Airline's novel approach to dealing with crying babies is totally GENIUS
Wow, this is one of the best ways we’ve seen empathy for mums flying with babies portrayed – so, so clever!
Now, as we all know, flying with babies is stressful with a capital S. First there’s making sure we’ve packed every last thing for every possible eventuality, then there’s the waiting around to board with an often fractious and tired baba, followed of course the hardest part: trying to keep them quiet and content in tight quarters while putting up with ‘dirty’ looks from fed up fellow passengers.
The sad truth is that we mums feel like we have to apologise for ourselves when we get on a plane with a baby or toddler. We immediately feel that the people sitting beside us wish we were sitting anywhere else. And our nerves fray as we wait for the mostly inevitable tears or crotchety behaviour. It’s not a pleasant feeling, at all.
Well, airline JetBlue pulled a BRILLIANT stunt to make people think twice about how they react to babies on board. As part of a campaign for Mother's Day in the US it filmed mums getting on a flight from New York to California, capturing their fellow passengers’ irritation as they squeezed into their seats with their babies.
So, the clever bit.
Unexpectedly, a member of cabin crew told the passengers that for each time a baby cried, they would receive discounts for their next flight. Suddenly, every time a baby cried, instead of sighing in irritation, the passengers smiled and clapped.
And while as far as we’re concerned, passengers should NOT have to be rewarded every time a baby cries on a plane, we love the video’s message, and how it will definitely make people think twice about giving frazzled mums a hard time.
We were all babies once, we all cried, and mums have a hard job as it is – come on people, a little more tolerance and patience is all we need.
What do you think of the video? Do you find flying a stressful experience with baby? And do you feel like you have to apologise for bringing a baby on a plane? We’d love to hear your experiences!