What Do You Do If A Kid On A Plane Won’t Stop Shrieking? [Flightmares]

ACROSS AMERICA — Airlines have smoothed out some of the bumps that caused widespread flight cancellations, and many planes are jam-packed again — and full of annoyances. How do you handle them?

This month, we’re launching Flightmares, an exclusive Patch feature on flight etiquette appearing monthly — and readers provide the answers. It’s similar to our popular reader-sourced Block Talk neighborhood etiquette column, which runs every other week on Patch.

We’re starting off with children who express themselves at the top of their lungs. If parents don’t stop their shrieking tantrums, what do you do?

We’re not talking about crying babies whose little ears are hurting, or who are hungry or who are just cranky because that’s sometimes how babies are. Flight etiquette tip: Their parents deserve every ounce of empathy their fellow passengers can muster.

We are talking about kids who are old enough to know how to amuse and entertain themselves without driving people around them to the brink of the same meltdown they’re having.

Are you one of those “kids will be kids” people who turn up the volume on the headphones and let it go? Do you have the secret sauce for just tuning it out? Do you say something to the flight attendant? Do you give the adults traveling with the shrieking child the stink eye?

Tell us what you think in the survey form below. We won’t collect your email addresses.

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About Flightmares

Flightmares is an exclusive Patch feature on flight etiquette — and readers provide the answers. It will appear monthly in Patch. If you have a topic you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com with “Flightmares” as the subject line.