FOR CRYING OUT LOUD An inspired campaign by JetBlue

Posted on 05/06/2016

The sound of a screaming baby is not something passengers normally relish hearing on an airplane - but the sounds of several babies crying was cause for celebration on a recent JetBlue flight from New York to California.  

To raise awareness of the strains mothers face while travelling with small children, JetBlue invited several women with babies onto a JFK to Long Beach flight and then awarded 25 percent discounts off future flights to the other passengers every time a baby cried. 

A short film of the April 15 stunt, called FlyBabies, was released and shows a stewardess announcing to the cabin that the flight would be the star of the new campaign, launched ahead of mothers' day. JetBlue revealed that it's attempting to stop disgruntled passengers giving mothers with babies the 'side-eye' - and the footage shows that babies on flights are clearly not welcome. Several passengers looked decidedly unhappyas the babies boarded, but that changed when the stewardess announced the scheme and told them that 'four cries equals a free flight'. 

Throughout the flight passengers became eager to hear the cries of the restless youngsters. One of the mothers who participated in the campaign said she dreads boarding a plane with her son because, “it is so stressful.” She said, “I don't want to be that lady with the baby who's screaming for four hours.” 

The FlyBabies campaign was created in a bid to “inspire people to smile the next time they see a crying baby” and have a bit more empathy. Staff at JetBlue came up with the idea following a recent survey that revealed that 65 percent of adults understand parents have no control over their baby's crying, but that 40 percent said they get annoyed when a child cries on their flight. JetBlue said, that “In the first and only 'FlyBabies' flight,” they encouraged those onboard to rally behind mums travelling with young ones, rewarding customers for their support throughout the flight. 

“This Mother's Day, we hope this video inspire people to smile the next time they see a crying baby. Mum's everywhere will thank them.”