Let’s just say it – flying is stressful. While taking to the sky used to be viewed as glamorous and exciting, in our post-9/11 world it is anything but. Too many tired and annoyed people packed into too small of a space with too little food and a complete lack of the comforts that used to accompany air travel makes it a necessary evil for those of us who need to get from one place to another quickly.
If you’re a mom, that stress is compounded by 1000. You’ve got to make sure you have the stroller and the carseat and enough diapers for the trip and a change of clothes and snacks and toys to keep the baby entertained. Then, once you’re actually in the air, you have to share your tiny seat with a squirming human and make sure they’re kept happy and occupied.
And sometimes, despite your best efforts, something happens – they’re tired or hungry or hot or cold or bored or over-stimulated or just plain grumpy and out to get you – and your baby starts crying. That’s when you get the side-eyes, the full-on hateful stares, the not-so-under-the-breath groans and complaints.
While listening to a baby cry on a plane is not one of the most pleasant experiences, what many people don’t realize is the poor mothers are just as, if not more so, uncomfortable and upset as you are. They know everyone on board is throwing eye daggers at them, and they are doing everything in their control to make the nightmare stop.
Knowing how difficult air travel can be for new moms, one airline decided to make the journey a little bit brighter for not just them, but everyone who was traveling with them. Just in time for Mother’s Day, JetBlue ran a promotion that gave passengers discounts on future flights every time a baby cried on the flight.
Just after takeoff, the flight attendant announced that every time a baby cried during the transcontinental flight, passengers would receive 25% off their ticket for a future flight. That meant if a baby cried four times, every passenger on the flight would get a free ticket!
Instead of groans and angry glances, cries were met with cheers and clapping. Not only did this fun promotion make things nice for the other passengers on the plane, it made the whole trip much less stressful and much more enjoyable for those new moms.
