by B. L. Babb

Created on: October 03, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Airlines today have many issues they face in their day-to-day battle to get flights off the ground on time, get passenger luggage to the proper destination, and cover the rising costs of fuel. They should not have to be concerned with maintaining a separate section on a plane for children who may or may not catch a glimpse of a violent movie image.

Have you been on a plane lately? Those for shorter flights barely have room to tuck your feet under the seat in front of you. The flight attendant stands at the front of the cabin for the safety demonstrations. There isn't anyplace someone can sit where they don't see the rest of the cabin (except first or business class).

It is not feasible to expect this from an airline. Their first purpose is to fill a plane with passengers headed to the same destination, take off on time, and get them there safely. Movies are an amenity that may not even exist on most planes. The last time I had a movie offered on a flight was an international flight from Philly to Germany.

With the rising costs in fuel prices and efforts to get the best fuel economy, many airlines are stripping their planes of "non-essential" equipment in an effort to reduce weight. There was talk this past summer of removing the entertainment equipment which includes the ability to play movies as well as the musical selections that were available with headphones.

For those flights that offer a movie, there is magazine usually available in the seat pocket in front of you. That magazine will indicate which movies are playing typically arranged based on the direction you are flying; east to west or west to east.

Parents traveling with children can view this magazine well before the movie starts and determine if they wish for their child to view it. If they do not, simply distract your child with a book, magazine, or game. If you do not opt to obtain a headphone, they cannot hear the soundtrack of the movie and most children will lose interest.

Most children under the age of 13 aren't tall enough to see over the seat in front of them to be able to view the screen where the image is showing, unless that passenger has reclined their seat into the lap of the passenger traveling behind them.

The bottom line, though, is it is not a realistic expectation for parents to want airlines to provide separate seating on a plane solely because they do not wish their child to view the movie that may play inflight. If this is a problem for those traveling with children, ask before booking if there is a movie and what the movie is. Decide if you wish your child to see that movie before booking the flight.

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