peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,878
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Jul 31, 2017 14:40:42 GMT
What can you do? Honestly - if the flight attendants do nothing, you can't take it into your own hands. I guess you can call and complain but a lot of good that does now. That's incredibly frustrating.
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Post by ScrapsontheRocks on Jul 31, 2017 14:51:32 GMT
OP, you have my utmost commiserations. This scenario is my absolute worst nightmare! I regrettably have no advice to give but will be following your thread hoping the peas have a gem or two.
I am not the world's most instinctive techie, but perhaps I would have filmed this lot, including the apathetic flight attendants and used that in any subsequent chat with the airline. Perhaps someone else on your flight has footage? If this goes viral and the airline makes amends to that traveller, jump on board and back them up. Did you compare notes with any other inconvenienced passengers? Take any contact details if you did?
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hannahruth
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,680 
Location: Adelaide, Australia
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Post by hannahruth on Jul 31, 2017 14:52:44 GMT
I was say that there is really nothing you can do. If the staff were unable to deal with this behaviour then maybe some additional training needs to be undertaken.
Having said that there are a lot of parents and children for that matter that have such a sense of entitlement that they probably thought there was nothing wrong with their behaviour. Inconsiderate a**holes unfortunately.
The airline probably thinks that they have paid their money and that is the end of that.
Sorry you you had such a rough trip. I would haven't to get off!
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Post by phoenixcov on Jul 31, 2017 14:52:55 GMT
If everybody with a problem keeps quiet how will the Airline know there is a problem in the first place?
You have a relevant concern so I think you should make it known to them.
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Jul 31, 2017 14:55:20 GMT
Book first class next time. They're virtually kid-free. |
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Jul 31, 2017 14:57:15 GMT
And I'm frankly shocked he would threaten violence and not end up cut off from alcohol, in hand cuffs, and having the flight diverted. What did he say?
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 31, 2017 15:02:43 GMT
What a nightmare.
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Jul 31, 2017 15:06:03 GMT
And I'm frankly shocked he would threaten violence and not end up cut off from alcohol, in hand cuffs, and having the flight diverted. What did he say? I know right??? Perhaps just because he was threatening violence once he got off the plane? Quite honestly, I rather expected to see security meet us at the gate. Instead the flight crew just waved goodbye and thanked them for flying Norwegian. What did he say and to who? |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 31, 2017 15:19:38 GMT
What a nightmare flight for you! It's always my fear that I will end up on a flight with people like these and their hellions. I had been considering flying Norwegian in the future (they are coming into Austin next year), but will be rethinking that now! I would definitely write to Norwegian's customer service and lodge a complaint, making sure to state the flight number, date and time of the flight. They will know who the attendants were. Hopefully others will complain as well and something will be said to the attendants. At this point, that is about all you can do.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jul 31, 2017 15:30:22 GMT
I'd be pretty livid after more than 15-20 minutes of the parents not doing anything. Kids that age are old enough to know better. Heck, my kid was 2.5 when we flew to FL and she knew how to behave a whole lot better than that. I would file a formal complaint with the airline. What those kids were doing was not only merely annoying but also not safe. It's really unfortunate that the parents are entitled jerks raising another generation of entitled jerks.  |
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Post by Really Red on Jul 31, 2017 15:30:23 GMT
Book first class next time. They're virtually kid-free. Why doesn't she just rent her own private jet and fly?  beachgurl that is awful! I know it's a long flight for kids, because I've done it numerous times by myself with little ones. And barring any mental or medical issues with the kids, that shouldn't happen. Did anyone say anything to the FAs? If a passenger threatened me with violence because I asked him to keep his kids under control, you can be darn sure I'd be talking to a FA and if they did nothing, getting their name and letting corporate know. So yes, I think you should email the airlines, but it's always better to say something (nicely) in the present, if possible. Sorry this happened to you! |
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Jul 31, 2017 15:32:59 GMT
I have a lot of friends whose husbands are commercial pilots and know they get to fly free. I'm wondering if the aircrew knew them or knew he was a pilot? And turned a blind eye and downplayed everything?
