A woman who complained about spending the entire three-hour flight in front of a wailing child has gone popular on social media. She is pleading with airlines to offer child-free flights.
The idea was made in a video that Morgan Lee, who uses the TikTok handle @mooorganic, shared last week and in which a child’s scream could be heard throughout.
“Why isn’t there such a thing as adult-only flights? I would pay so much money [for that],” she wrote in the overlay text of the video, which as of this writing, has over 55,600 likes and has been viewed almost 700,000 times.
The TikToker went on to explain to her fans in the comment section that even though she had noise-canceling headphones on for the duration of the three-hour journey, she still heard the cries. She also alleged that the agitated kid was kicking her chair.
“I have noise-canceling headphones, the child was WELL over 5 years old, and they sat directly behind me while kicking my chair as the mother slept,” she wrote in a comment.
Undoubtedly, the post divided social media users.
Parents who did not consider Lee’s offer at all criticized her for being uncaring of the difficulties associated with parenting, with one user commenting: “This was harder for mom than it was for you.”
Another person said there was a simple, albeit pricey, answer if she wanted to pay “that much” for flights without kids: “They do exist they are called private flights.”
A third user said: “As a parent I 100% agree. I would love to be on an airplane and not get dirty looks or grunts from angry people that don’t like kids/noise.”
A fourth user shared: “I don’t have kids, but even I have the maturity and grace to accept my situation, especially when there are children involved.”
Some parents, on the other hand, responded with greater compassion and said that they, too, would pay more if it meant having some serenity.
One parent wrote: “As a mom, I want an adult-only flight too,” while another chimed in and said: “I am a mother and I agree! I would pay more for an adult-only flight. Why is everyone so pressed?? She isn’t suggesting to throw them off board.”
And it appears that Lee’s idea isn’t particularly original. Some parents who participated in a 2017 study that was reported in Business Insider thought they should be required to sit in a designated space for themselves and their kids.
In order to allow customers to choose seats away from any potential noise, Japan Airlines adopted seating with a little baby icon in 2019. This allows customers to know which places will be used by an infant aged two or less (and smells).
Other international airlines have also responded to requests for child-free planes by establishing kid-free zones, including AirAsia, IndiGo, Malaysia Airlines, and Scoot Airlines.
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