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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Hell: Bad parenting 101 (formerly Control your spoiled brat, please!)
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Presleyterian
Shipmate
# 1915
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Posted
I agree that the age restriction seems arbitrary, but some cut-off is necessary. Since lap babies usually fly free, I can imagine some people stacking family members like flapjacks in an attempt to travel on one ticket.
BTW, "belly belts" -- supplemental straps that attach to the parent's lap belt -- aren't allowed on US airlines because of safety concerns during sudden deceleration.
[ 01. February 2007, 07:33: Message edited by: Presleyterian ]
Posts: 2450 | From: US | Registered: Dec 2001
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Melbscape
Shipmate
# 11749
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Presleyterian:
I agree that the age restriction seems arbitrary, but some cut-off is necessary. Since lap babies usually fly free, I can imagine some people stacking family members like flapjacks in an attempt to travel on one ticket.
BTW, "belly belts" -- supplemental straps that attach to the parent's lap belt -- aren't allowed on US airlines because of safety concerns during sudden deceleration.
They weigh hand luggage on the way in, why not pop the toddler on the conveyer belt for a quick check whether the parents can use the lap belt or not? And if they can't, then they've plenty of time to think about a strategy before they get on the plane.
That's interesting re the belly belts an US air travel.
Posts: 112 | Registered: Aug 2006
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Erin
Meaner than Godzilla
# 2
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Melbscape:
They weigh hand luggage on the way in...
What do you mean by hand luggage? Carry-on? They only weigh checked bags in the US, and that's only so they can charge you for overweight items. You'd be amazed at what your average dumbass tries to carry on to plane.
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Commandment number one: shut the hell up.
Posts: 17140 | From: 330 miles north of paradise | Registered: Mar 2001
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Emma Louise
Storm in a teapot
# 3571
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Posted
international flights here have a weight for hand luggage, and also a "shape" for them.
Posts: 12719 | From: Enid Blyton territory. | Registered: Nov 2002
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Tubbs
Miss Congeniality
# 440
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by R.D. Olivaw:
As for the parents, their choice to go public and thrust this poor kid into the spotlight so that they could kvetch says more about them then the plane incident.
If our family had been put off a plane because DD behaved as described in the articles, we wouldn't tell anyone, let alone the national press. We would be too ashamed.
Tubbs
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"It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it up and remove all doubt" - Dennis Thatcher. My blog. Decide for yourself which I am
Posts: 12701 | From: Someplace strange | Registered: Jun 2001
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
Has Elly's family been on The Jerry Springer Show yet? I can't wait, they are naturals.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Melon
Ship's desserter
# 4038
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
Then your daughter's accident doesn't really explain your failure to figure out that Josephine was agreeing with you.
The clue was in the words. I had just walked in the door, I skimmed the post and responded. And I apologised for getting it wrong. "I have just come in from the bowling alley" would have worked equally well as an explanation.
quote:
I'm sure you're a fine parent, Melon -- but the ones this thread is about aren't, and you look stupid defending them.
Remind me again what we know for sure about the case? We've rejected all evidence from the parents and all evidence from the airline. On that basis, do we even know that they boarded the flight in the first place?!
Last I saw, the matter was settled because one post on one board says the child was unruly. I was soooooo tempted to register on the ABC site myself and post that I was on the plane and that the air hostess was an ogre. Since when did one post on one board carry more weight than the stories given by both parties to the original event, especially when both parties agree?
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French Whine
Posts: 4177 | From: Cavaillon, France | Registered: Feb 2003
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Melon
Ship's desserter
# 4038
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by comet:
Melon, seriously, what are you going on about?
I was responding to
quote:
Originally posted by Pânts:
What the fuck you doing here then? Shouldn't you actually be spending time with her rather than wasting time playing on your computer. Probably was your fault, not your wifes, because you were on the computer rather than 'watching' her.
and continuing to wonder why so many people want to believe the worst about the parents having dismissed all the evidence up front.
