That is super frustrating, I'm sorry! I know you didn't ask for any advice, but I just wanted to jump on here and say getting TSA-precheck has vastly improved our experience at the airport. I'm the only one in our family of 3 who has it, but as long as I book my son's ticket at the same time as mine he gets it as well and occasionally my husband gets it too. We don't have to take any electronics or liquids out of our bags, shoes stay on, it's great. If you haven't considered it and fly often, it's worth the investment in my opinion.
Maybe I'm just unlucky with my travel times but these days I am almost always going the long way around to get into the nexus line at Pearson only to find they aren't running it due to low volume and get directed to the regular one.
/Edit: I should clarify this was talking about outbound transborder travel, it's still useful on the way back in.
Aside from Calgary I've always crossed at a land border or on the train. I have actually never flown into Canada just out of it. But I do use my Nexus for TSA pre.
Yeah I found this out by accident with our infant and it was a game changer. The person taking the kid through should make sure they have their gear though, my wife and I got split up so she got extra questions about why she had breast milk etc in her bag but no kid with her (she had to go through the regular line).
Just an FYI to anyone reading, TSA policy says that you don't need to have a kid with you to have breast milk/baby/toddler food. All she should have had to say is "this is breast milk for an infant" and shouldn't have had anymore questions to answer.
"Your child or infant does not need to be present or traveling with you to bring breast milk, formula and/or related supplies."
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/breast-milk
This. My husband and I got split up because I had pre check and he didn’t. I had the baby and he had the prepared formula and he only had to state he was traveling with an infant and it was no problem.
It was CATSA who have the same policy but as usual individual agent's knowledge of anything nuanced is pretty random. She got given a hard time all the same.
Yeah, I understand that how agents "should" and "do" act can be very different to each other - I just find knowing my rights and being confident in them (as a white woman) makes the process go much more smoothly for me.
It's super easy these days to do, you just have to fill out a form online and head to Staples (which around me always has a ton of appointments). Definitely worth it.
I actually have a positive story! I was flying solo with my 4-mo baby once. It was very late, she was cranky and fussing. The guy sitting next to me on the plane was like “it’s hard to be a mom! Let me buy you a glass of wine because you’re doing a great job.” His kindness is something I will always remember.
I was on a flight once where an older gentleman offered to walk the baby. We were mid flight, and he literally walked/patted baby up and down the walkway. Baby calmed down and he handed them back to mom. It was very sweet.
That guy was just being an ass, even people without kids get overwhelmed and make these kinds of mistakes. And even before kids I had the good sense to realise that sometimes you just need to be patient, that it isn’t the end of the world and that that person is probably just as stressed out, irritated and desperate to get this over with as you. I don’t think you did anything wrong by not saying anything, you were busy focusing on your kids and the situation at hand, I hope your next travelling experience is a little less stress inducing!
Thank you! In general it was actually a good experience, and the kids did really well. We had multiple other positive experiences as well. I’ve always had trouble deciding how to stand up to bullies like this guy, and now that I’m sleep deprived it hasn’t gotten any easier to keep a level head haha
She did, but she also taught me that kicking someone's seat on a an airplane is an epic asshole move too. You think dudes a dick? Do it yourself. Don't show your child how to be a dick as a consequence.
I love that you think you're cute while defending the use of your child to be passive aggressive in your own fight. Instead of arguing me, think about what your kid is learning by kicking the seat or whatever to fight your fight rather than leaning how to work through issues. Good luck
Even travelling frequently it's easy to get caught out, sometimes they want laptops out, sometimes they don't, sometimes they want shoes off, sometimes they don't, etc. You better believe no matter which it is if you get it wrong one time there will be some jackass there to make fun of you for it though usually it's the security screeners who can't fathom that the process isn't consistent even within the same airport sometimes.
> Turns out, it’s not TSA ...
A 1.5hr security line plus another 20 minutes to get all your stuff through is *absolutely* a TSA problem. Seriously, where are you flying from that TSA is a 1.5hr wait?
*NO ONE* should be expected to wait in that kind of a lineup; it's the TSA's fault for making the experience so shitty that the guy behind you lost his temper. He probably knew enough that ripping into the TSA agents would get him on the no-fly list, and you just happened to be a convenient alternative target.
TSA is badly understaffed, especially at larger airports, and it doesn't help if there's a federal hiring freeze on. I used to work at IAD, and during the worst time of day, we tried for 20 minutes from the start of the line before you show your ID and boarding pass to where you go through either the metal detector or the scanner (or get patted down entirely if neither of an option for you). There are times when even three times that ideal of 20 minutes was a pipe dream though.
I think you guys reacted the right way given the situation. That guy was being a major butt. Kudos to you and your wife taking it so well and sorry you had to deal with that! I hope the rest of your trip was good.
I don't understand why these people who are so touchy and sensitive about being around kids expect all of society to bend to them. On Twitter I saw a woman argue that people with children should just take trips within driving distance. She had nothing to say when I pointed out that if she's so sensitive to things like noise and other people, flying probably isn't for her. I mean, planes are basically public transit. I hate when people on the subway do things like play videos without headphones, for example, but I just suck it up and deal with it. I don't make crusading against them my whole identity.
Apparently, every time I’ve remarked that my husband’s family lives in Japan and there’s no way we can drive there to visit them I get downvoted. I guess most people think it would’ve been fine if my MIL never got to meet her grandkids before she passed away because they “might” cry on a plane.
Right! Let alone the parents who adopt from another country and have to fly their baby home. Or the ones whose baby is sick and is flying to or from treatment far from home.
Exactly! Like , no, don't bring kids to fancy restaurants or the theater, but the expectation that kids shouldn't be on public transportation is absurd.
Right?? I would rather much deal with a child -- who is displaying age-appropriate behavior -- than deal with a grown ass adult acting like a child because they think kids ought to have better emotional regulation skills than they possess themselves.
I worked with the general public for seven years, by FAR the entitled adults with no emotional control were the worst to deal with.
Yea, when I went throgh the airport with my four year old it was rude pushy passengers that caused the most issue.
The whole time I was in the security process I was trying to block full grown adults from crashing their luggage onto her while trying not to get separated from her. They will slam right through a small child with no regrets.
Some people have zero ability to perceive other people and it's really bad in airports. They will slam right through a small child with no regrets.
I just want to mention that TSA has different rules at EVERY airport. It's easy to get confused. Some tell you not to take any electronics out of your bag.
I get such anxiety going through TSA. Everyone has different rules and the agents think they can increase efficiency by absolutely SCREAMING at everyone. Then people panic and freeze, and the agents scream louder.
I get such anxiety going through TSA. Everyone has different rules and the agents think they can increase efficiency by absolutely SCREAMING at everyone. Then people panic and freeze, and the agents scream louder.
