| Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats | |
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+4Shale Tony Marino RedBedroom Marc™ 8 posters |
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Marc™ …is a Chamber DEITY.
Join date : 2010-01-30 Location : Michigan Posts : 12006 Rep : 212
| Subject: Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:40 pm | |
| - Quote :
Aug 13, 2012 11:52am
Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats
Ian Waldie/Bloomberg/Getty Images
A man traveling from to Brisbane from Sydney was asked to change his seats so he would no longer be next to two unaccompanied minors on a Virgin Australia flight.
A flight attendant asked 33-year-old Sydney fireman Johnny McGirr to switch seats with a woman after he was seated next to two young boys on an April flight, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. McGirr said he estimated the boys to be ten years old. He wrote about his experience in a blog post titled “My Virgin experience as a Paedophile!”
He said he was approached and told he had to move. When he asked why, he was told, ”Well, because you are male, you can’t be seated next to two unaccompanied minors.” He said he thought the request was sexist and discriminatory, but was told it was the airline’s policy.
“As I collected my things from the seat pocket I could see people looking at me and wondering why I was being moved. I was red from embarrassment. I felt like I was being judged and found guilty of a crime I hadn’t committed. It was an uncomfortable situation and I felt ashamed which was a weird feeling because I hadn’t done anything wrong.”
McGirr wrote to the airline to complain.
A spokeswoman for Virgin Australia confirmed the policy to the paper and said while the airline did not want to offend male passengers, its priority was the safety of children. ”In our experience, most guests thoroughly understand that the welfare of the child is our priority,” she said.
The spokeswoman told the newspaper that staff usually tried to keep the seat empty but, when that was not possible, a woman was seated next to the child.
On the airline’s blog and on Twitter, Virgin Australia said: “We understand the concerns raised around our policy for children traveling alone, a long standing policy initially based on customer feedback.
“In light of recent feedback, we’re now reviewing this policy. Our intention is certainly not to discriminate in any way.”
ABC News was unable to reach Virgin Australia directly for comment. Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/08/should-men-sit-next-to-kids-on-airline-flights/ | |
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RedBedroom …is a Chamber DEITY.
Join date : 2010-02-18 Posts : 10696 Rep : 312
| Subject: Re: Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:46 pm | |
| Upon reading the first two paragraphs, I was thinking the guy should just get over it because in general, kids are going to be more comfortable around a woman and a woman is more likely to calm them if they are fearful.
But then I got to the part stating he had to move in front of everyone as if he did something wrong, or was a jerk refusing to sit next to kids. So, I would be pissed too.
The airline needs to change policy and figure out the seating adjacent to minors before everyone boards the plane. | |
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Tony Marino …is a Global Moderator.
Join date : 2010-01-31 Location : New York Posts : 26786 Rep : 607
| Subject: Re: Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:11 pm | |
| I would have been majorily pissed and demanded some kind of compensation for the humiliation alone. | |
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Shale ...is a Chamber Royal.
Join date : 2010-09-27 Location : Miami Beach Posts : 9699 Rep : 219
| Subject: Re: Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:20 pm | |
| - RedBedroom wrote:
- ...But then I got to the part stating he had to move in front of everyone as if he did something wrong, or was a jerk refusing to sit next to kids. So, I would be pissed too.
The airline needs to change policy and figure out the seating adjacent to minors before everyone boards the plane. WTF is wrong with this airline? I bought tickets online and picked my seat on 4 different planes because I wanted window seats. None of those four choices were changed. If unaccompanied minors are traveling it should be the airline's responsibility to seat them and those around them before they board the plane.
I probably would have made an issue of it right there and ask them point blank if they are accusing me of being a paedophile and if not, why am I being moved. | |
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Alan Smithee ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
Join date : 2010-09-03 Location : 40º44’18.33”N 73º58’31.82”W Posts : 25792 Rep : 381
| Subject: Re: Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:41 pm | |
| I might not have been able to keep myself from reminding the boys that I had candy as I changed seats. More likely I would have told them "Fine, you can move me to first class." Was the woman they had switch seats with a public school teacher? Lord knows women don't have sex with underage males. | |
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Forgiveness Man …is a Chamber Royal.
Join date : 2010-06-25 Location : Chilling on your sofa Posts : 6657 Rep : 153
| Subject: Re: Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:20 pm | |
| Sounds sexist and discriminatory and borderline dangerous thinking. | |
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Suzi …is a Power Member.
Join date : 2011-03-01 Location : BC, Canada Posts : 1529 Rep : 85
| Subject: Re: Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:30 pm | |
| As a female I sure would have refused to sit next to the little darlings. | |
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Alan Smithee ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
Join date : 2010-09-03 Location : 40º44’18.33”N 73º58’31.82”W Posts : 25792 Rep : 381
| Subject: Re: Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:40 pm | |
| Excellent point! No one considered that anyone would be unwilling to sit next to a child/children. | |
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Nystyle709 ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
Join date : 2010-03-16 Location : New York Posts : 27030 Rep : 339
| Subject: Re: Man Seated Next to Unaccompanied Minors Forced to Change Seats Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:49 pm | |
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