I've flown with preschool/toddler age children and it's hands down one of the most stressful events I've ever encountered. We only had a coast-to-coast flight, not international, and keeping my kids confined in that 18" space was like shaving a cat in a hot tub on a race track. Which is funny because all my stress was internal because several people deplaning looked back and said oh! I forgot there were children behind me, what angels! (Oh thank God).
Which leads me to say I totally understand getting a drink! Oh God I wanted one but didn't get any because I didn't want to be judged honestly. Getting through security with strollers and car seats was so stressful it should be a bullet point on my résumé. We went to an all-day park and zoo yesterday and my husband had a beer with dinner. In a restaurant, a glass of wine is no big deal. But on a plane, if you have kids, everyone is watching you. I think a couple is reasonable in 7 hours, but it sounds like they had WAY more than that?
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Country Ham
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,314
Jun 25, 2014 19:32:08 GMT
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Post by Country Ham on Jul 31, 2017 15:44:51 GMT
And I'm frankly shocked he would threaten violence and not end up cut off from alcohol, in hand cuffs, and having the flight diverted. What did he say? I know right??? Perhaps just because he was threatening violence once he got off the plane? Quite honestly, I rather expected to see security meet us at the gate. Instead the flight crew just waved goodbye and thanked them for flying Norwegian. UGH... no offense but that is NOT what you implied/stated in your original narrative. You said this: What you said was that other passengers asked parents to keep children in their row and he used that time to threaten them with violence. I have never been on a flight with enough space under a seat for a child to crawl underneath and between passengers legs. My purse barely fit under the seat in front of me. I am not saying you didn't have a bad flight with unruly kids. The worse i have ever experienced were overly wiggly kids and having the back of my seat repetitively kicked but if you are going to write a letter it needs to be very factual. Did you take video? I think the time to formally complain is right when you got off the plane. If it was that bad I would of even waited and spoken to the captain when they deplaned. |
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Jul 31, 2017 15:46:38 GMT
I think I would have privately asked the flight attendant if the kids didn't need to be buckled up. We all hear the announcement about being buckled when seated. I would think the FA would be forced to ask them to buckle up. That doesn't help the noise or the wiggling, but it should stop the climbing around.
Frankly, I'd probably have put on my headphones, picked out a good movie, and ignored the whole scene.
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Post by epeanymous on Jul 31, 2017 15:47:12 GMT
This is unfathomable to me. I fly with my six kids, 1-14, several times a year. The baby cries on takeoff and landing, and every once in a while a kid wearing headphones makes loud noises because they forget they can't talk with headphones on, but otherwise, my kids are pretty well-behaved on flights. Even so, I always get the sense from the looks I get when boarding from flight attendants that they are waiting for the situation to explode, and I spend the whole flight on edge that one of my kids will give them an excuse to snap.
Flying is super fun.
Anyhow, I cannot picture flight attendants indulging my kids in those kinds of antics or excusing them because I have a lot of kids. I just can't. All I can think is that they knew the families.
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Post by cade387 on Jul 31, 2017 15:55:27 GMT
I'm trying to understand what you meant in your post. Did you or the other passengers say anything to the attendants? Or did they only talk to the parents directly?
From your post, it doesn't seem that anyone said anything directly to the attendants. I'm not excusing it, but in some cases you need to complain directly to them and not just assume they are overhearing everything. We have been flying where I have overheard and witnessed some bad things and my DH sitting next to me was completely oblivious.
I also understand that folks should be cut off if they have too much alcohol, but your post also seems to imply that parents shouldn't be allowed to have alcohol if they are flying with kids. Who would enforce that? How would that work exactly?
The flight sounds like it was a nightmare, but people should have been complaining left and right to the attendants and if they just tried to deal with it on their own, then it is difficult to say what the airline should have done. The second a guy threatened another passenger I would have bene out of my seat asking for flight attendant to take precautions as he is making violent threats.
I've never heard of this airline so I'm not sure what their deal is - are they international? or like a Jet Blue/Frontier type model?