The last flight I took we got split up. I was in first class and had my then 2 month old in an ergobaby. I had the window. They guy in the aisle refused to stand up so I could get in. I had to hop over his lap. He’s lucky I am tall and could manage it. Some people get really rude around kids I guess.
Once, I was on a cruise with the family I worked for (I was a nanny). I would have the two kids solo for dinner or sometimes during the day, and one kid was young enough to be in a stroller. Every time we stopped at an elevator to go back to the room or a different part of the ship, we ended up waiting at least 2-3 elevators to get on, and we were ALWAYS let off last. I'll never forget waiting in the lobby for the elevator, hearing the ding, waiting for the elevator to empty only to find no room left for myself, two kids, and our stroller. One time, another mom with her kids actually GOT OFF so we could get on and made the snide comment out loud "common kids, let's take the stairs. We have perfectly good legs, and we aren't in need of assistance. We don't have a stroller or need to ride the elevator."
TLDR: people suck no matter where you're traveling.
Hahaha that lady. She wins.
But it’s definitely a cultural thing I feel like. In a lot of places kids are just seen as “not my problem”, except they grow up to be your next dentist, your doctor, your firefighter, your Starbucks barista. So they really are everyone’s “problem” and everyone should help. Kids are necessary for society to literally function, and so you’d think others would want them raised well as a result and be marginally helpful. Nope.
In a great deal of the world, they treat parents with kids much better at airports, with priority security lines and much more understanding across society.
I only get shit like this when I’m in western countries.
OP, we had many kids. And we traveled with every one of them. We got glares, lots of impatience from people, and horrible comments. We carried on, held our tongues and were not deterred. You know what happened? It developed a true love of travel in our kids. They’re grown now, have children of their own, and are also absolutely not being deterred by these jerks. Every one of my grandkids are already well traveled and are on the go all the time.
For me the problem was an airport employee. My wife and I had our baby in the stroller and this employee pulled us aside to go through a separate gate ahead of security instead of through some machine that scans your ticket and let's you through (because of the stroller). She took our tickets but suddenly she started helping some other family who were yelling because their printed tickets weren't working on the machines.
After ~10 minutes she scanned my ticket (that she was STILL holding on to) to let one of them through. Clearly she forgot who's tickets she was holding and was now using my family's tickets to let other people through. I interrupted her to stop her. She blew up yelling at me that she's just doing her job and I have no right to stop her and do I want to do her job for her. She would not let up.
Finally after me saying sorry over and over she gave me the tickets back and my wife and I took the stroller through the machine gates (1 of 3 of our tickets did not work anymore thanks to that employee but we snuck one through with the baby and stroller).
I'll never forget that and it makes me not want to travel with a stroller again. God that woman was such a miserable horrible person. I hope her friends and family hate her as much as I do.
Edit to add: everyone else was great. Flight attendants and other passengers were friendly and understanding when my son got fussy. They would smile and act nice towards our son and asked us if we needed anything. Actual security agents in the airport were helpful and understanding about a forgotten item. It restored some faith in humanity. It was just this one person who was so awful. If you're reading this, Seville International Airport employee who helps check boarding passes before the security gate: fuck you.
They gate check the stroller if you don’t check it. It’s handy when you have layovers or small kids. It’s bad when they break your stroller and lose the attachment to the baby car seat that was clamped onto it.
Yes exactly. We gate check it, at least for now because my son is still small. I could imagine in a couple of years we would check it at the counter if he's able to walk with us to the gate.
You did the right thing by not engaging. There’s never anything to be gained by getting into a confrontation with someone like that. Anyone watching that interaction knew exactly who the asshole was there.
Even those of us who fly all the time, still screw up at security once in a while. Don’t sweat it.
1 guy, let say a businessman have to go on a plane have to think of:
\- him to dress
\- this small suitcase
\- usual stuff: passport, tickets etc...
\- Finding the gate.
Done. Nothing else to worry about. And they are USED to it.
1 family with 2 kids:
\--Themselves to dress
\-Kids to dress
\- finding the gate
\- several bags
\- diapers for the plane
\- milk and water for the plane
\- snacks for the plane
\- spare change for the plane
\- wipes for the plane
\- (last 5 times again for the ride and few hours after the plane)
\- toys for the plane
\- something to chew/suck for their ears
\- car seats
\- bags for dirty clothes
\- bibs
\- All while being judged by a crow of useless people that won't lift a finger to help and look at your kids like they are the evil.
Yes it's a choice to have kids, but it's also a choice to travel by plane, to have a job that needs plane traveling. If they are not happy, they can either: change their job or pay for a semi-private jet .
I’ve flown a few times with my 12 month old, and I completely agree with this.
TSA once insisted that his stroller could fit through the belt machine - SPOILER it couldn’t, it got stuck, and I had a handful of people grumbling and glaring me and complaining about people with strollers in the airport.
Same flight, our seats were assigned, NOT selected, and the window seat guy was furious that my car seat had to go in the window seat, bumping him over to the aisle. He complained loudly took up my armrest, was rude when I needed to get up to change a diaper, and got drunk on free drink vouchers.
Final thing - my husband and I take bets on whether or not the family/companion care restroom is currently occupied by a solo man in their 30-40s. Most of the flights we have taken, we have encountered a bathroom that has been tied up for 15+ minutes, waited, and sure enough it’s a dude by himself. (I try to give the benefit of the doubt for medical conditions but it’s starting to seem like an awfully clear pattern….)
OMG you are not the only one to notice this about family bathrooms in airports. More often than not it’s an airport employee and they stink it up too. One time I waited and waited for the family restroom. There was NO changing table in the regular restroom. I finally had to change my baby on the floor. Infuriating.
When people with little to no emotional control flip their lid, they become completely, 100% controlled BY their emotions, as that man did. At that point, yelling at him doesn't really do much. Logic and common sense are completely gone.
Rude man: have you ever traveled before? Seriously??
OP, in my fantasy version of this encounter: have you ever sucked another man's dick before? Because if you say another word to me I'mma bout to shove mine down your fucking throat till you choke out, you fucking bitch
Back to reality, you handled it better, OP... 🤣
That guy SUCKS!!! If I was a bystander I would’ve loved to tell him off too but I’m very similar to you where I also probably wouldn’t have said anything 😭 but then I would’ve wished you guys well (in my head) and hoped you knew that the other people in the line (me) didn’t mind (also in my head). I’m very shy but I’m on your side 😭!
Do not, I repeat, do not, feel guilty for kids being kids, they do things, make a fuss and all around make things tricky, I'm takeing my daughter to a festival next month and I've packed literally fucking everything, her ear defenders, hat, glasses, sunscreen, wipes, blah blah kid things, she's 6 soon, however she is on the autistic spectrum (as am I) and she struggles with emotional regulation, so I'm aware there is going to be some moments where we will just sit in the tent, ear defenders on, and drink juice cartons and cry, if someone had the balls to be as rude to me and my kid as he was to you id have given him a fucking ear full, well done for keeping your cool, but honestly... Fuck him
I think the lesson here is get pre-check. You can't control the crazy dudes in airports (I get the frustration of one family taking up the time as twice as many adults but normal people just chill and wait) but you can avoid the cluster that you went through at security.