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French Whine
Posts: 4177 | From: Cavaillon, France | Registered: Feb 2003
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Melon
Ship's desserter
# 4038
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mertide:
If you knew you had an "explosive child", whether or not you knew all the implications and possible treatments, why on earth would you put the child through the stress of an airline flight?
Because you had to go somewhere and your car doesn't float?
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French Whine
Posts: 4177 | From: Cavaillon, France | Registered: Feb 2003
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Melon
Ship's desserter
# 4038
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Emma.:
People arent saying the parents were necessarially the worst parents in the world, but just that ultimately the kid is the parents **responsibility**.
That's factually untrue when the child is in an aircraft cabin, which is why the cabin crew's wishes concerning the child trumped those of the parents.
More generally, obviously the parents are responsible for their child, but, equally, the context in which they try to exercise that authority can make a huge difference, and parents have almost no control over the context when they are boarding an aircraft. The same is true of teachers: there are good ones and bad ones, but even the best ones struggle to keep control if it's the last day of term and someone has stolen the blackboard and there's a wet t-shirt contest going on in view of the classroom window. Talking about responsibility as if parents either have all of it or none of it is silly unless the parents live on a desert island.
I accept that the parents could have handled the situation better, but it doesn't follow at all that the airline was therefore blameless, or that the incident would have happened if the airline had behaved differently, or that the parents needed to be basket cases in order for the incident to happen.
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French Whine
Posts: 4177 | From: Cavaillon, France | Registered: Feb 2003
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Melon
Ship's desserter
# 4038
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Emma.:
international flights here have a weight for hand luggage, and also a "shape" for them.
Sometimes. At one point, Easyjet had a maximum size and no weight limit (providing you could lift it into the overhead lockers). I'm honestly not sure what the policy is right now, following several changes in UK regulations and a tax hike, but, generally, budget airlines prefer more cabin luggage and less hold luggage, which saves them money but increases deaths in the case of a crash.
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French Whine
Posts: 4177 | From: Cavaillon, France | Registered: Feb 2003
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Zosima
Apprentice
# 4677
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Posted
Have just seen this extraordinary thread. Of course, no one wants to live in a world where children are dictating everything to their parents, but I find it hard to believe that anyone could think that anyone was to blame except for all the adults involved at the time.
Parents for not handling their child in a helpful, reassuring way (for both child and other passengers!); cabin crew for evidently becoming too officious without real problem-solving assistance to their customers.
That all said, the roots of the problem surely lie in the fact that whatever was terrifying the child and causing it to behave in this way should have been addressed before sitting down on the plane.
Distress of this kind usually manifests itself in some other behaviour long before the crunch moment. The parents needed to have spotted this possibility much earlier and anticipated what might occur. In the end a child is just a child and parents need to take responsibility.
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"I would die tomorrow if I could have five more years of playing cricket for England." (Geoffrey Boycott)
Posts: 19 | From: Cheltenham | Registered: Jun 2003
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Pants
Emergency underwear
# 999
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Left at the Altar:
... So effing awful, even my kids said they'll only fly Business Class from now on. I agree that a brat on board is loathesome.
That'll be the time the rich parents take their little precious into business class rather than having to sit near the farting lower class scum. ![[Snigger]](graemlins/snigger.gif)
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♣ Many big thank yous to those who sponsored us. ♣
I use Ł6m of military hardware to find hidden Tupperware in the woods.
Posts: 15217 | From: A grown up house | Registered: May 2003
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Gwai
Shipmate
# 11076
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Professor Kirke:
quote:
Originally posted by Gwai:
Interestingly I'd say they were bad parents not because t hey handled their child badly--I'd guess they did but one can't prove that from available evidence, I'll admit. They're bad parents because when a disaster happenned they seem to have fought leaving the plane, and they seem to have though they have the right to inflict their problem on others. That's simply rude.
No, it's not simply anything. Any one of us would have fought to stay on that plane like they did, asking for one more minute to calm the child. Precisely because they know their own child better than any flight attendants or ship of fools shipmates.
