Have you noticed all the kids at the airport lately?
Not long ago, you could only find them in the terminal playground areas or at the gates, where their parents watched them intently. But not anymore.
“It’s a free-for-all,” said Lisamarie Monaco, an insurance saleswoman from Jacksonville, Florida. She knows a thing or two about traveling with kids as a mother of seven. And she’s shocked by what she’s seen lately.
“Parents let their kids do whatever they want at the airport,” she said. “Makes me crazy.”
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Passengers complain about free-range children running around the airport unsupervised. How bad did it get? When I lived in Santiago, Chile last year, a young passenger jumped on a luggage belt and went for a ride. Airport staff finally rescued the child, who was unharmed.
The anything-goes attitude is usually a preview of the flight to come. Who can forget that viral video of the child using his tray as a springboard on an eight-hour flight? Or the frustrated United Airlines captain who I wanted to divert your flight because of unruly students in the back of the plane?
Air travelers disapprove of children roaming freely
Passengers are almost unanimous about this problem: 90% of travelers say that parents should not let their children roam freely, according to a recent survey by Kayak. After all, your traveling companions are not babysitters.
“These encounters with children have become a bigger problem,” said Howard Pratt, a psychiatrist at Community Health of South Florida who specializes in treating children. “Not everyone who travels wants to interact with children who aren’t their own. So it’s not just about protecting your children from strangers, it’s also about protecting other passengers from the potential stress they may experience from having to deal with children they don’t know , but for whom they can feel responsible.”
What’s a father to do? If you’re traveling with young children, you might be wondering if it’s okay to let them run free anywhere in the airport. When will they be old enough to lose sight of them? What are parents’ responsibilities when it comes to allowing their children to interact with other passengers? Also, what if you are receiving attention from someone’s unsupervised child?
Should you allow children to run freely in the airport?
Yes and no.
“In a safe, unpopulated area, like a terminal gate full of empty seats,” said Ashanti Woods, a pediatrician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. “Children need to play and burn off energy, especially if we want them to sleep during the flight.”
But there’s a problem: parents need to keep an eye on their children and another at the boarding gate to make sure the flight doesn’t leave without them.
So should you let your kids run free at the airport? No, the experts said.
“Children should no can move freely at the airport,” said Bidisha Sarkar, pediatrician at ClinicSpots, a travel medicine website. “It is essential for safety and courtesy to keep them within reach at all times.”
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What is the appropriate age to allow your children to explore the airport without adult supervision?
It depends. Timon van Basten, who organizes tours in Spain, said he has seen children as young as 8 who have no problem being independent in the airport terminal – and behaving themselves. But it depends on the child and the airport.
“Busy airports like London Heathrow can be very tiring for some children,” he said.
Sarkar said parents need to assess their children’s maturity and ensure they know all airport protocols (not leaving secure areas, returning in time for boarding).
“Parents should also ensure that their children do not disturb others,” she said.
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What is a parent’s responsibility when it comes to allowing their children to interact with other passengers?
I can’t believe I have to say this, but parents, you are responsible for your children at the airport.
“It is the parent’s responsibility to keep their child from disturbing other passengers as much as possible,” said Brandi Taylor, travel concierge. “If your child is trying to strike up a conversation with a stranger, keep an eye on the stranger’s reaction. If they are enjoying the interaction, there is no need to intervene. But if the stranger obviously prefers to be alone, you’ll want to redirect your child.”
Again, it depends on the child. When my children were little, they would talk to anyone and not everyone wanted to talk. I erred on the side of caution and avoided the problem of redneck children.
“Parents should use the occasion to demonstrate many of the fundamental etiquette skills that will serve them well throughout their lives, such as being attentive to others, respecting people’s personal space, being polite but direct, and setting limits,” said the etiquette expert Nick Leighton. .
What if you have an unsupervised encounter with a child?
Don’t panic. Parents can’t be far away. But if you can’t find the father, locate an airport or airline employee and make sure he or she knows the free-range child is on the loose.
Etiquette experts say – and I agree with them – that you won’t gain anything by angrily approaching a redneck father. They already know what they did and probably don’t care.
A cheerful “Look who I found?” may be the best approach. Yelling or wagging your finger will only stress you out even more and will not change the parents’ behavior.
Those signs warning about child trafficking in bathrooms are a good start. If that’s not enough to instill the fear of God in parents, I don’t know what is. More designated areas for children to play would also help.
But ultimately, it’s up to parents to teach their children good manners and responsible behavior.
Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a customer service news site. If you need help with a consumer issue, you can contact him here or email chris@elliott.org.
