We apologize in advance!
A couple flying cross-country with their infant twin boys took a proactive approach to avoid any in-flight nuisances — and handed out earplugs and candy to their fellow passengers, just in case their 14-week-old babies decided to cry mid-flight.
“We’ll try to be on our best behavior, but we’d like to apologize in advance just in case we lose our cool, get scared or our ears hurt,” said the note from the San Francisco parents, who were flying to Washington, DC, Saturday to introduce the twins to their paternal grandparents.
The parents and their bundles of joy settled in the last two rows of the plane and immediately set to work. While mom watched the boys, dad went from row to row, distributing their pre-made packages — with a standing offer for a pair of noise blockers to anyone who needed them.
“Dad was pretty nice. He was very calm and sweet — not only to mom, but to the babies and everyone around them,” said Andrew Merritt, 27, who sat across from the family through the five-hour flight. “Mom looked pretty exhausted and tired and nervous about their flight.”
As it turns out, the boys were “fantastic,” Merritt said.
“It was the babies’ first flight, so they cried a little bit,” the passenger said. “But the parents seemed to get them to calm down pretty quickly.”
“Everyone in the plane looked pretty happy to bear with the babies as a result of their kind act,” he added.
Merritt posted a picture of the candy bags and the parents’ note on the popular Web site Reddit, where it received thousands of comments and went viral in just a couple of days.
Once at Dulles Airport, the parents seemed relieved to have survived their first flight with the boys.
“I saw them at baggage claim, where the grandparents met the babies for the first time,” Merritt said. “They looked pretty excited.
“They just seemed like the most fantastic people,” the passenger added. “They’ll make some really decent parents.”