Speak for yourself! I would have handled my child differently (for better and worse at different times, probably) for sure, and I would NOT have made a plane full of people wait for me. I think that's outrageous.
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A master of men was the Goodly Fere,
A mate of the wind and sea.
If they think they ha’ slain our Goodly Fere
They are fools eternally.
Posts: 11914 | From: Chicago | Registered: Feb 2006
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Drooling Drummer
Shipmate
# 11364
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Posted
im only a new parent (he is 7 weeks old now). i have never flown anywhere in my 24 years on this rock.i dont dare infer that i have more knowledge or information to offer those of you with children past the age of elly (3) simply because i have only dealt with kids that werent mine.
but nobody here knows all the facts as noone was aboard the plane...(at least that i know of).
my father once said that there are 3 sides to every story: yours, theirs and the truth. all im saying is that in some aspects the parents seem ill-prepared to deal with their child and also that the airline suffered the same lack of preparation and/or desire to help.
but NOBODY ACTUALLY KNOWS!!
however, this is a very interesting and insightful thread, both as an observer and a parent eager to "pick the brains" of other parents who have already experienced what i am sure to come across.
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If you can't get a gold medal, go for bronze. It's goldier than silver!!
Known in an alternate reality as flighty.
Posts: 242 | From: $99...plus GST | Registered: May 2006
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Amazing Grace
High Church Protestant
# 95
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Presleyterian:
I agree that the age restriction seems arbitrary, but some cut-off is necessary. Since lap babies usually fly free, I can imagine some people stacking family members like flapjacks in an attempt to travel on one ticket.
The "lap baby" policy differs per airline. My brother lives near a smaller airport and his carriers of necessity required a ticket for my nephew even as an infant. The good news, as he said, was that the kid at least got his own baggage allowance, which was needed with the stroller, carseat, and other baby paraphanalia.
Besides the obvious safety concerns, at a certain point even normal child movement for a lap toddler is uncomfortable for the person in front of them.
Charlotte
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WTFWED? "Remember to always be yourself, unless you suck" - the Gator
Memory Eternal! Sheep 3, Phil the Wise Guy, and Jesus' Evil Twin in the SoF Nativity Play
Posts: 6593 | From: Sittin' by the dock of the [SF] bay | Registered: Jul 2003
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Drooling Drummer
Shipmate
# 11364
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Posted
and it seems elly's parents were very eager to get their 15 minutes of fame. very interesting when you consider that it could almost be a story from Jerry Springer...
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If you can't get a gold medal, go for bronze. It's goldier than silver!!
Known in an alternate reality as flighty.
Posts: 242 | From: $99...plus GST | Registered: May 2006
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Amazing Grace
High Church Protestant
# 95
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
Has Elly's family been on The Jerry Springer Show yet? I can't wait, they are naturals.
Indeed they are.
Betcha the kidlet will be crawling all over the set there, too!
Charlotte
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WTFWED? "Remember to always be yourself, unless you suck" - the Gator
Memory Eternal! Sheep 3, Phil the Wise Guy, and Jesus' Evil Twin in the SoF Nativity Play
Posts: 6593 | From: Sittin' by the dock of the [SF] bay | Registered: Jul 2003
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Drooling Drummer
Shipmate
# 11364
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Posted
sorry about the ranting here...and apologies if i cover previously communicated topics...this is an exceedingly interesting topic
werent they refunded their money AND offered other tickets when it was clear that the airline had no responsibility or requirement to do so? it just strikes me as odd that the parents werent willing to accept alternate travel at the behest of a company that requires accurate schedules to be kept, that they the parents were allowing to be put in jeapordy by not restraining their child?and then going on national television claiming injustice and allowing the viewers aan insight into their child hitting and screaming DURING the interview?
correct me if im wrong, but did the airling commit an illegal act ejecting disruptive and dangerous passengers who were delaying the flight significantly, at least in terms of airline timing?
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If you can't get a gold medal, go for bronze. It's goldier than silver!!
Known in an alternate reality as flighty.