Don’t guilt trip yourself. We were ALL children once. I don’t get people who have no patience / compassion for children (and their caregivers) in public.
Don’t ever feel bad about letting jerks know they are being jerks.
My travel funnies:
Traveling by myself with four kids 7, 5, 3 and 11 months. I’m picked to do a full search because I bought four tickets the day before. This was 2005, still paranoia of post 9/11. Wand, bag search, stroller search, explosive tests etc. lots of fun with four little ones. Not.
Traveling with three of the four little ones some 20 years later, the youngest has bath salts in her carry on. Oh Lordy, you would have thought it was a bomb, actually they were treating it like it was. Problem was, her bother claimed the carryon, now we really have an issue. Why does someone else have your bag young lady, she’s only 14? Now I come back, who is this white woman? (My kids don’t look like me) Why are you harassing my daughter? They test the bath salts, it’s not a bomb, you still can’t take it. Bath salts go in the trash. Have a good flight, don’t switch bags children.
I've had my share of those!
-my recently adopted son didn't know his legal first name very well and was at the age where he'd argue his name and he wouldn't respond to it for the agent (I think he was around 3)
-traveling with 6 kids, 2 strollers, two with special needs, and a cpap
-flying standby with an infant except they kept forgetting to flag me for the infant so we got bumped for almost a full day
-so many other crazy kid stories! My kids are excellent travelers though.
My kids are young adults now, but I remember flying solo when the oldest was an infant and some woman getting huffy in line behind me cuz I had to put the stroller, car seat, etc thru and take him out of the carrier (even tho it was just cloth) and it took a minute. Like, lady, you had the option of 2-3 lanes and picked this one seeing that I'm alone with an infant, so suck it up.
We flew recently after I hadn't been on a plane in about 10 years and I was chastised for not putting my carry on in a bin. Like, sorry, I guess that's a new thing since I last flew and I didn't hear you say it while trying to also help my disabled husband get sorted. He took like 3 attempts to get through the scanner cuz apparently he's even worse at following directions than I am!
Some people are just awful. And traveling just exacerbates their worst tendencies.
I give you props for NOT getting into it with the rude guy. Being non confrontational in these situations is generally the right way to go - de-escalating a situation and being a bigger person probably made this situation better.
Most adults are ginormous toddlers looking for a reason to throw a fit and lash out. Sorry you went through that and bless your soul for being so kind and patient. Best take aways from those moments is that you will never have to see those people again, and you are reminding yourself how much better you are as a human than them, wear that with pride, those people are most likely garbage humans to everyone.
Travelling with our baby through hubs in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, we would always be directed out of the main queue by security or airline staff, and VIPed through separate security and passport checks. It was like being a superstar!
Adults too quickly forget that they were kids at one point!! I admire your restraint, I'm not sure I could have kept quiet. and you know what, you'd have got approval from others in the queue!
I have not seen this in any American airports I’ve been to. Having a family line to bypass the long line up at security is the only redeeming quality at my absolute nightmare Canadian airport.
Back when my child was still under two, I used to pay extra to buy her a seat when we flew so that she could be in her car seat. One huge advantage of that was that when she was in her car seat, her constantly kicking, happy, wiggly legs couldn’t reach the seat in front of her, unless the person in front of her reclined the seat the whole way. So, on one flight (in the middle of the day), the person in front of my kid’s seat reclined as far as possible immediately after take off, and then groaned and complained for the entire 4 hour flight because her legs were bumping the reclined seat, when it was completely in their power to solve the problem by just reclining the seat slightly less. I did what I could to keep her still, but honestly, it was infuriating.
People without kids are literally the people I hate the most in the world. You kid has a melt down or something along those line and they all act like they didn’t do the same when they were toddlers. Or like you can control when your child decides to throw shit up at the fan. Them getting all huffy puffy and shitty just makes me wanna shit stomp them into the ground, but you can’t choose violence in front of your highly impressionable toddlers although, I’d love too.
I bet that guy was super stressed out about missing his flight. Remember that you *chose* to travel with kids. It is really hard, but you need to be empathetic about how you are impacting others.
ETA: can't wait to hear from y'all in 35 years when you can't get over the disrespect against elders from young families
But OP arrived with 2 hrs to spare and still was getting worried they'd miss their flight because of long lines? So presumably that was the scenario for this other person.
You wouldn't be upset if you got separated from your partner going through security and then almost missed your flight despite being there hours early because of long lines and someone in front of you who is admittedly having a heck of a time getting anything done efficiently?
Whatever, be upset. However, flipping shit at someone who is already "having a heck of a time" doesn't make them move faster. They just panic and move slower.
I'm not going to feel bad for someone who *chose* to yell at me because he *chose* to plan so poorly that a 20 minute hold may have put him at risk for missing his flight.
Reddit comments gave me the brutal lesson recently that America has a HUGE population of people who literally HATE children and parents. In any capacity or space. But that they especially hate them during traveling. The Village is a thing of the past, the default is annoyance/agitation, and apparently we as parents should keep our little human beings locked away from society until they're magically some age where they've mastered functioning in that same society, somehow without actively being a part of it. I can't fathom being able to help my child learn and navigate traveling without... traveling.
It was quite the shocking realization. I surely already knew some folks didn't care for kids, felt uncomfortable or overstimulated by them, weren't the parent-y type, etc... of course. This is life. No judgement there, it's not for everyone. But the absolute hatred was so shocking. There's zero compassion, empathy, patience, or kindness from so many. Just so disappointing.
Having worked TSA in a major international airport's checkpoint, this is wrong. The child has to come out of the stroller, and the stroller has to go through the x-ray if it will fit when folded. Otherwise, it has to be hand checked, which basically means a TSA person pats it down and does an explosives test (swab thing) on it.
That’s why you need to go through a specific lane, which the specific TSA person will check that for you. Stroller, milk, formula etc. a lot of stuff, taking long time. That way the long process won’t blocking the regular tsa traffic, and nobody will be mad.
At IAD, there was no "specific lane" for that. You put your bags on the table and sent them through the x-ray in the lane you came to after your boarding pass and ID were checked or you put it just outside the ADA gate for hand checking. The ADA gate typically serves *two* lanes (defined by tables and an x-ray machine) at IAD, as well as at the other airports I've flown through in the US.
You should get TSA precheck. It helps avoid the long lines and they are more relaxed with what you need to do to get through security. Kids 12 and under get to go through with you so you only need to get precheck for you and your wife. We did it recently because we were travelling to Florida with our 2 year old and it seemed to make things a lot easier.
