Kids on a plane!

Passengers say noisy, kicking children are No. 1 in-flight annoyance, but solutions are in the air and in the bag

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette kids on planes illustration.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette kids on planes illustration.

For people whose blood pressure spikes when they read the words "kids" and "plane" in the same sentence, as you just did (sorry about that), there is potentially calming news.

True, there's no faster way to start a brawl on a flight or in an online chat room than by putting those words together. Some passengers feel the interior of a plane should be a designated quiet zone; others treat it as a playground. It's a conflict.

For a 2014 survey by Expedia, 64 percent of airline passengers chose "screaming, whiny" kids and their permissive parents as the top annoyance on airplanes. They were the No. 2 irritant behind "seat kickers," which, if you want to get technical about it, can also involve children.

But there are new solutions on the horizon. Airlines appear poised to start charging more for the youngest (and often loudest) passengers, a step that could force some families to consider alternate transportation. And the parents who remain are getting a new set of tools to keep midair conflicts to a minimum.

Feel calmer yet? (Probably not.)

In what observers fear could create a ripple effect, Brazilian airlines have asked their government for permission to start charging higher fares for passengers younger than 2. Currently, "lap kids" on planes in Brazil pay 10 percent of the adult fare. In the United States, lap kids younger than 2 traveling with a parent on domestic flights don't pay anything; but airlines are looking for more ways to increase revenue. So if the "baby tax" flies in Brazil -- and we won't know whether it will until next year -- it could make its way here.

Families traveling with children already face hurdles. For instance, most

airlines no longer include a confirmed seat reservation in the price of an economy-class ticket. Parents have to pay extra for "confirmed" reservations that would ensure they will be allowed to sit next to their children.

That's a problem unlikely to be resolved until parents stop wanting to sit next to their kids, which, in my experience, happens when they turn 11.

"Parents are finding it more challenging than ever to travel with their children, particularly on airplanes," says Rainer Jenss, president of the Family Travel Association, a trade organization.

But parents are finding ways to cope. Their solutions range from pharmaceuticals to new parenting and passenger strategies for dealing with the littlest passengers.

DRUG THEM?

Katie Dillon, who runs the blog LaJollaMom, always flies with Children's Tylenol, which her doctor recommended for pain associated with a pressurized aircraft cabin, and Dramamine for Kids, for treating air sickness.

"It's about being proactive and anticipating problems before they disrupt an entire cabin," she says.

Another fix being marketed to families is an oral rehydration solution called DripDrop ($10 for eight 0.35-ounce packages of dry powder), which, when mixed with water, enhances fluid retention and prevents dehydration on dry planes. The powder contains a mix of sodium, sugars and electrolytes that, its creators claim, is a portable defense "against long lines, high altitude, jet lag and misadventures in unfamiliar cuisine."

Plus, it comes in berry and lemon flavors.

Other parents are turning to "the right foods" to calm their little ones. For Corinne McDermott, a magazine editor from Toronto who also runs the website HaveBabyWillTravel.com, that means packing fewer sugary treats.

McDermott also prefers red-eye flights because her kids sleep on the plane. To help them along, she offers them an oatmeal cookie, "ideally juice-sweetened or made with a minimal amount of sugar," she says. Why? Oatmeal is a slow-release carbohydrate that's well liked and digested easily. Milk is also a sleep-inducing food, she says.

Some airlines are also trying to help. Carriers such as Alaska Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic offer special children's meals that have won raves from critics. Etihad Airways (the national airline of the United Arab Emirates) even flies with an in-flight nanny to help keep the children distracted and the cabin serene.

TRAPPED AND ANGRY

Perhaps the biggest hurdle, though, are adult passengers. Peter Altschuler, who runs a marketing company in Santa Monica, Calif., tries to sum up the adult passenger's side with a little humor.

How does he handle misbehaving kids on a plane? "Ask the parents to do something," he says. "If the parents blow you off," he jokes, "ask a flight attendant to intervene -- preferably with duct tape and plastic ties."

For these childless travelers, no amount of upcharging, medicating or nannying is enough. They don't want to fly with unruly kids, full stop.

But some passengers I spoke to are warming to the idea that they can share a pressurized aluminum tube with children.

Lee Richardson, a retired fourth-grade teacher from Indianapolis, flies with what she calls a "magic bag-o-tricks" containing treats, markers and a map of the United States that's designed to defuse any conflict with a child. When she sees a child in the seat behind her, Richardson grabs her bag and introduces herself.

"I say, 'This is for you, but you have to promise not to kick my seat today,'" she says. "Only once have I had to turn around, shoot the kid my most evil-teacher stare, and ask, 'Did you break your promise?'"

No word on how her strategy flies with the parents who are carefully limiting the treats their children eat on the plane.

And of course, her kit doesn't work for babies. "For those instances I bring a set of industrial earplugs," she says, "and drink coupons."

Christopher Elliott is National Geographic Traveler's reader advocate and author of How to Be the World's Smartest Traveler (National Geographic).

Family on 04/15/2015

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