Posts: 242 | From: $99...plus GST | Registered: May 2006
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the coiled spring
Shipmate
# 2872
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Posted
Does anybody know what happened when this delightful family unit got their free flight and flow off into the sunset.
Did God`s little gift of happiness behave this time thanks to an abundance of Prozak
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give back to God what He gives so it is used for His glory not ours.
Posts: 2359 | From: mountain top retreat lodge overlooking skegness | Registered: May 2002
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Choirboy
Shipmate
# 9659
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Posted
According to the article from the OP, they were offered free tickets plus financial compensation for their flight. They turned down the free flight but accepted the offered compensation for their fare. Presumably they managed to return home by air. It isn't clear to me whether their former tickets were honored or not.
As far as I know, we have no details on how the return flight eventually went.
Posts: 2994 | From: Minneapolis, Minnesota USA | Registered: Jun 2005
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luvanddaisies
the'fun'in'fundie'™
# 5761
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Posted
Velcro. On trouser-bottoms. And on seat.
Solves both buckling in and seatbelt-restraining issues.
Comed to think of it, some adults could do with it too. Maybe it should be standardised.
Melon: I think, fwiw, that people here aren't saying that these are shockinglybad parents or whatever - just irresponsible people who are whining about a decision taken for the safety and convenience (as well as legality) of other people purely because of their own desire for publicity.
Maybe they just need to wind their necks in, chalk it up to experience or 'life's rich tapestry' or somesuch, or just simply stfu.
[ 01. February 2007, 17:04: Message edited by: luvanddaisies ]
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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." (Mark Twain)
Posts: 3711 | From: all at sea. | Registered: Apr 2004
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Lyda*Rose
Ship's broken porthole
# 4544
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by flighty:
sorry about the ranting here...and apologies if i cover previously communicated topics...this is an exceedingly interesting topic
werent they refunded their money AND offered other tickets when it was clear that the airline had no responsibility or requirement to do so? it just strikes me as odd that the parents werent willing to accept alternate travel at the behest of a company that requires accurate schedules to be kept, that they the parents were allowing to be put in jeapordy by not restraining their child?and then going on national television claiming injustice and allowing the viewers aan insight into their child hitting and screaming DURING the interview?
correct me if im wrong, but did the airling commit an illegal act ejecting disruptive and dangerous passengers who were delaying the flight significantly, at least in terms of airline timing?
I'd love to see a video of that interview! ![[Two face]](graemlins/scot_twoface.gif)
What network was it on? Perhaps they post video clips.
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"Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life." ~from Joe Vs the Volcano
Posts: 21377 | From: CA | Registered: May 2003
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saysay
Ship's Praying Mantis
# 6645
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Left at the Altar:
More often than not, no one comes in to assist when things get tough and the kids lose their tempers, or get too tired, or get frightened to the point of hysteria. You just trudge on. Tough luck if you are in public at the time, because the only thing anyone around will do, it sit and stare and tut tut.
Maybe. But the problem is, a lot of obnoxious kids have obnoxious parents. I've worked with enough small children to know that even the most well-behaved children of the bestest parents in the whole universe occasionally melt down, sometimes in public. I'm fine with that. I'm really good at ignoring screaming, and I usually offer to help if it looks like there's anything I can do.
But then things like this happen: I'm at the grocery store. I see a mother struggling with a very small child in a cart. Slightly larger child (3-4ish) has wandered away and started knocking things off the shelf. I approach child, talk to him. By the time mother has sorted out baby, I've managed to get him to not only stop pulling things off the shelf, but to help me put the things he knocked off back on. Mother approaches, screams "What are you doing?" at the both of us, takes child's hand, and marches off muttering about how the store has people to clean things up. Which makes me understand why people are reluctant to step in.
Still, I think it's unlikely that none of the cabin crew or passengers offered to help. I think it's far more likely that the parents said "oh, no, there's nothing you can do, she's just a little upset," and then asked if they could do things the cabin crew couldn't permit them to do.
If I'd been the flight attendant I probably would have picked the kid up and wrestled her into the seat my damn self. And would now be facing a lawsuit for doing so.