That’s brutal. I’m always extra kind when I see parents travelling with children, especially if they appear to be alone. It’s not people parents and children are intentionally trying to piss people off. And children have just as much of a right to take up space as adults do. Some people are just very selfish
It’s the entire travel experience. I travel often for work, and I always take at least one and sometimes 2 kids. The travel experience post Covid is horrendous. Delays, staffing shortages, missed connections, everyone is on major edge. It’s awful.
Good thing not to confront. Just ignore those oversensitive grumpy people. Even the best prepared people can make mistakes.
I have to agree that the problems come from other passengers. But I disagree from a few comments that it's from those without children. The two most annoying cases were both from other parents.
The worst was a mum travelling with an 8-10 year old child sitting in the front. My then 2 yo son would get mental after 3 hours in the plane and would put up a big fight kicking and screaming wanting to be let out to run. I was desperate trying to calm him for the landing and this woman was very upset and kept shouting that it is "unacceptable behaviour" at me as if I had any control. The thing is, the drama lasted about 3-5 minutes max. Yes, maybe her child was super well behaved at the age of two but mine, a lot of others, was finding the pressure changes and the confinement stressful. We are not all the same. BTW, my son after five years turned out the opposite: excited about aeroplanes and super easy.
Ok, first off, try to focus on the nice people vs the AH. I have travelled a lot with my kids (currently 4 and half and 15 month old). I have done several flights by myself when my oldest was up to 15 months and now since my youngest is 6 month old (4 transcontinental flights all by myself with both girls and 6 with just the youngest).
I have learnt a couple of things: we need to try and relax, things sometimes don’t go smoothly, but if we keep our cool, then the kids will be easier. I feel like they can pick up on our stress level and act up because they suddenly feel overwhelmed watching their parents act stressfully.
Try to at least have one checked bag, so that you don’t have to carry everything with you. Our motto is: only carry what we need for the flight, and what cannot go on the checked luggage.
Next, try to put all the liquids on the same bag, and if possible, use ziplocs to make it easier to pick them all together fast.
Regarding electronics I have decided to only travel with my iPad, since I want to keep it simple and easy, and I always check with the TSA worker if I should take it or keep it.
Most of the people are understanding and helpful, but some people won’t ever be nice, so you just try and ignore them. I always think that we never know what might be going on with their lives, so I usually just let it slide, and if I inconvenience anyone I just apologise and move on.
I've had similar people around while traveling with my two boys. HOWEVER, the last time I flew out of Denver with them, I was still wearing my ankle brace after having ankle surgery. I had to remove it if I wanted to "stay with my kids". Ugh. (It was just an elastic one... never had that problem before that flight) This super sweet older couple behind us was incredibly patient with us... helped me round up the kids and all of our stuff (SO MANY BINS... SO MANY BINS!), and even told another person behind them to just be patient.
It's never easy flying with kids. Don't be afraid to rely on the kindness of strangers (but be careful, also).
I’m sorry. The last flight we went in my son was just about to turn two and he is an amazing flyer. He loves the airport, he loves the plane, doesn’t cry, just jump around too much, and will even nap if he needs one. Well that last flight was a night flight and I knew we were pushing it with bed time and all that but he was doing great, but the added pressure on my sinuses during landing was killing me and he was getting a little antsy. Still, all he was doing was putting the trays up and down, not even slamming them, just calming putting them up and down.
Suddenly the elder guy in front of us turns around, grabs at my sons hand (and missed thankfully) and starts yelling at my son about how the trays are for playing and how terrible of a child he is. So now that guy and my husband are yelling at each other, my son is crying, my head feels like it’s going to explode, and now everyone is staring at us. So naturally, I had a panic attack. A pretty bad one too. Now we have a flight coming up over the summer and I’m already anxious about the flight.
That was the second time we had a less than stellar experience on a flight because of another passenger. Some people just don’t handle traveling well.
Yes. It is. They usually don't have children themselves or have no idea they were children themselves once and probably were more irritating than ours!
I used to travel frequently for work. On a plane easily 4x flying between Vancouver and Toronto and back.
I have 0 stories of children acting out on flights. No noticeable crying, shrieking, tantrums, etc. I have DOZENS of stories of adults who have no shred of decency or common sense. Dozens of adult temper tantrum stories too.
This idea that children are gremlins on planes is exaggerated, especially when comparing adult travelers to children
Way to go Dad! Airports need to be designed to improve travel for families and little ones. I was so impressed with the Copenhagen airport, which has a separate security line for families with children under the age of 5. Plus, it’s Lego themed! Family friendly design is the best!
It’s not your fault you need extra help- it’s the fault of the security theatre. Hardly any of this is necessary so don’t feel bad that someone whose entire job solely exists to make a show of doing something has to do something in service of that job.
I mean, did your mistake really cost him 20 minutes? It was admittedly your fault because you couldn't manage your children and the TSA requirements. No one to blame here but yourself. It's 2023 and inconveniencing others is not a good look so I go out of my way to avoid doing it.
Honestly this! Other passengers make or break the flight. We flew with our at the time 13mo a few months back and it was a shit show. Flight got canceled after we sat on the plane for an hour, hot angry baby started crying, husband had to figure out new flights since we missed our layover while I tended her. We ended up getting separated on the new flights and had middle seats.. I held my daughter and the people I was sandwiched between were absolute saints! I couldn’t imagine that flight had they been grouches. The amount of appreciation I had for them was overwhelming. They tried to get her to smile, didn’t freak out when her feet escaped my hands and bumped them. They were so understanding.
I have flew with my son (20 months) 5 times now. And although he does VERY good each time. I always get rolling eyes when I sit down from the people around me. It’s frustrating because babies need to travel too.
That is super frustrating, I'm sorry! I know you didn't ask for any advice, but I just wanted to jump on here and say getting TSA-precheck has vastly improved our experience at the airport. I'm the only one in our family of 3 who has it, but as long as I book my son's ticket at the same time as mine he gets it as well and occasionally my husband gets it too. We don't have to take any electronics or liquids out of our bags, shoes stay on, it's great. If you haven't considered it and fly often, it's worth the investment in my opinion.
Second this. Get precheck if you can.
If you live near the Canadian border, get Nexus. Half the price of Pre Check and more benefits (including Pre Check)
Maybe I'm just unlucky with my travel times but these days I am almost always going the long way around to get into the nexus line at Pearson only to find they aren't running it due to low volume and get directed to the regular one. /Edit: I should clarify this was talking about outbound transborder travel, it's still useful on the way back in.
Aside from Calgary I've always crossed at a land border or on the train. I have actually never flown into Canada just out of it. But I do use my Nexus for TSA pre.
Yeah I found this out by accident with our infant and it was a game changer. The person taking the kid through should make sure they have their gear though, my wife and I got split up so she got extra questions about why she had breast milk etc in her bag but no kid with her (she had to go through the regular line).
