The problem with babies and business travellers is that neither really wants to be on the plane in the first place. And both are prone to tantrums.
Babies are aboard because their parents want them there. Business travellers are there because their bosses or clients want them to be.
The tension between the two groups reaches a fever pitch in the summer, when business travellers have to start sharing their space with throngs of vacationers. That’s when you’ll hear business travellers whining (like babies) about needing special “family” sections on planes, banishing children from business class or reserving certain flights for “adults only”. They express their frustration in-flight by banging noisily on their laptop keyboards, talking loudly with colleagues, or by drinking too much and then laughing out loud (or crying) at movies on their new iPads.
Since most babies can’t talk yet, they don’t really have a say in the matter. But they communicate their dislike of the grouchy old business traveller in other ways — by kicking their seatbacks, shrieking nonstop for hours or smelling up their space with a leaky diaper or vomit.
“I find that most babies are well behaved on flights,” said Amy Graff, Best Western’s family travel expert. “Unfortunately, it’s the ones who misbehave that give others a bad reputation.” With two kids of her own, Graff recommends that when business travellers see well-behaved babies, they should point it out to the parents with a compliment.
In any case, as peak summer travel season approaches, it’s inevitable that the two groups will meet again. And it is the business traveller that needs to take the high road and be the mature one in the relationship. So here is your advice for dealing with:
The crying baby
With a shrill squeal only a mother could love, the crying baby is by far the most frequently noticed type of travelling baby. Business travellers can put up with occasional wails during takeoff or landing, but their blood pressure rises and eyebrows arch when the baby shrieks throughout the flight, especially if it is overnight. To avoid going over the edge and throwing a tantrum, business travellers should pack earplugs or invest in a good pair of noise cancelling headsets, and don’t glare at the parents of a crying baby. “The glares from other travellers make the parents feel more stressed. And then the babies pick up on the stress of their parents and cry even more,” Graff said.
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This from BBC's Passport blog:
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