But I work with college students and have had it with spoiled brats and their helicopter parents who seem surprised that the rules they knew were in place when they signed up really are actually going to apply to them.
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"It's been a long day without you, my friend
I'll tell you all about it when I see you again"
"'Oh sweet baby purple Jesus' - that's a direct quote from a 9 year old - shoutout to purple Jesus."
Posts: 2943 | From: The Wire | Registered: May 2004
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the coiled spring:
Does anybody know what happened when this delightful family unit got their free flight and flow off into the sunset.
Did God`s little gift of happiness behave this time thanks to an abundance of Prozak
Why don't you go fuck yourself, asshole? Go back under the rock you crawled out from under, and stay there permanently.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
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Adam.
Like as the
# 4991
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Erin:
quote:
Originally posted by Melbscape:
They weigh hand luggage on the way in...
What do you mean by hand luggage? Carry-on? They only weigh checked bags in the US, and that's only so they can charge you for overweight items. You'd be amazed at what your average dumbass tries to carry on to plane.
Carry on; yes; it's normally the same in Europe but there are a few exceptions that Emma may have experienced; I've given up being amazed but the majority of dumbasses, by they seem to be getting better... ![[Paranoid]](graemlins/paranoid.gif)
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Ave Crux, Spes Unica!
Preaching blog
Posts: 8164 | From: Notre Dame, IN | Registered: Sep 2003
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jerusalemcross
Shipmate
# 12179
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Posted
An American nanny of a friend used to (legally) dope up the kids whenever she had to take them between the USA and Europe. Worked every time - a very good Swiss liquid stuff that she gave them before the flight and made them just calm enough to be manageable. It doesn't however address the basic issue of teaching kids how to behave in public and setting boundaries which they need. My brother said (when his were toddler terrors) he knew from the attitude of other travellers that he was a pariah when he and wife boarded a plane with TWO toddlers....and they were pretty good at keeping them under control.
And speaking of business class, knowing I've paid all that money and STILL have an uncontrollable screaming brat whacking my seat is just the limit. But the parents are rich so it's OK, inn't it. Thank heavens for BA transatlantic Club Class where everyone has enough private space to defend it.
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What's the difference between an organist and a terrorist? You can negotiate with a terrorist.
Posts: 305 | From: somewhere west of Eden | Registered: Dec 2006
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Left at the Altar
Ship's Siren
# 5077
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Posted
Teaching kids to behave in public is something that needs to be started early. However, in my experience, loads of adults don't know how to behalf in public, so what they pass on is just bad manners.
Frankly, I'm a right Hitler with my kids. I am classified as the too-strict mother by many other mothers I know (perhaps because I pull their kids into line too but, damnit, someone has to). However, I believe I have passable children who don't shove, demand, interrupt or be completely painful in the company of others (at home they are not so delightful).
So, I feel that I can quite confidently take them in business class and not annoy the living crap out of jerusalemcross.
In fact, I've been checking out fares just this day. No Jerry Springer riff raff* near me, thank you very much.
*I had some sympathy for the chucked-off family before I heard they'd gone on that dreadful show. ![[Disappointed]](graemlins/disappointed.gif)
[ 02. February 2007, 01:31: Message edited by: Left at the Altar ]
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Still pretty Amazing, but no longer Mavis.
Posts: 9111 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Melbscape
Shipmate
# 11749
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Erin:
quote:
Originally posted by Melbscape:
They weigh hand luggage on the way in...
What do you mean by hand luggage? Carry-on? They only weigh checked bags in the US, and that's only so they can charge you for overweight items. You'd be amazed at what your average dumbass tries to carry on to plane.
I don't do a lot of air traveling, so I'm not completely au fait with it all but there *is* a point where one's luggage (be that hand or checked) is weighed. I don't see the problem with popping Junior on a scale and getting an Airline Approved sticker slapped to his forehead.
Maybe they can dole out the Phenergan Pops at the same time.
