Results tagged “airlines” from iVillage - Beehive

By now, you've probably heard about the recent controversy involving Southwest Airlines and passengers who were told their outfits were too skimpy and revealing to wear on a flight. The airline has since apologized (and has even decided to "honor" the miniskirt by offering "skimpy" fares), but not before it set the iVillage boards buzzing.

The whole brouhaha prompted iVillagers to discuss and debate the issue of dress codes on flights. Should there be one? Should airlines be wary of short skirts on a plane? A recent iVillage poll showed that 57% of respondents are against the idea of a dress code on flights, and want to be able to wear whatever they want. Forty-three percent think appropriate attire should be enforced.

Members, like ngelic_one, question the logic of enforcing a fashion police--in the skies or on the ground: "These outfits are no different than what you see on any other woman walking in the mall. Where does this end? Shall we make sure all women are covered from head to toe... No skirts allowed on planes, uses, trains, in public, in movies? I have been on a plane sitting next to an overweight, smelly man in a tank top. He wasn't asked to disembark the plane. Frankly, I would rather sit next to either of these women than the fat smelly guy."

Will a dress code fly in these days of tight airport security and increasing restrictions? Some members, like ameera1013, foresee nothing but passenger hostility and disorder in airports if airlines start enforcing dress codes on flights: "I think it would only cause more delayed flights (from people arguing their attire), and create hordes of angry fliers who are forced to change airlines just to get where they paid a lot of money to go in the first place."

Indeed, air travel has gotten so chaotic lately that member duncanator thinks being scrutinized for fashion choices just adds to the unpleasantness of the already-not-so-friendly skies. "Air travel is hard and disgusting enough without having to be uncomfortable in one's clothing. It's almost like traveling on a crowded bus, only a bus has more leg room."

Some members, like snafu2006, think this controversy was merely a case of a too-judgemental flight attendant: "I think the airline needs to hire flight attendants who don't have a power trip to lay on people." Member russettdiamond agrees, saying everyone should just lighten up. "There are far worse things to get bent out of shape over than something someone is wearing."

What did you think of the whole controversy, and of Southwest Airlines' apology?

As someone who hates to fly, I don't have any trouble imagining how being stuck on a plane could cause sheer madness, foul attitudes and general insanity. That said, I can't really figure out why there seems to be a preponderance of stories lately about kerfuffles on planes that involve parents and small children. Remember this? Or this? Or even this? Are kids running amok the latest and greatest growing security threat? Are these stories common or are we just hearing more about them because they strike a chord? Or have travelers and airline workers just become less tolerant?

The latest is the story of an Atlanta mom who was removed from a Continental Airlines flight (along with her 19-month-old son) because she couldn't quiet her child and refused to use medication to lull him, as suggested by a flight attendant. You might think that since we're seeing these incidents pop up about every other week, our communities would be so over it. You'd, of course, be totally wrong. iVillage women are reacting to this story all over our boards and sharing their own in-flight stories. Here's a sampling of what they have to say:

-- from the May 2005 Playgroup:

"I always read about these stories yet I have been on planes with unruly and loud kids and they have never kicked the kids off. Just recently on a flight from Vegas to Houston there were a group of people traveling together and they had 3 kids who were so out of control - I wanted to boot them off the plane."

-- on the March 2002 Playgroup:

"This seems so wrong that I'm wondering if the whole story has been told. I would LOVE to hear the story from the other passengers. IF the mother threatened the stewardess (anything stronger than "no, you shut up") then I could see them being kicked off the plane."

-- on the Woman to Woman message board:

"I have a 19 month old son and very likely he would tell the plane bye-bye too!! He tells everything bye-bye!! I can't believe somebody would take any offense at my sweet little boy saying something like that! I'll tell you what, that flight attendant would be having quite the lawsuit on her hands. I can't stand people that think children should be seen and not heard."

-- from the February 2007 Playgroup:

"I think sometimes ADULTS can be WAY MORE irritating than a cute little baby exploring with some first words."

