57% Of Non-Pet Owners Agree They Would Rather Sit Near An Animal Than A Child On Planes
"They won't kick my seat for an entire 7-hour flight!"
Kokosha Yuliya | Shutterstock Flying near screaming infants or rowdy children is a truly maddening experience. Obnoxious kids are even more obnoxious when you're trapped in the air for hours on end with no escape.
While you might expect animals to be... well, animalistic, a 2023 survey found that travelers would prefer to share a cabin with pets over children and they have a valid list of reasons why.
A survey conducted by Upgraded Points found that 57% of non-pet owners would rather sit near an animal than a child on planes.
When 1,000 survey participants were asked if they would rather sit next to someone with a pet or a child, the majority favored the pets. It appears that most travelers, even those without pets of their own, would prefer to be seated next to a pet parent than a parent with a young child.
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Additionally, just over a quarter of pet owners reported that they would rather travel with their pets than with their children. Almost two-thirds, 66%, would bring their pets everywhere with them if they could.
For those concerned about how much space pets take up on an airplane, it's not nearly as much as you may expect. According to the survey, 59% of pets who travel with their owners are contained in a carrier that is placed under the seat in front of them.
The survey is not the only evidence that proves passengers would rather fly with pets than children.
Many social media users showed off their well-behaved furry travel companions.
Hoards of TikTok users compared the behavior of their animals to that of children on flights.
One Pomeranian owner on TikTok shared a video depicting her adorable dog sleeping peacefully in her carrier as the blood-curdling screams of another passenger’s child can be heard in the background.
"Yet I am the one that has to stay in a bag under a seat," they joked in the caption of the video.
Commenters applauded the pet owner. “I would pay extra to sit next to this dog,” one TikTok user wrote while another noted that the pup "won’t kick my seat for an entire 7-hour flight."
“I have an allergy to dogs and would STILL prefer a fluffy puppy next to me,” a third commenter claimed.
It's not just dogs, either. The owner of a Bluepoint British Shorthair cat shared a similar video, showing their angelic kitty Pamir relaxing while several children went wild.
While dogs and cats may be less disruptive on flights, children are a part of the general public and deserve to travel as much as anyone else.
In most cases, parents are doing the best they can to keep their kids quiet for the sake of other passengers, but sometimes it isn’t always feasible. Between changes in air pressure hurting their ears to being frightened by turbulence, it can be difficult for kids to regulate their emotions as well as animals.
Try your best to demonstrate compassion for their parents who are likely more stressed out than anyone.
Remember, animals aren't saints either. Even the most well-behaved pets can lose their cool from time to time, and their little barks and meows will ring throughout the cabin. Still, if you would rather be seated next to a pet than a child, who can blame you?
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.