ETA - Just saw your post that you talked to an attendant - didn't pick that up from earlier, sorry. I will stand by my stance though, that if it was as bad as you made it sounds (which I'm sure it was a nightmare), I really would have made a bigger stink about it on the plane (talked to another attendant, etc) and then again with the gate agent. That was completely unacceptable. |
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Jul 31, 2017 16:15:50 GMT
Safety is priority #1 with flying. You've mentioned several things that are truly unsafe: climbing over seats falling into passenger's seats, crawling under seats into other passenger's rows, passengers threatening violence, parents becoming intoxicated, children permitted to smack other passengers in the head, and children permitted to stand on seats to play. And all you got was a smile and "kids will be kids" from the attendants?
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The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,973
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Jul 31, 2017 16:16:02 GMT
I don't think that is the norm. I would have said something while at the airport or recorded and complained today. You can still send and email or call, but likely it won't do much at this point. That does suck though.
I will tell you that I have an ADHD son that needs to be medicated to fly without being an annoyance. (He can't sit still and gets defiant after a while of being confined. With meds, he's perfect). Last year when flying back from Hawaii, we had a delay in Maui (flew out at 2 am) and by the time we got to Seattle for our connecting flight, everyone was exhausted, cranky and his meds had worn off (setting the scene so people can try to empathize a bit with me rather than judge first). I sat next to him and he was already ramping up. He was doing something and stood on the seat. I was telling him to sit his butt down and the flight attendant was over there before I could even finish telling him that (she was walking by) Anyway, we hadn't even taken off yet and she lectured him about safety.
He didn't stand on he seat again. He was still super annoying, and I was ready to jump off the plane by the end of the flight. But, he stayed in his seat and mostly just annoyed me.
Anyway, that was on Delta.
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azredhead
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,755
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Post by azredhead on Jul 31, 2017 16:40:09 GMT
With all the bad stories you about the airline or flight attendant, it no surprise they didn't step in!? Although in that situation it would have been granted and welcomed Im sure. And it's sounds like the kids were old enough to be told. I teach 9yr old Sunday school, I have hard time getting them to sit IN their chairs for 40 min! I don't have kids but I would still be really annoyed that they weren't told to keep it under control or do something. The best you could do know is maybe file a complaint with the airline! So frustrating! I hope you got to enjoy some of your trip!
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Post by kamper on Jul 31, 2017 16:55:03 GMT
Norwegian Airlines is a budget carrier. Safety and passenger comfort is probably not their main concern. If you mentioned it to the FA's then there isn't really anything else to be done. Sad to think that these kids might have been injured due to unexpected turbulence. I've been on a Trans-Atlantic flight (on a now defunct airline) where kids ran up and down the aisle, not a good experience.
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mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253
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Post by mallie on Jul 31, 2017 16:57:11 GMT
I feel for you. Three times i have been on flights turns into a nightmare by out of control children. Two of those involved parents constantly feeding the or kids candy throughout the flight. It was like being part of a PSA about how NOT to fly with kids. In those two cases, repeated requests by passengers to flight attendants were met with shrugs and smiles. The airlines were United and Delta.
And then there was the Delta flight from Orlando to Chicago when FA told a passenger wih a cat in a carrier that she could let it out once they got up in the air. And yes, the FA was serious. Passengers around pre-preemptively complained and the FA got very angry at them. The cat owner herself kept saying she would never let the cat out on a plane and did not. But still. Stupid and unsafe.
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MizIndependent
Drama Llama
Quit your bullpoop.
Posts: 5,836
Jun 25, 2014 19:43:16 GMT
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Post by MizIndependent on Jul 31, 2017 17:04:03 GMT
I'd be taking names of the flight attendants and taking video of the behavior being allowed. When I had this, I'd privately speak with a flight attendant. If he/she chose to do nothing, I'd make certain he/she knew I'd made note of it.
Then I'd be contacting corporate - possibly while in flight.
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Post by hollymolly on Jul 31, 2017 17:08:05 GMT
This is first and foremost a safety issue. Yes, unbearably annoying, but the complaint shouldn't be about that. Complain about safety. It was absolutely unsafe for everyone on board. Sudden, unexpected turbulence could not only seriously injure the kids, but they could fall into someone else. If there were a true emergency, how are the parents going to round up all those kids and get them buckled back in? There are reasons they tell you to keep your seatbelt on when you are seated, even when the sign is off.
