Passenger blasted for refusing to swap seats with crying toddler sues airline and woman who filmed her
A woman who went viral for refusing to give up her seat for a crying toddler has sued the airline and a passenger who filmed her during the row.
A Brazilian bank worker who refused to swap seats with a crying toddler on a flight is now suing the airline and the passenger who filmed her.
The viral spat unfolded on a GOL Airlines flight from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte on December 4, when Jeniffer Castro, 29, refused to give up her window seat to a young boy.
The child reportedly had a window seat in another row but insisted on sitting in Ms Castro’s spot and began throwing a fit when he didn’t get what he wanted.
After she declined, a boarding passenger whipped out her phone and began recording the exchange, berating Ms Castro for her decision.
The woman can be heard saying behind the camera, “Why doesn’t she want to change seats?
“I even asked if she has some kind of syndrome or something. If someone has a problem, some disability, we understand.
“I’m recording your face, this is disgusting. It’s the 21st century and people have no empathy for children.”
Despite the insults, Ms Castro stayed calm, only asking if she was being filmed.
Instead of drawing widespread condemnation, the clip backfired online, with many siding with Ms Castro for standing her ground.
One person said, “I felt sorry for the girl, she just wanted a peaceful trip, my solidarity.”
Another wrote, “It turns out the only one who is really spoiled is the mother, but now life is showing her who’s boss.”
The incident sparked a frenzy on social media, catapulting Ms Castro into the spotlight.
Her Instagram page now has more than 2.1 million followers, and she’s since landed several advertising deals.
Referring to herself as a “first-time influencer” in her bio, Ms Castro opened up about the ordeal in an interview on the Cola Mais Podcast on Thursday, revealing her plans to take action.
“Measures are now being taken,” she said. “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.”
Recounting the flight, Ms Castro explained, “When I got on the plane, the child was in my seat. I said, ‘This is my seat,’ and waited for him to leave.
“A guy across the aisle said, ‘Change with him, you sit next to the aisle and he’ll have your place.’ I said, ‘No.’
“The boy cried the entire flight, it was around 50 minutes. The mother was very rude.”
She added, “I’m happy about all the support I received, although there were some online haters too. I still don’t know how to feel about it — I’m still trying to process everything.”
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
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