It’s no longer news the fact that British Airways is going to charge passenger for chosing their seat, however I just had this funny thought just now about it going through some old headlines regarding this issue which states that a family of 4 (2 adults + 2 children) can face charges of £80 (if they fly economy) for chosing their seats together. Needless to say, £80 each way (so really £160!) on top of a family holiday is quite a hefty amount for some — yet the “analysts” all talk about the fact that all parents will want their kids in sight at least during the flight and as such, since BA offers them no way around this charge, the average family will actually pay up.

Well, I’ve got a better idea: how about parents don’t pay up and leave it down to BA to spread more than likely each member of the family to be scattered in a different corner of the plane. (This sounds odd, I know, but just bear with me for now, there IS a method in this madness of mine — we’ll get to it soon!) And here’s the twist: before you board the plane, dear mom and dad just say to the kids the magic words: “Chocolate and icecream!” That would capture their attention no doubt! Then simply explain that they have to compete for it: whoever cries for mommy and daddy louder gets the chocolate and whoever fidgets on the sit most and takes most of the trips to mommy and daddy gets the icecream. (Now, add for fun here as another parameter maybe the number of drinks knocked over on the way, or maybe the number of toes they step on on their way — just let your imagination run wild :D) Now board the plane, go in your opposite corner and enjoy the stewardess coming to inform you that they have managed to arrange a reshuffle in the cabin and your kids can come and sit with you for no extra charge — RESULT! 😀