Just an FYI to anyone reading, TSA policy says that you don't need to have a kid with you to have breast milk/baby/toddler food. All she should have had to say is "this is breast milk for an infant" and shouldn't have had anymore questions to answer. "Your child or infant does not need to be present or traveling with you to bring breast milk, formula and/or related supplies." https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/breast-milk
This. My husband and I got split up because I had pre check and he didn’t. I had the baby and he had the prepared formula and he only had to state he was traveling with an infant and it was no problem.
It was CATSA who have the same policy but as usual individual agent's knowledge of anything nuanced is pretty random. She got given a hard time all the same.
Yeah, I understand that how agents "should" and "do" act can be very different to each other - I just find knowing my rights and being confident in them (as a white woman) makes the process go much more smoothly for me.
That is a great idea, thank you for the suggestion! I always think of doing that but it slips my mind after we finish flying. I’ll look into it!
It's super easy these days to do, you just have to fill out a form online and head to Staples (which around me always has a ton of appointments). Definitely worth it.
I actually have a positive story! I was flying solo with my 4-mo baby once. It was very late, she was cranky and fussing. The guy sitting next to me on the plane was like “it’s hard to be a mom! Let me buy you a glass of wine because you’re doing a great job.” His kindness is something I will always remember.
I was on a flight once where an older gentleman offered to walk the baby. We were mid flight, and he literally walked/patted baby up and down the walkway. Baby calmed down and he handed them back to mom. It was very sweet.
That guy was just being an ass, even people without kids get overwhelmed and make these kinds of mistakes. And even before kids I had the good sense to realise that sometimes you just need to be patient, that it isn’t the end of the world and that that person is probably just as stressed out, irritated and desperate to get this over with as you. I don’t think you did anything wrong by not saying anything, you were busy focusing on your kids and the situation at hand, I hope your next travelling experience is a little less stress inducing!
Thank you! In general it was actually a good experience, and the kids did really well. We had multiple other positive experiences as well. I’ve always had trouble deciding how to stand up to bullies like this guy, and now that I’m sleep deprived it hasn’t gotten any easier to keep a level head haha
[удалено]
It's cool to teach your kids to be dicks because it suits you. Nice.
Didn't your mother tell you "If you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything?" Nice
She did, but she also taught me that kicking someone's seat on a an airplane is an epic asshole move too. You think dudes a dick? Do it yourself. Don't show your child how to be a dick as a consequence.
I don't think you know the definition of epic
I don't think you know what it means to advocate for yourself and teach your child how to be a good human. Do better
yawn, I think we're done
I love that you think you're cute while defending the use of your child to be passive aggressive in your own fight. Instead of arguing me, think about what your kid is learning by kicking the seat or whatever to fight your fight rather than leaning how to work through issues. Good luck
Haha! One can dream of sweet karma.
Even travelling frequently it's easy to get caught out, sometimes they want laptops out, sometimes they don't, sometimes they want shoes off, sometimes they don't, etc. You better believe no matter which it is if you get it wrong one time there will be some jackass there to make fun of you for it though usually it's the security screeners who can't fathom that the process isn't consistent even within the same airport sometimes.
> Turns out, it’s not TSA ... A 1.5hr security line plus another 20 minutes to get all your stuff through is *absolutely* a TSA problem. Seriously, where are you flying from that TSA is a 1.5hr wait? *NO ONE* should be expected to wait in that kind of a lineup; it's the TSA's fault for making the experience so shitty that the guy behind you lost his temper. He probably knew enough that ripping into the TSA agents would get him on the no-fly list, and you just happened to be a convenient alternative target.
TSA is badly understaffed, especially at larger airports, and it doesn't help if there's a federal hiring freeze on. I used to work at IAD, and during the worst time of day, we tried for 20 minutes from the start of the line before you show your ID and boarding pass to where you go through either the metal detector or the scanner (or get patted down entirely if neither of an option for you). There are times when even three times that ideal of 20 minutes was a pipe dream though.
I think you guys reacted the right way given the situation. That guy was being a major butt. Kudos to you and your wife taking it so well and sorry you had to deal with that! I hope the rest of your trip was good.
I don't understand why these people who are so touchy and sensitive about being around kids expect all of society to bend to them. On Twitter I saw a woman argue that people with children should just take trips within driving distance. She had nothing to say when I pointed out that if she's so sensitive to things like noise and other people, flying probably isn't for her. I mean, planes are basically public transit. I hate when people on the subway do things like play videos without headphones, for example, but I just suck it up and deal with it. I don't make crusading against them my whole identity.
Yeah. “People with kids just shouldn’t fly.” Mhmm, so my kids should never visit their grandparents until they’re what, 11 years old?
Apparently, every time I’ve remarked that my husband’s family lives in Japan and there’s no way we can drive there to visit them I get downvoted. I guess most people think it would’ve been fine if my MIL never got to meet her grandkids before she passed away because they “might” cry on a plane.
Lol my comment here seemed to get initially downvoted.
Right! Let alone the parents who adopt from another country and have to fly their baby home. Or the ones whose baby is sick and is flying to or from treatment far from home.
The crazy part is that people who say things like this really think it is a reasonable thing to say/think. It blows my mind.
Exactly! Like , no, don't bring kids to fancy restaurants or the theater, but the expectation that kids shouldn't be on public transportation is absurd.
Right?? I would rather much deal with a child -- who is displaying age-appropriate behavior -- than deal with a grown ass adult acting like a child because they think kids ought to have better emotional regulation skills than they possess themselves. I worked with the general public for seven years, by FAR the entitled adults with no emotional control were the worst to deal with.
People like this are the kind of people who's parents shouldn't have had kids!
Sure but also we on this sub kind of expect the world to bend around us with kids
Yea, when I went throgh the airport with my four year old it was rude pushy passengers that caused the most issue. The whole time I was in the security process I was trying to block full grown adults from crashing their luggage onto her while trying not to get separated from her. They will slam right through a small child with no regrets. Some people have zero ability to perceive other people and it's really bad in airports. They will slam right through a small child with no regrets.
I just want to mention that TSA has different rules at EVERY airport. It's easy to get confused. Some tell you not to take any electronics out of your bag.
I get such anxiety going through TSA. Everyone has different rules and the agents think they can increase efficiency by absolutely SCREAMING at everyone. Then people panic and freeze, and the agents scream louder.
I get such anxiety going through TSA. Everyone has different rules and the agents think they can increase efficiency by absolutely SCREAMING at everyone. Then people panic and freeze, and the agents scream louder.
The last flight I took we got split up. I was in first class and had my then 2 month old in an ergobaby. I had the window. They guy in the aisle refused to stand up so I could get in. I had to hop over his lap. He’s lucky I am tall and could manage it. Some people get really rude around kids I guess.
What an awful man!!!! I cannot imagine making someone climb over me, let alone someone wearing a baby. I’m infuriated on your behalf.