-- from the August 2005 Playgroup

"I think all of these women who are getting in "trouble" for having loud toddlers/babies and breastfeeding is a direct result of the 9-11 attacks and the pilots and employees have let that power bestowed on them (after 9-11) go to their heads."

-- from the December 2005 Playgroup

"You are not guaranteed a silent flight when you buy an airline ticket. Adults talk, and I've never seen anyone suggest they be medicated. I think this was a mean-spirited act of someone who clearly dislikes children. I think the flight attendant should find another line of work."

-- and on Current Debates:

"I have to think there is *more* to this story that a child saying "bye bye plane" over and over again to warrant the plane turning around and their removal from the flight."

"While I don't think the parent should let a kid scream at the top of it's lungs for the entire trip without trying to shush it, I do think that when there are small kids on flights (especially the long ones) there is going to be some fussing. Some kids are better than others though. It's easy to say 'don't bring a small child on the plane to start with' but sometimes there isn't any other option."

So what's your take? What's to blame for the frequency of child-related airline incidents lately? Jittery airlines? Miserable travel conditions? Venus in retrograde? Give me your thoughts on this latest story and share your own tales of aviation woe. Go on... you know you want to.

Two sippy cup-related news items in one week? Is this a sippy cup conspiracy or perhaps the work of a sippy cup buzz agent gone awry?

Sippy Cups on a Plane! First it was snakes, then TB; now ... everyone's favorite toddler accessory is inciting terror and outrage at a security checkpoint near you! After a former Secret Service agent (yes, seriously) was allegedly mistreated during a security screening at Washington, DC's Reagan National Airport, a blogger (eek -- not a blogger!) got wind of the incident and started spreading the news. Monica Emmerson was stopped as she entered a security screening area to be questioned about the liquid in her toddler son's sippy cup. From there, she claims she was unnecessarily harassed by the security officers and because she was frazzled due to traveling with a young child, she accidentally spilled the cup's contents on the floor. Which didn't really impress the already jittery-about-liquids security staff. Only there seems to be a huge discrepancy between Emmerson's account of the event and the TSA's -- surprise, surprise! The TSA's version of the story alleges that Emmerson dumped, not spilled, the water onto the floor in frustration and then proceeded to hassle the agents about the policy and flash her "credentials", causing a scene. The best part? The TSA has posted the related security video and incident report on their site, in the "Mythbusters" section. Uh oh ... I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of this one, now that I see that Ms. Emmerson is posing with the sippy cup in question in televised interviews. But what do iVillage moms, no strangers to sippy cups, think about this? There's a bit of a backlash, but not in the way you might think:

One mom's take on the December 2006 playgroup:

"It's against policy and she shouldn't have tried to go against it. Give the kid some water, drink/dump the rest and THEN go to security and afterwards she could have bought more. The kid would have been w/o water for 5min. There's no reason for her to have made such a big deal about it, seriously the video is over 10 min long!!"

Some reaction from the October 2006 playgroup:

"I watched to video, too, where she is outraged and asks "A mother and her toddler, are we a threat?" Um, yes, you are!! If we let you go, then how great is it for terrorists to pose as mothers with toddlers. I think she was being a jerk!!"

... and more from the September 2007 Expecting Club:

"I think it's just silly. I mean who is going to put explosives or poisons in a sippy cup? I think they are getting out of hand with airport security."

"It looks to me like the mom is the one who went bananas. What I saw looked like her dumping the sippy cup on the floor, shaking it out. Granted, it can be frustrating to feel like you're being accused of being a terrorist, but you know what? Better safe than sorry."

"I definitely think the US is getting out of control with fear and paranoia, especially in the airports, but in this case it certainly looks like mom was being obnoxious about the whole thing."

It's definitely no picnic traveling with a toddler or trying to expertly navigate your way through security and it's always frustrating to be asked to step aside, to be searched or to be questioned (and yes -- it's happened to me!). In most cases, though, I think that there are things we can do to make this go more smoothly ... and then things we can do to make them worse. Unfortunately I think many times we tend to opt for the latter, as our nerves and annoyance get the best of us. What do you think? Was this mom out of control or should the security officers have handled this differently?