Woman filmed refusing to swap seats with crying child plans to sue airline

The woman was criticised by a fellow passenger and filmed. Photo / 123rf

A woman reportedly plans to sue an airline and a fellow traveller who filmed her refusing to change seats with a crying toddler.

Brazilian bank worker Jeniffer Castro was filmed on a GOL Airlines flight from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte, Brazil on December 4, the Sun reported.

During the flight, the 29-year-old reportedly denied a request to give her window seat to a young boy. After the boy began to cry, the mother took her phone and started recording her exchange with Castro, accusing her of lacking empathy.

“I even asked if she has some kind of syndrome or something. If someone has a problem, some disability, we understand,” said the mother, in Brazilian.

The family reportedly had a window seat among them but the young boy wanted Castro’s seat specifically.

The woman continues to argue with Castro over the sound of the child crying, according to the clip. At one point, Castro removes one of her AirPods and asks if she’s being filmed. “I’m recording your face, this is disgusting. It’s the 21st century and people have no empathy for children,” the mother is filmed saying.

This isn’t the first time a passenger has been criticised for refusing to swap seats on a flight. Travellers have reportedly refused to swap seats for newlywed couples, elderly travellers and children.

However, this time, the public largely swung in support of Castro, who gained a significant online following after the clip went viral online. Castro now has more than 2.1 million followers and featured on a podcast to discuss the events.

“Measures are now being taken,” she said on the Cola Mais podcast. Castro did not clarify what measures these would be, however, an Instagram post by the podcast claimed Castro intended to sue the airline and the mother.

“What I went through wasn’t easy. The flight attendants could have asked me if I needed anything, or if I was bothered by the passenger, but they didn’t. They stayed out of it,” she was reported as saying.

During the interview, Castro claimed she boarded the flight and found the child in her seat. She asked him to move, however, a fellow passenger suggested she swap with the boy and sit in the aisle. After claiming her window seat, Castro said the boy cried for the 50-minute flight while his mother was rude to her.

On social media, people largely argued in favour of Castro. One person pointed out that passengers must stay in their assigned seats, while many criticised the parents for raising a child who felt they deserved special treatment.

“The sense of entitlement these days is off the chart. If you want the seat book it. Parents need to realise the world doesn’t revolve around their kids,” one person commented on Facebook.

“I wouldn’t give up my seat for a spoiled brat either,” another said, while a third wrote: “This is the type of thing that happens when everyone is a winner and no one learns how to lose and accept disappointment,” describing the child as “Spoilt and entitled”.

One empathised with Castro’s treatment on the flight, writing: “I couldn’t imagine being bullied and recorded on an aeroplane just for being in the seat I paid for”.