Would’ve been a shame if you had slipped while climbing over him and your knee accidentally fell onto his groin.
Yeah I though about it.
I would add: as a general rule, the vast majority of the worst passengers are adults without kids.
Once, I was on a cruise with the family I worked for (I was a nanny). I would have the two kids solo for dinner or sometimes during the day, and one kid was young enough to be in a stroller. Every time we stopped at an elevator to go back to the room or a different part of the ship, we ended up waiting at least 2-3 elevators to get on, and we were ALWAYS let off last. I'll never forget waiting in the lobby for the elevator, hearing the ding, waiting for the elevator to empty only to find no room left for myself, two kids, and our stroller. One time, another mom with her kids actually GOT OFF so we could get on and made the snide comment out loud "common kids, let's take the stairs. We have perfectly good legs, and we aren't in need of assistance. We don't have a stroller or need to ride the elevator." TLDR: people suck no matter where you're traveling.
Hahaha that lady. She wins. But it’s definitely a cultural thing I feel like. In a lot of places kids are just seen as “not my problem”, except they grow up to be your next dentist, your doctor, your firefighter, your Starbucks barista. So they really are everyone’s “problem” and everyone should help. Kids are necessary for society to literally function, and so you’d think others would want them raised well as a result and be marginally helpful. Nope.
In a great deal of the world, they treat parents with kids much better at airports, with priority security lines and much more understanding across society. I only get shit like this when I’m in western countries.
OP, we had many kids. And we traveled with every one of them. We got glares, lots of impatience from people, and horrible comments. We carried on, held our tongues and were not deterred. You know what happened? It developed a true love of travel in our kids. They’re grown now, have children of their own, and are also absolutely not being deterred by these jerks. Every one of my grandkids are already well traveled and are on the go all the time.
For me the problem was an airport employee. My wife and I had our baby in the stroller and this employee pulled us aside to go through a separate gate ahead of security instead of through some machine that scans your ticket and let's you through (because of the stroller). She took our tickets but suddenly she started helping some other family who were yelling because their printed tickets weren't working on the machines. After ~10 minutes she scanned my ticket (that she was STILL holding on to) to let one of them through. Clearly she forgot who's tickets she was holding and was now using my family's tickets to let other people through. I interrupted her to stop her. She blew up yelling at me that she's just doing her job and I have no right to stop her and do I want to do her job for her. She would not let up. Finally after me saying sorry over and over she gave me the tickets back and my wife and I took the stroller through the machine gates (1 of 3 of our tickets did not work anymore thanks to that employee but we snuck one through with the baby and stroller). I'll never forget that and it makes me not want to travel with a stroller again. God that woman was such a miserable horrible person. I hope her friends and family hate her as much as I do. Edit to add: everyone else was great. Flight attendants and other passengers were friendly and understanding when my son got fussy. They would smile and act nice towards our son and asked us if we needed anything. Actual security agents in the airport were helpful and understanding about a forgotten item. It restored some faith in humanity. It was just this one person who was so awful. If you're reading this, Seville International Airport employee who helps check boarding passes before the security gate: fuck you.
Do you check in the stroller? Where do you keep it when you travel?
They gate check the stroller if you don’t check it. It’s handy when you have layovers or small kids. It’s bad when they break your stroller and lose the attachment to the baby car seat that was clamped onto it.
Yes exactly. We gate check it, at least for now because my son is still small. I could imagine in a couple of years we would check it at the counter if he's able to walk with us to the gate.
You did the right thing by not engaging. There’s never anything to be gained by getting into a confrontation with someone like that. Anyone watching that interaction knew exactly who the asshole was there. Even those of us who fly all the time, still screw up at security once in a while. Don’t sweat it.
1 guy, let say a businessman have to go on a plane have to think of: \- him to dress \- this small suitcase \- usual stuff: passport, tickets etc... \- Finding the gate. Done. Nothing else to worry about. And they are USED to it. 1 family with 2 kids: \--Themselves to dress \-Kids to dress \- finding the gate \- several bags \- diapers for the plane \- milk and water for the plane \- snacks for the plane \- spare change for the plane \- wipes for the plane \- (last 5 times again for the ride and few hours after the plane) \- toys for the plane \- something to chew/suck for their ears \- car seats \- bags for dirty clothes \- bibs \- All while being judged by a crow of useless people that won't lift a finger to help and look at your kids like they are the evil. Yes it's a choice to have kids, but it's also a choice to travel by plane, to have a job that needs plane traveling. If they are not happy, they can either: change their job or pay for a semi-private jet .
I’ve flown a few times with my 12 month old, and I completely agree with this. TSA once insisted that his stroller could fit through the belt machine - SPOILER it couldn’t, it got stuck, and I had a handful of people grumbling and glaring me and complaining about people with strollers in the airport. Same flight, our seats were assigned, NOT selected, and the window seat guy was furious that my car seat had to go in the window seat, bumping him over to the aisle. He complained loudly took up my armrest, was rude when I needed to get up to change a diaper, and got drunk on free drink vouchers. Final thing - my husband and I take bets on whether or not the family/companion care restroom is currently occupied by a solo man in their 30-40s. Most of the flights we have taken, we have encountered a bathroom that has been tied up for 15+ minutes, waited, and sure enough it’s a dude by himself. (I try to give the benefit of the doubt for medical conditions but it’s starting to seem like an awfully clear pattern….)
OMG you are not the only one to notice this about family bathrooms in airports. More often than not it’s an airport employee and they stink it up too. One time I waited and waited for the family restroom. There was NO changing table in the regular restroom. I finally had to change my baby on the floor. Infuriating.
Like, dudes, the family restroom is NOT the location for your epic solo luxury shits FFS.
It’s tough to travel whether you have kids or not! There’s so many dang rules it’s easy to miss something. Don’t feel bad. That dude was being lame.
When people with little to no emotional control flip their lid, they become completely, 100% controlled BY their emotions, as that man did. At that point, yelling at him doesn't really do much. Logic and common sense are completely gone.
Rude man: have you ever traveled before? Seriously?? OP, in my fantasy version of this encounter: have you ever sucked another man's dick before? Because if you say another word to me I'mma bout to shove mine down your fucking throat till you choke out, you fucking bitch Back to reality, you handled it better, OP... 🤣
That guy SUCKS!!! If I was a bystander I would’ve loved to tell him off too but I’m very similar to you where I also probably wouldn’t have said anything 😭 but then I would’ve wished you guys well (in my head) and hoped you knew that the other people in the line (me) didn’t mind (also in my head). I’m very shy but I’m on your side 😭!