Can you imagine an emergency landing with those kids running around and blocking exits, slowing down people trying to get off the plane?
I would be unlikely to fly that airline again. If they are that lax about the safety of those kids, how much do they care about the safety of the adults? How much do they care about safety at all? I wouldn't trust them at that point.
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Post by hop2 on Jul 31, 2017 17:10:34 GMT
If I had been one of the passengers close enough to be hit or climbed upon I'd call the flight attendant over and calmly inform them about the issue and that they had better do something to stop the issue or the airline would be hearing from my lawyer about my injuries. And I'd have started recording the little shits hitting me or others.
Unfortunately the yelling, screaming, etc you can do nothing about, but you better believe someone should be stopping someone from hitting me or climbing into my head. I paid for my ticket as well and I do not deserve to be assaulted in my tiny seat. F that. And elderly person could be severely injured from a kid climbing on their head. Heck I could be injured depending on the size of the kid.
That's bull crap that they did nothing.
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Post by Zee on Jul 31, 2017 17:25:47 GMT
Every time I fly it's in a hooded coat or jacket with headphones. I turn up the music or audiobook, pull my hood down, and ignore everyone around me. It's the only way I can bear it.
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christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,379
Location: New York, NY
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Post by christinec68 on Jul 31, 2017 17:34:05 GMT
What a nightmare. I would write the corporate office with all the pertinent flight details and behavior you witnessed. Aside from being incredibly annoying and inconsiderate, there were several big safety issues which should be addressed with the flight crew.
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Post by compwalla on Jul 31, 2017 17:51:53 GMT
OP, you have my utmost commiserations. This scenario is my absolute worst nightmare! I regrettably have no advice to give but will be following your thread hoping the peas have a gem or two. My worst nightmare is the pilot was out drinking all night last night and failed to run all the checklists resulting in a fiery crash into the side of a mountain. My second-worst nightmare is that the person sitting next to me dies and I have to fly next to a dead body for several hours because there is already someone in the corpse closet. |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 31, 2017 17:57:48 GMT
My second-worst nightmare is that the person sitting next to me dies and I have to fly next to a dead body for several hours because there is already someone in the corpse closet. This happened to a friend's DD a few years ago. It was a flight from Tokyo to LAX and the guy in the row in front of her died. He was traveling with his wife and two young children. All they did was cover him with a blanket for the duration of the flight. I'd never really thought about it before, but I sure do now when I fly! |
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Post by cade387 on Jul 31, 2017 18:26:32 GMT
My second-worst nightmare is that the person sitting next to me dies and I have to fly next to a dead body for several hours because there is already someone in the corpse closet. This happened to a friend's DD a few years ago. It was a flight from Tokyo to LAX and the guy in the row in front of her died. He was traveling with his wife and two young children. All they did was cover him with a blanket for the duration of the flight. I'd never really thought about it before, but I sure do now when I fly!    |
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Post by ScrapsontheRocks on Jul 31, 2017 19:48:41 GMT
OP, you have my utmost commiserations. This scenario is my absolute worst nightmare! I regrettably have no advice to give but will be following your thread hoping the peas have a gem or two. I am not the world's most instinctive techie, but perhaps I would have filmed this lot, including the apathetic flight attendants and used that in any subsequent chat with the airline. Perhaps someone else on your flight has footage? If this goes viral and the airline makes amends to that traveller, jump on board and back them up. Did you compare notes with any other inconvenienced passengers? Take any contact details if you did? What a massive fail on my part. I wouldn't have been able to discreetly film everything, but at least portions. I can only say that I was shocked out of action. About that fail- I talk a good story but I would most likely have been too shocked and tech challenged to do anything! I talk a good story because of all the recent newsworthy stuff where filming has gone public. On the other hand, I don't think I would have tried to be discreet about the filming, if I had been compos mentis enough to film; the thought of being filmed might possibly have brought this Neanderthal to his senses. Hope you are a bit recovered and that your official complaint letter is effective. |
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