What to Know
If you’ve ever been on an airplane, then you’re probably not delusional enough to think there’s anything particularly luxurious about it 99% of the time. So it’s always interesting when someone takes to social media to complain about it not being the luxurious experience they felt they were entitled to when they purchased an economy ticket for a crappy flight. Especially when it comes to the always divisive issue of babies crying on planes—which is what one guy decided to document for TikTok clout, except everyone roasted him relentlessly in his own comment section.
You’re not entitled to a child-free travel experience.
“Do we ask for a refund?” Jamil Flores asked the internet in the caption of his TikTok video, where he recorded himself on a plane. “I only recorded 20 seconds of 45 minutes of torture.”
(Un)luckily for Flores, the commenters called him out for playing the victim instead of having compassion and empathy for the undoubtedly stressed-out parents or caregivers taking care of the crying baby. Because an airplane is a public space, and yes, children are part of public spaces.
The reactions start off strong, with one person commenting, “Only refund owed is from ur barber.”
“No you should be an adult and know to bring headphones next time,” another person said.
“Airplanes are public transportation. If you don’t like it, fly private,” someone else commented.
And another person shared my favorite point of all when these videos go viral: “You are entitled to a child-free life, not a child-free world. That’s a baby.”
“Only 45 minutes? Oh man… what an unbearably long flight. You’ll survive,” another wrote.
Kids are part of society and belong in public spaces, full stop.
Because here’s the thing: It’s not rude or inconsiderate to bring a baby on a plane. It’s rude and inconsiderate to pressure moms into staying home, stopping them from visiting family and living a happy, healthy life postpartum. No one is entitled to a quiet, peaceful, dreamy flight without babies and children. Because airplanes are basically just sky buses, pretending they should be anything other than that will leave everyone feeling disappointed.
And let’s be real: adult behavior on planes can be the absolute worst. Airplanes are routinely full of drunk dudes, seat-kickers, armrest hogs, barefoot weirdos, and people who douse themselves in an entire bottle of Coolwater before boarding. I’ll take a crying baby any day.