Posts: 112 | Registered: Aug 2006
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Melbscape
Shipmate
# 11749
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Left at the Altar:
Frankly, I'm a right Hitler with my kids. I am classified as the too-strict mother by many other mothers I know (perhaps because I pull their kids into line too but, damnit, someone has to). However, I believe I have passable children who don't shove, demand, interrupt or be completely painful in the company of others (at home they are not so delightful).
I'm more like Ghandi, but my childen are reasonable, too ![[Smile]](smile.gif) Ghandi looked better in orange, though.
Posts: 112 | Registered: Aug 2006
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Left at the Altar
Ship's Siren
# 5077
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Melbscape:
quote:
Originally posted by Erin:
quote:
Originally posted by Melbscape:
They weigh hand luggage on the way in...
What do you mean by hand luggage? Carry-on? They only weigh checked bags in the US, and that's only so they can charge you for overweight items. You'd be amazed at what your average dumbass tries to carry on to plane.
I don't do a lot of air traveling, so I'm not completely au fait with it all but there *is* a point where one's luggage (be that hand or checked) is weighed. I don't see the problem with popping Junior on a scale and getting an Airline Approved sticker slapped to his forehead.
Maybe they can dole out the Phenergan Pops at the same time.
I think that the scales should be pulled out for all things going on board, with payment made accordingly.
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Still pretty Amazing, but no longer Mavis.
Posts: 9111 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Melbscape
Shipmate
# 11749
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Left at the Altar:
I think that the scales should be pulled out for all things going on board, with payment made accordingly.
A pity that body odour has no mass!
Posts: 112 | Registered: Aug 2006
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Left at the Altar:
I think that the scales should be pulled out for all things going on board, with payment made accordingly.
Just the thing that people with eating disorders need.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Left at the Altar
Ship's Siren
# 5077
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Posted
That's right. Subsidised fares.
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Still pretty Amazing, but no longer Mavis.
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
"If only I can get down to 75 pounds, I could fly round trip to London for only $450."
It's a little cruel, n'est-ce pas?
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Left at the Altar
Ship's Siren
# 5077
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Posted
Sadly, while a screaming child will fall asleep at some stage during a long flight, the enormous lump of person next to you will not lose more than a pound or so. In fact, people often swell a bit during flights.
It's very unpleasant.
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Still pretty Amazing, but no longer Mavis.
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Left at the Altar
Ship's Siren
# 5077
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Posted
Actually, in terms of hideous ways to spend a flight, my 1984 trip Melbourne to London via Athens was memorable.
Near me (thank God, not next to me) was a portly elderly woman who had two distinctly noticable traits.
One was a propensity to eat anything put in front of her, with gusto.
The other was motion sickness.
Between Melbourne and Athens (where she got off), I'd say Qantas served about 6 meals. Each time, she gobbled them up quick smart, and then spent the following half hour barfing in the barf-bags with lots of loud barfing noises.
Really, truly. She should have been made to pay triple the fare.
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Still pretty Amazing, but no longer Mavis.
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Autenrieth Road
Shipmate
# 10509
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Posted
If we're considering the idea so very seriously, I'm sure advocacy for having a minimum fare regardless of extremely low weight would emerge.
Something tells me the airlines would support that.
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Truth
Posts: 9559 | From: starlight | Registered: Oct 2005
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
I know! fares based on BMI! We could establish a target BMI, and charge people a certain amount extra for every unit they're off the perfect norm. Too skinny? too fat? pay extra.
[ 02. February 2007, 05:13: Message edited by: MouseThief ]
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Melbscape
Shipmate
# 11749
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Pure as the Driven Yellow Snow:
Fantastic.
Sorry sir, but you're ten dollars short.
"Eu, Eu Eu Eughhhh Yech". (Ralph for the Australians)
Free to board sir.
Just one more little wafer...
Posts: 112 | Registered: Aug 2006
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
But your point was that heavy people cost more to fly, wasn't it? If that's the case perhaps we can determine if people are endothermic or exothermic, and to what extent. People who give off heat will be charged more in situations where the air has to be cooled (on hot days); people who absorb heat will be charged less on those days. And then we'll switch it when the air has to be heated, and charge the energy sinks more, and the walking radiators less.