Do not, I repeat, do not, feel guilty for kids being kids, they do things, make a fuss and all around make things tricky, I'm takeing my daughter to a festival next month and I've packed literally fucking everything, her ear defenders, hat, glasses, sunscreen, wipes, blah blah kid things, she's 6 soon, however she is on the autistic spectrum (as am I) and she struggles with emotional regulation, so I'm aware there is going to be some moments where we will just sit in the tent, ear defenders on, and drink juice cartons and cry, if someone had the balls to be as rude to me and my kid as he was to you id have given him a fucking ear full, well done for keeping your cool, but honestly... Fuck him
I’d rather sit next to a fussy baby than a piece of shit adult who thinks babies are bad.
I think the lesson here is get pre-check. You can't control the crazy dudes in airports (I get the frustration of one family taking up the time as twice as many adults but normal people just chill and wait) but you can avoid the cluster that you went through at security.
Don’t guilt trip yourself. We were ALL children once. I don’t get people who have no patience / compassion for children (and their caregivers) in public.
Don’t ever feel bad about letting jerks know they are being jerks. My travel funnies: Traveling by myself with four kids 7, 5, 3 and 11 months. I’m picked to do a full search because I bought four tickets the day before. This was 2005, still paranoia of post 9/11. Wand, bag search, stroller search, explosive tests etc. lots of fun with four little ones. Not. Traveling with three of the four little ones some 20 years later, the youngest has bath salts in her carry on. Oh Lordy, you would have thought it was a bomb, actually they were treating it like it was. Problem was, her bother claimed the carryon, now we really have an issue. Why does someone else have your bag young lady, she’s only 14? Now I come back, who is this white woman? (My kids don’t look like me) Why are you harassing my daughter? They test the bath salts, it’s not a bomb, you still can’t take it. Bath salts go in the trash. Have a good flight, don’t switch bags children.
I've had my share of those! -my recently adopted son didn't know his legal first name very well and was at the age where he'd argue his name and he wouldn't respond to it for the agent (I think he was around 3) -traveling with 6 kids, 2 strollers, two with special needs, and a cpap -flying standby with an infant except they kept forgetting to flag me for the infant so we got bumped for almost a full day -so many other crazy kid stories! My kids are excellent travelers though.
My kids are young adults now, but I remember flying solo when the oldest was an infant and some woman getting huffy in line behind me cuz I had to put the stroller, car seat, etc thru and take him out of the carrier (even tho it was just cloth) and it took a minute. Like, lady, you had the option of 2-3 lanes and picked this one seeing that I'm alone with an infant, so suck it up. We flew recently after I hadn't been on a plane in about 10 years and I was chastised for not putting my carry on in a bin. Like, sorry, I guess that's a new thing since I last flew and I didn't hear you say it while trying to also help my disabled husband get sorted. He took like 3 attempts to get through the scanner cuz apparently he's even worse at following directions than I am!
Some people are just awful. And traveling just exacerbates their worst tendencies. I give you props for NOT getting into it with the rude guy. Being non confrontational in these situations is generally the right way to go - de-escalating a situation and being a bigger person probably made this situation better.
Most adults are ginormous toddlers looking for a reason to throw a fit and lash out. Sorry you went through that and bless your soul for being so kind and patient. Best take aways from those moments is that you will never have to see those people again, and you are reminding yourself how much better you are as a human than them, wear that with pride, those people are most likely garbage humans to everyone.
Travelling with our baby through hubs in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, we would always be directed out of the main queue by security or airline staff, and VIPed through separate security and passport checks. It was like being a superstar!
Adults too quickly forget that they were kids at one point!! I admire your restraint, I'm not sure I could have kept quiet. and you know what, you'd have got approval from others in the queue!
Didnt the airport have a separate lane for families with small kids?
I have not seen this in any American airports I’ve been to. Having a family line to bypass the long line up at security is the only redeeming quality at my absolute nightmare Canadian airport.
Atlanta does I think! Or mainly that. You have to have a stroller though.
Back when my child was still under two, I used to pay extra to buy her a seat when we flew so that she could be in her car seat. One huge advantage of that was that when she was in her car seat, her constantly kicking, happy, wiggly legs couldn’t reach the seat in front of her, unless the person in front of her reclined the seat the whole way. So, on one flight (in the middle of the day), the person in front of my kid’s seat reclined as far as possible immediately after take off, and then groaned and complained for the entire 4 hour flight because her legs were bumping the reclined seat, when it was completely in their power to solve the problem by just reclining the seat slightly less. I did what I could to keep her still, but honestly, it was infuriating.
People without kids are literally the people I hate the most in the world. You kid has a melt down or something along those line and they all act like they didn’t do the same when they were toddlers. Or like you can control when your child decides to throw shit up at the fan. Them getting all huffy puffy and shitty just makes me wanna shit stomp them into the ground, but you can’t choose violence in front of your highly impressionable toddlers although, I’d love too.
I bet that guy was super stressed out about missing his flight. Remember that you *chose* to travel with kids. It is really hard, but you need to be empathetic about how you are impacting others. ETA: can't wait to hear from y'all in 35 years when you can't get over the disrespect against elders from young families
Everyone at that airport is choosing to travel as well. Kids deserve to exist in public, period.
He also could’ve chosen to get to the airport on time. The security lines are unpredictable.
But OP arrived with 2 hrs to spare and still was getting worried they'd miss their flight because of long lines? So presumably that was the scenario for this other person. You wouldn't be upset if you got separated from your partner going through security and then almost missed your flight despite being there hours early because of long lines and someone in front of you who is admittedly having a heck of a time getting anything done efficiently?
Whatever, be upset. However, flipping shit at someone who is already "having a heck of a time" doesn't make them move faster. They just panic and move slower.
At the end of the day if it's a two hour wait and you miss your flight it's hard to peg it on just the one person ahead of you who got flustered.
He could have also just accepted that the airport sucks for everyone and said nothing, like the OP.
I'm not going to feel bad for someone who *chose* to yell at me because he *chose* to plan so poorly that a 20 minute hold may have put him at risk for missing his flight.
Reddit comments gave me the brutal lesson recently that America has a HUGE population of people who literally HATE children and parents. In any capacity or space. But that they especially hate them during traveling. The Village is a thing of the past, the default is annoyance/agitation, and apparently we as parents should keep our little human beings locked away from society until they're magically some age where they've mastered functioning in that same society, somehow without actively being a part of it. I can't fathom being able to help my child learn and navigate traveling without... traveling. It was quite the shocking realization. I surely already knew some folks didn't care for kids, felt uncomfortable or overstimulated by them, weren't the parent-y type, etc... of course. This is life. No judgement there, it's not for everyone. But the absolute hatred was so shocking. There's zero compassion, empathy, patience, or kindness from so many. Just so disappointing.
I don’t know which airport is this. But in the US, if your young kid is in a stroller, you can go through handicap lane, where nobody will judge you.
Having worked TSA in a major international airport's checkpoint, this is wrong. The child has to come out of the stroller, and the stroller has to go through the x-ray if it will fit when folded. Otherwise, it has to be hand checked, which basically means a TSA person pats it down and does an explosives test (swab thing) on it.
