One time my husband was complaining ever so politely to an AA flight attendant that alcohol was no longer free on interntional flights. The flight attendant said that they loved the change because it drastically reduced the number of intoxicated people on the flights. Guess it's good to look at things through others' eyes.

It's off-topic, but why does alcohol need to be served on an airplane anyway? The companies are ASKING for trouble.

I like a cocktail as much as the next guy, but I can go without while on a plane.

If nicotine addicts can survive, so can alcoholics.

I can't imagine dressing up like that for a flight these days. Just the hike through the airport in stockings and heels would just about do me in - not to mention all the endless standing for security, check in, at the gate... Then being squished into a tiny seat for hours. And how about negotiating the teeny bathroom?

This doesn't have anything to do with the children's disabilities. This has to do with the fact that the airline felt the kids were too disruptive for the plane to fly safely.


Did anybody else notice that the sister is pregnant?

I'm sick and tired of flying on planes when the kids are horribly disruptive and the parents do nothing. I had to sit on a flight from JFK to SFO with a little girl screaming, a mother who didn't know what to do and the father sat with his head in his hands in complete distraught. What is wrong with people? The flight attendants did absolutely nothing, nothing!

Hmm, interesting that one child is autistic. The only person I know with an autistic child won't take him on a plane. She says it's not good for autistic kids to fly.

Now this is just what she says, and I don't know if she's right. However, she is an intelligent and highly educated woman who has researched autism, its causes and its treatments.

It's not good for autistic kids to fly? Why the heck not?

Is the pregnant sister only wearing a bra towards the end of the video? The beginning of the video shows her wearing a white tank (or longer) and a dark sweater but by the end of the video, only straps are shown.

I guess that Marginal and some of you others feel that if this family could just win the lottery, their problems would be solved, the kids would start behaving like angels, and the parenting skills would kick right in????

"Does anyone remember the days of dressing up, even wearing white gloves and being pampered by the airlines with full food service served on linen cloths?"

I remember those days quite well. That is how my mother insisted we dress when we travelled back in the 60s. I always had a nice dress, white gloves, patent leather shoes (black, red or white), and even a hat.

I am a little more informal now , but I am strict about what my sons wear. During all our years overseas, they knew that they HAD to wear long pants on/off the plane in the Middle East/Asia/Africa. Shorts were not allowed. Of course, they often chose to wear the zip off pants and took off the "bottoms" when we were on the plane. I also don't allow flip flops and when traveling in the US - shorts must be "nice" shorts, not athletic type shorts. Same for shirts.

As for unruly kids.....we were flying from New Orleans to Houston on Southwest and were in the back with about 5 small kids (infant up to about 3). I have to admit - I was dreading the short little flight. As it turned out - the kids were all great. No problems at all. BUT.....the "mom" in front of us was driving us NUTS!!!! Her little girl was a cutie and was quite good during the flight, but I swear the mother sang one of those endless sons (like the Wheel on the Bus or something) almost the whole flight. And her voice carried!!!! AUGH!!!!!!

My sons kept looking at me, rolling their eyes.... and finally my younger one said "PLEASE tell us you didn't do that when we were little!!!!!!"

tracys2cents, what am I missing here? I didn't see anyone taking about the family's lack of money or how if they had more they would behave differently. Are you somehow making an assumption that if people are pointed out as not controlling their children and being rude and obnoxious that they must be poor? No one but you has seemed to suggest such a thing? Several have talked about "class" or lack of it, but that has nothing to do with lack of money that I'm aware of, nor that anyone else seems to be saying.

There are comments about the risks you are taking flying airlines that just anyone can afford to fly.


Please, Patrick....this is not a thread that anyone should be proud of. It's very condescending (though I haven't seen the video so won't comment specifically.)

People like the Griswolds should just drive everywhere, that's why we hitch up the dog and put the pedal to the metal. To hell with all you elite snobs in the air.

Patrick, Tracy was NOT the one to suggest that. She was reacting to earlier posts that suggested that if airline prices were higher, only the wealthier could fly and that would somehow solve all the problems with unruly air passengers.

OK, I had looked and didn't see such a post, but after much more searching I did find it. Surely that post was not meant in total seriousness, was it?

If so, it should be dismissed as silly. That sure isn't what most of the posts were saying even though there were negative comments about the family and their lack of class, control, and common sense. I didn't see other posters bringing up those "negatives" as having anything to do with airline prices or with a lack of money.

Author: Marginal
Date: 07/07/2008, 02:58 pm
"It became apparent to me that these were passengers that would have been Greyhound denizens years ago, when they couldn't afford a plane ticket. Maybe higher fares will bring back that kind of stratification."

Yes, that was not an appropriate thing for me to write. My bad.

It doesn't take money to have class, decency, respect for others, and the ability to plan for adverse events.

This family certainly doesn't seem to have any of the above, regardless of their income status.

This family certainly doesn't seem to have any of the above, regardless of their income status

That's an understatement!

This is the best story I've read all day. I fly very often on short hauls to SFO and I can't tell you how many times I've been kicked by an unruly child, had something thrown at me by and unruly child, or had to listen to temper tantrums and screaming for an 1 hour and 15 minutes straight. These were clearly NOT "excited" children. And yes, it must have been much worse than the article stated for them to have been met by police at the gate. I can attest to the fact that a 10 year old boy is very strong and very capable of hurting an adult as my shins often experienced in 8 years as an inner city school teacher. On top of that, Autism lends an entirely different level of aggression and strength that you can't imagine. My nephew is 6 years old with Autism and he's quite petite, but when he gets into "the zone" where he's having an episode I swear he has the strenth of 20 men and it's incredibly difficult to control him, and he's little! I'm tired of this new generation of parents who think the entire world should revolve around their badly behaved children and are in complete denial that their behavior is inappropriate. Sorry, I went off on a rant, that article really got me fired up.

"I'm tired of this new generation of parents who think the entire world should revolve around their badly behaved children and are in complete denial that their behavior is inappropriate"

Amen, sister!!

I have to say this is a GREAT thread that everyone should read and heed.

The last few decades have brought about this type of extreme liberal parenting, and we need to take back society to a point where children are protected and nurtured, but not allowed to run the roost.

We need a movement.

>>extreme liberal parenting<<

What it seems like to me is that the parents have become equals, have no position of authority, more interested in being laissez-faire because it's easier than the constant work of instilling discipline and self control in a child. Which is obsurd because one of the primary and most important jobs of a parent is "socializing the newest members of society"! God help us when the children of THESE types of parents become the next generation of adults. God help us.