Also in airplanes, oxygen has to be piped in, and/or carbon dioxide removed. People who tend to give off more carbon dioxide can be charged more, and people who give off less can be charged less.
And of course it goes without saying that people should pay to use the restroom on the plane. And the feminine supplies dispenser should be coin-op. It's that kind of emergency situation, too, where you can charge a lot and people will have to pay it because they're in a tight spot. Credit card readers in the restrooms will be de rigeur.
And every time you press the button for the flight attendant, that should be a charge. Or if they turn the lights out and you use that little light to read. Electricity ain't free!
Boy there's all sorts of ways to make people actually pay for the proportion of the cost of flying that they actually make use of.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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AdamPater
Sacristan of the LavaLamp
# 4431
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Posted
Yeah, but fat people should pay more. Even if they do chuck a wobbly at the thought.
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Put not your trust in princes.
Posts: 4894 | From: On the left of the big pink bit. | Registered: Apr 2003
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comet
Snowball in Hell
# 10353
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Posted
up here in "small plane country" you are expected to disclose your real weight, and if you try to shine them on they pop you on the frieght scale. in a small plane, it makes a huge difference. weight has a direct impact on fuel burned.
I'm sure the big jets are the same, they just estimate that each passenger is 300 lbs to be safe.
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Evil Dragon Lady, Breaker of Men's Constitutions
"It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.” -Calvin
Posts: 17024 | From: halfway between Seduction and Peril | Registered: Sep 2005
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Zoey
Broken idealist
# 11152
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Posted
So do they make you pay extra if the freight scale shows that you weigh more than an allotted amount?
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Pay no mind, I'm doing fine, I'm breathing on my own.
Posts: 3095 | From: the penultimate stop? | Registered: Mar 2006
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Left at the Altar:
In fact, I've been checking out fares just this day. No Jerry Springer riff raff* near me, thank you very much.
*I had some sympathy for the chucked-off family before I heard they'd gone on that dreadful show.
Point of fact. I cannot see a posting which says they appeared on the JSS; just various posters opining that they are the sort of people they would expect to go on it.
This parallels various other turns this thread has taken - in fact, is of the essence of the thread - that Poster A says X, then Poster B comes down like the wolf on the fold, perceiving in A's opinion a gross offense (which may or may not be there).
I don't have a dog - or a child - in this fight, but I have observed that if you want a thread that runs to a couple of zillion pages, all of them hot to the touch, just mention parenting. It's all it takes.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Left at the Altar
Ship's Siren
# 5077
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Posted
Yep, parenting and obesity. Recipe for thread success.
(apologies to the family for any false accusation on my part that they appeared on Jerry Springer's dreadful show).
ETA: I don't care what people weigh. I just don't like their flobbily bits oozing onto my seat and pressing against my leg and my arm and .... errrrr.
[ 02. February 2007, 08:41: Message edited by: Left at the Altar ]
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Still pretty Amazing, but no longer Mavis.
Posts: 9111 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Rat
Ship's Rat
# 3373
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Posted
Yeah, well, it's tall people that I hate. Those bastards.
They try to make you feel sorry for them as they squeeze under the overhanging baggage thingy and struggle to jam their unnaturally long legs into the footwell. They two minutes after takeoff they shove their pointy elbows into you, sprawl their bony knees into your footwell and generally sit so far into your seat that you have to travel 2000 miles at a 90 degree angle with your face practically in your other neighbour's lap.
They're the ones who should be made to pay for two seats. At least fat people are squashy.
And don't get me started on people who read broadsheet newspapers that take at least 3 seats worth of room to manipulate adequately.
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It's a matter of food and available blood. If motherhood is sacred, put your money where your mouth is. Only then can you expect the coming down to the wrecked & shimmering earth of that miracle you sing about. [Margaret Atwood]
Posts: 5285 | From: A dour region for dour folk | Registered: Oct 2002
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