GWTG #4: Ethics at 40,000 feet?

Grappling with the Gray

Welcome to Grappling with the Gray, a forum for promoting the development of an ethical mindset and ethical decision-making to help us clearly see both sides of complex issues and better navigate the moral challenges of everyday life.

You can’t be ethical until you’ve fully examined and understood both sides of any issue.

Few things in life are black and white. That’s why we have to learn to Grapple with the Gray.

This episode's ethical challenge:

Flying with children poses a variety of difficulties. Aside from the challenge of managing youthful squirreliness within the confines of a crowded passenger compartment, even booking the flight might not be simple. Airline policies change from time to time, and different companies have different rules.

Imagine this real-life scenario:

You’re traveling a across the Atlantic with your toddler. The airline you’re flying charges 10% of the ticket price to hold the child in your lap. However, that deal is only available for children under two. Your child is 26 months, just over the limit, for which the airline requires you to buy the child her own seat for 90% of the full ticket price.

You know the child will spend virtually the entire trip in your lap regardless, so you see paying for a seat as a waste of money. However, you don’t want to lie to the airline.

Your travel agent offers the following suggestion:

Buy the 10% ticket. Don’t offer any information about your child’s age. In all probability, the flight attendants will admit your family on the plane without question. If they ask your child’s age, answer truthfully. If they tell you there is an age limit, apologize for your error and offer to pay for the seat.
Meet this episode's panelists:
Mariah Edgington, BSN, RN Edgington is a retired critical care and emergency nurse, speaker, mindset coach, and author of the newly released book, Journey Well, You Are MORE Than Enough.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahedgington/

Catherine Fitzgerald is owner of Catapult Leadership Group. After surviving her own harrowing leadership roles as CEO and mother of three boys, she dedicates herself to working with organizational leaders as they navigate the choppy waters of aligning people, performance, and profits.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-a-fitzgerald/

Jeff Koziatek is a speaker, author, and juggler who coaches business leaders for peak performance, professional success, and personal freedom.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkoziatek/