from contemplating the likelihood of their own doom. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/48 "2012-04-19T16:49:28Z")
Here’s an idea: set aside various flights for parents with infants. Fill out these flights with kids from the local junior and senior high schools. The parents reach their destinations quickly without annoying other travelers, and the high school kids learn about the consequences of unprotected sex without all the drama caused by trying to teach sex ed in schools. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/49 "2012-04-19T17:00:45Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > What is the name of this logical fallacy? > > A: "I don’t like it when babies cry. > > B: “Why are you so in favor of yelping puppies and drunken morons!” > > I’m getting pretty tired of this sort of “logic.” What? Did you read the post I was replying to? > [@curlcoat](#): > > Why should I be required to pay $100 to bring a puppy home under the seat that no one even knows is there, but the squalling baby in the back of that flight got on free? If a drunk won’t sit down and shut up, he’ll be escorted off the plane but the one time that happened to a toddler and it was national news. Anyway, the only one of the things that make air travel miserable that is getting a free pass is babies. The logical fallacy was hers, not mine. She’s claiming that babies are the \*only \*annoying thing on planes getting a ‘free pass’, whereas puppies are completely silent and problem free and drunk people never, ever get to stay on the plane. I was just pointing out that it’s foolish to claim that babies form the only group capable of irritating others without consequence. I wasn’t trying to claim that \*anyone \*is ‘in favor of yelping puppies and drunken morons’, just that they are a fact of life just like crying babies. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/50 "2012-04-19T17:11:42Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > What is the name of this logical fallacy? > > A: "I don’t like it when babies cry. > > B: “Why are you so in favor of yelping puppies and drunken morons!” > > I’m getting pretty tired of this sort of “logic.” “Non sequitur”. Alternatively: “I’m a blazing moron”. > [@Procrustus](#): > > Can we at least ban babies from First Class? Screw that, I don’t fly first class! Put the babies up there! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/51 "2012-04-19T17:22:51Z")
Your story made me smile, **black rabbit.** ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/52 "2012-04-19T17:39:37Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > The logical fallacy was hers, not mine. She’s claiming that babies are the \*only \*annoying thing on planes getting a ‘free pass’, whereas puppies are completely silent and problem free and drunk people never, ever get to stay on the plane. No, she pretty much did not say that. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/53 "2012-04-19T17:51:35Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > You’re absolutely right; parents of infants she should absolutely barred from air travel. Mostly since they put you in danger of not being able to sleep off your hangover, and not having to accept the glares resulting from your SBD farts because you’re asleep. just for the record, i don’t have a problem with infants flying free, although i understand the OP’s frustration. but i find this type of statement really fucking grating, and it always seem to come up in this type of thread. just because someone doesn’t have kids does not mean they’re living it up and their biggest problem is trying to sleep off a hangover. everyone has their own struggles, some of them severe. > [@Sicks Ate](#): > > 1. The child is colicky. > 2. The child is scared. > 3. The child is a fuckingoddamn child, the they fuckinggoddamn cry. > 4. The kid is hungry, and mom (or dad) is really trying to get the right bottle out, and getthecapofforscrewthelidonandnotspillbecausethereareonlytwobottlesfortheentiretripandshealreadyspil ledhtelastoneandweknowthatpeopleareannoyednaditsuckssobadbecausewe’retryinghardandsometimes. sometimes. you just can’t DO anything for an infant. fair enough, and i won’t deny any of that, but here’s another perspective: maybe the passenger who is annoyed by the crying baby is: 1. going to a funeral 2. racing to say goodbye to a family member who is about to pass 3. just got fired 4. just got divorced/split from partner 5. has legal trouble etc. etc. i’ll gladly defer to the parents in how to best comfort and parent their child. i don’t know how to stop a baby crying and i won’t pretend to, but please quit writing off other people’s problems as being some frivolous bullshit because they don’t have children. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/54 "2012-04-19T18:00:50Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > …the queers, and the coons, the reds and the Jews. > [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Pink Floyd Reference! > [@Terr](#): > > No “reds” in “In the Flesh”. From _Waiting For The Worms_: “Waiting…for the queens and the coons and the reds and the jews.” ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/55 "2012-04-19T18:14:43Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > Malaysian Airlines is great. They (at least when I was in the business) have a HR IT system which is specially extended with functionality to asses the attractiveness of the female stewardesses. Or at least they’ve managed to eliminate that [tiresome labor-loving drivel](http://www.mallenbaker.net/csr/page.php?Story_ID=1072) about not throwing good workers out on their asses once their years of hard work have started to show up on their faces: > [@](#): > > Air hostesses over the age of 40 have been grounded by Malaysian Airlines on the principle that passengers want to be served by ‘young, demure and pretty stewardesses’, according to media reports. > > The company said that it had no intention of discriminating against women, but Mohammadon Abdullah, the general manager for corporate services, was quoted by the New Straits Times as saying: “Let’s face reality. Customers prefer to be served by young, demure and pretty stewardesses, especially Asian ladies.” > > The employees union has begun a campaign against sex discrimination, pointing out that women must retire from flying by the age of 45 if they are supervisors, and by the age of 40 otherwise - 15 years earlier than their male counterparts. > [@Rune](#): > > Clearly neither Lufthansa nor Aeroflot have any such rating system. Serves you right for being sucker enough to fly with airlines based in countries that actually care about how companies treat their workers, rather than solely about the quality of the Oriental-Beauty tits that the workers present for your visual enjoyment. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/56 "2012-04-19T18:22:26Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > No, she pretty much did not say that. Ummm, she pretty much did. I don’t see how else to read her post. But if you (and apparently BPC) want to pretend that I’m the one with the crazy logical fallacy rather than curlcoat, I guess I can’t stop you. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/57 "2012-04-19T18:36:15Z")
I generally find that there’s no more solid and reliable SDMB rule than this: “If curlcoat is agreeing with me, I must be wrong.” ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/58 "2012-04-19T18:39:49Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > i don’t know how to stop a baby crying and i won’t pretend to Me and the guy sitting next to me came up with a lot of ways very quickly: – Alcohol – Duct tape – Guitar strings that I had in my bag – pillows given by the aircraft – baseball bat – emergency exit doorway 🙂 Idon’thatekidswhydoeseveryonethinkIhatekids ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/59 "2012-04-19T18:41:39Z")
I should make clear, in case it weren’t obvious, that my earlier quip about the service personnel on airlines was somewhat tongue-in-cheek. I don’t care what they look like as long as they keep the beer and sour cream and chive pretzels coming. It was dreadfully sexist and exactly the sort of comment I make to my wife when no-one else can hear. She does a wonderful mock-affronted expression because she knows I don’t mean it. And believe me, that is not the only shockingly offensive thing we say to each other in private. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229/60 "2012-04-19T18:43:02Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Me and the guy sitting next to me came up with a lot of ways very quickly: > – Alcohol > – Duct tape > – Guitar strings that I had in my bag > – pillows given by the aircraft > – baseball bat > – emergency exit doorway > > 🙂 > Idon’thatekidswhydoeseveryonethinkIhatekids If you have children, it’s difficult to imagine any of those things. And it certainly isn’t funny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infants-fly-free/619229.md?page=4)