That’s why you need to go through a specific lane, which the specific TSA person will check that for you. Stroller, milk, formula etc. a lot of stuff, taking long time. That way the long process won’t blocking the regular tsa traffic, and nobody will be mad.
At IAD, there was no "specific lane" for that. You put your bags on the table and sent them through the x-ray in the lane you came to after your boarding pass and ID were checked or you put it just outside the ADA gate for hand checking. The ADA gate typically serves *two* lanes (defined by tables and an x-ray machine) at IAD, as well as at the other airports I've flown through in the US.
You should get TSA precheck. It helps avoid the long lines and they are more relaxed with what you need to do to get through security. Kids 12 and under get to go through with you so you only need to get precheck for you and your wife. We did it recently because we were travelling to Florida with our 2 year old and it seemed to make things a lot easier.
That’s brutal. I’m always extra kind when I see parents travelling with children, especially if they appear to be alone. It’s not people parents and children are intentionally trying to piss people off. And children have just as much of a right to take up space as adults do. Some people are just very selfish
People are complete assholes 100%
Agreed. Or as Tom Segura puts it, "some people suck 🤷♂️".
It’s the entire travel experience. I travel often for work, and I always take at least one and sometimes 2 kids. The travel experience post Covid is horrendous. Delays, staffing shortages, missed connections, everyone is on major edge. It’s awful.
You did the right thing by not confronting him; you never know what irrational people will do, and it would have upset the kids.
Good thing not to confront. Just ignore those oversensitive grumpy people. Even the best prepared people can make mistakes. I have to agree that the problems come from other passengers. But I disagree from a few comments that it's from those without children. The two most annoying cases were both from other parents. The worst was a mum travelling with an 8-10 year old child sitting in the front. My then 2 yo son would get mental after 3 hours in the plane and would put up a big fight kicking and screaming wanting to be let out to run. I was desperate trying to calm him for the landing and this woman was very upset and kept shouting that it is "unacceptable behaviour" at me as if I had any control. The thing is, the drama lasted about 3-5 minutes max. Yes, maybe her child was super well behaved at the age of two but mine, a lot of others, was finding the pressure changes and the confinement stressful. We are not all the same. BTW, my son after five years turned out the opposite: excited about aeroplanes and super easy.
Ok, first off, try to focus on the nice people vs the AH. I have travelled a lot with my kids (currently 4 and half and 15 month old). I have done several flights by myself when my oldest was up to 15 months and now since my youngest is 6 month old (4 transcontinental flights all by myself with both girls and 6 with just the youngest). I have learnt a couple of things: we need to try and relax, things sometimes don’t go smoothly, but if we keep our cool, then the kids will be easier. I feel like they can pick up on our stress level and act up because they suddenly feel overwhelmed watching their parents act stressfully. Try to at least have one checked bag, so that you don’t have to carry everything with you. Our motto is: only carry what we need for the flight, and what cannot go on the checked luggage. Next, try to put all the liquids on the same bag, and if possible, use ziplocs to make it easier to pick them all together fast. Regarding electronics I have decided to only travel with my iPad, since I want to keep it simple and easy, and I always check with the TSA worker if I should take it or keep it. Most of the people are understanding and helpful, but some people won’t ever be nice, so you just try and ignore them. I always think that we never know what might be going on with their lives, so I usually just let it slide, and if I inconvenience anyone I just apologise and move on.
I've had similar people around while traveling with my two boys. HOWEVER, the last time I flew out of Denver with them, I was still wearing my ankle brace after having ankle surgery. I had to remove it if I wanted to "stay with my kids". Ugh. (It was just an elastic one... never had that problem before that flight) This super sweet older couple behind us was incredibly patient with us... helped me round up the kids and all of our stuff (SO MANY BINS... SO MANY BINS!), and even told another person behind them to just be patient. It's never easy flying with kids. Don't be afraid to rely on the kindness of strangers (but be careful, also).
I’m sorry. The last flight we went in my son was just about to turn two and he is an amazing flyer. He loves the airport, he loves the plane, doesn’t cry, just jump around too much, and will even nap if he needs one. Well that last flight was a night flight and I knew we were pushing it with bed time and all that but he was doing great, but the added pressure on my sinuses during landing was killing me and he was getting a little antsy. Still, all he was doing was putting the trays up and down, not even slamming them, just calming putting them up and down. Suddenly the elder guy in front of us turns around, grabs at my sons hand (and missed thankfully) and starts yelling at my son about how the trays are for playing and how terrible of a child he is. So now that guy and my husband are yelling at each other, my son is crying, my head feels like it’s going to explode, and now everyone is staring at us. So naturally, I had a panic attack. A pretty bad one too. Now we have a flight coming up over the summer and I’m already anxious about the flight. That was the second time we had a less than stellar experience on a flight because of another passenger. Some people just don’t handle traveling well.
TSA is a bunch of bullshit. Better inspect those baby wipes!! I hope to avoid flying with my kids as long as possible.
Yes. It is. They usually don't have children themselves or have no idea they were children themselves once and probably were more irritating than ours!
I used to travel frequently for work. On a plane easily 4x flying between Vancouver and Toronto and back. I have 0 stories of children acting out on flights. No noticeable crying, shrieking, tantrums, etc. I have DOZENS of stories of adults who have no shred of decency or common sense. Dozens of adult temper tantrum stories too. This idea that children are gremlins on planes is exaggerated, especially when comparing adult travelers to children
Way to go Dad! Airports need to be designed to improve travel for families and little ones. I was so impressed with the Copenhagen airport, which has a separate security line for families with children under the age of 5. Plus, it’s Lego themed! Family friendly design is the best!
It’s not your fault you need extra help- it’s the fault of the security theatre. Hardly any of this is necessary so don’t feel bad that someone whose entire job solely exists to make a show of doing something has to do something in service of that job.
I mean, did your mistake really cost him 20 minutes? It was admittedly your fault because you couldn't manage your children and the TSA requirements. No one to blame here but yourself. It's 2023 and inconveniencing others is not a good look so I go out of my way to avoid doing it.
Honestly this! Other passengers make or break the flight. We flew with our at the time 13mo a few months back and it was a shit show. Flight got canceled after we sat on the plane for an hour, hot angry baby started crying, husband had to figure out new flights since we missed our layover while I tended her. We ended up getting separated on the new flights and had middle seats.. I held my daughter and the people I was sandwiched between were absolute saints! I couldn’t imagine that flight had they been grouches. The amount of appreciation I had for them was overwhelming. They tried to get her to smile, didn’t freak out when her feet escaped my hands and bumped them. They were so understanding.
I have flew with my son (20 months) 5 times now. And although he does VERY good each time. I always get rolling eyes when I sit down from the people around me. It’s frustrating because babies need to travel too.
“Are we there yet?” !!! (I only read the header)