Ringside seat

I read the letter “Screaming Infant on a Flight” (Nov. ’06, pg. 30), regarding a reader’s ordeal on a Virgin Atlantic flight. I had a similar experience in May ’06.

On a Finnair flight from Helsinki to New York, a tall man occupied a bulkhead seat. I am sure he asked for it due to his long legs. A short time later a young mother with a very young baby took the seat next to him. Almost immediately the flight crew installed a crib for the baby which took up most of the room in front of both seats.

Of course, the baby cried a lot, and the mother got up frequently to walk the baby. I could see the man steaming, but what could he do?

After four hours, the man decided he’d had enough and moved to another seat in the rear of the plane where I believe the baby’s father was sitting.

The baby cried for most of the 10-hour flight.

This is just a heads-up on what someone in a bulkhead seat might encounter.

RICHARD C. CLOUGH
Rockville, MD