I was a passenger aboard an airplane filled with children recently — and the flight was actually pleasant as we traveled from Melbourne in Australia to Fiji.
An Airplane Filled With Children Was…A Pleasant Flight.
Throughout the entire duration of the flight of almost five hours, only one child cried for maybe five minutes. Otherwise, the babies, children, and toddlers were either sleeping, playing, keeping themselves busy, talking quietly, or even singing quietly, as the child in front of me was doing as he looked out of the window.
Children can understandably be uncomfortable aboard an airplane: it is an enclosed space in which they are confined; and the change in air pressure can be painful to their ears, as swallowing is not an easy solution for some of them…
…but other children can be rather bratty as they scream, cry, or throw needless unnecessary tantrums as they are often noisy — especially when their parents or guardians do nothing to attempt to alleviate the situation. One unfortunate example of behavior that spiraled out of control was during a transatlantic flight years ago in which a young boy screamed, threw tantrums, tore his clothes off, and ran up and down the aisles aboad the airplane. The parents inexcusably did little to nothing to alleviate that situation.
Final Boarding Call
An airplane filled with children for approximately six hours — when time on the ground is factored in — more often than not spells trouble in the order of noise and uncontrolled behavior.
Again, the inside of an airplane is an unnatural environment to many children, as it can be confining with not much to do. They are typically not familiar with the surroundings in the cabin aboard an airplane. Sitting still for so many hours is difficult to do. As a bonus, the change in air pressure can wreak havoc on the ears of a child…
…so with all of these factors and more, it is natural and understandable for a child to express his or her unhappiness in the form of crying, screaming, complaining or fidgeting uncontrollably — to the displeasure of fellow passengers, who would have been unable to employ one of the 11 most effective tactics for getting upgraded while flying, as the airplane on which we were passengers was full. Back on Monday, October 27, 2014, I reported on how the tantrum of a child aboard an airplane reportedly led to the police being called.
Dealing with tireless children while attempting to sleep in a terminal at the airport as you await your next flight is difficult enough — but unlike aboard an airplane, at least you can escape.
Why some parents cannot be more responsible and better control their children while they travel is beyond my comprehension, as I do not understand that at all. As I experienced with this recent flight, doing so is entire possible — although calming some children may be easier than others…
All photographs ©2015 and ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
