WOMAN WHO STOPPED KID CLOSING PLANE WINDOW IN VIRAL VIDEO SPARKS DEBATE

PEOPLE

 

Woman Who Stopped Kid Closing Plane Window in Viral Video Sparks Debate: An Expert Reveals Who's Right

PEOPLE asked a travel expert to weigh in on a TikTok video of the incident, which has more than 16 million views

By Erin Clements  Updated on February 29, 2024 12:34PM EST

 

A video in which a plane passenger expresses irritation over a child’s insistence on trying to shut her window shade has gone viral, igniting a debate online.

 

TikTok user vmaymah posted the clip earlier this month, which shows a little boy’s hand reaching back from the row ahead of hers to close the shade next to her seat. She responds by reopening the shade, and then when he makes another attempt, she holds it until he lets go.

 

"POV: The kid in front of me thinks he can close MY window shade," reads the text on the video, which she captioned, “It's my window."

 

Many of the commenters on the video, which has racked up 16 million views, sympathized with the passenger, citing that she should be in control of the window next to her own seat.

 

“If I sit next to a window, I want to look out of the window..... who closes the window blind on a day flight?” one commenter said.

 

“From what I can see, it's YOUR window!!!” read another comment, while someone else wrote, “I'd get so angry I cannot!”

 

However, others offered suggestions for why the boy might want the window closed.

 

“You know he’s trying to do that cause he’s getting glare on his iPad,” one person wrote.

 

“I mean what if lil dude was trying to sleep…” read another comment.

 

Another user weighed in with their own take: “Plane window open for take off & landing. It’s too bright for all that during the flight."

 

PEOPLE spoke with travel expert, writer and advisor Nicole Campoy Jackson of Fora Travel, who weighed in on the divisive situation.

 

“The main thing that surprised me from this TikTok was the amount of anger in the comments,” Jackson says. “That hand is very clearly a child's and there are many nuances and unspoken rules to traveling by plane that people often fail to grasp even into adulthood (looking at you, bare feet!).”

 

“From what I can tell in that short video, she made clear that she wanted it left open and the child in front stopped trying to close it,” Jackson continues. “It seems like she handled it fairly quickly, efficiently, and no one was left inconvenienced or upset. If it had escalated or the child hadn't stopped, the next move would have been to calmly ask the parent to step in.”

 

As for the passenger’s claim that it’s “her window,” Jackson says it’s “very clearly in her row,” and she’s obviously in the window seat.

 

“I don't see how anyone could argue for having control over it,” she says.

 

If a passenger is in the middle or aisle seat and has a preference about the positioning of the window shade, Jackson recommends “politely” asking the passenger in the window seat for it to be moved.

 

“Of course, asking doesn't mean demanding or feeling entitled,” she adds. “If that person is trying to rest and doesn't want it open, for example, that is ultimately their decision as they booked the window seat. This assumes that everyone's being reasonable. If you insist on leaving the window shade up while it's otherwise dark in the cabin or everyone around you is trying to rest, that starts to wade into pretty inconsiderate territory.”

 

If there’s a dispute that can’t be addressed calmly by the passengers involved, Jackson says to seek mediation from a flight attendant.

 

“If you're arguing over whether you can have it open for the next 20 minutes before the initial descent, for example, that would be helpful to know,” she says. “If you're arguing over something like keeping it closed mid-flight to rest while someone else wants it open for photos, it can just help to have a trained, third-party person to negotiate and keep everyone happy.”

 

“Flight attendants have dealt with this — and so much worse, as we've all seen — so helping passengers come to an agreement over a window shade should be fairly simple for them,” she points out.

 

And what if the dispute involves children causing an annoyance?

 

“The best way to handle anything a child might be doing mid-flight that's bothering you would be to calmly and respectfully turn to that child's nearest parent and ask for their help in explaining to their child why that's not okay,” Jackson says. “Parents are, understandably, on high alert when they're traveling with their kids but most will hear you and address it quickly.”

 

And if they don’t, Jackson suggests calling in the help of a flight attendant.

 

“I think the key is for everyone to try their best to not overreact to an initial infraction, which is incredibly hard given we're unceremoniously stuffed into an aluminum tube at 30,000 feet in the air,” she says. “There are ways to stand up for our comforts and our spaces without getting into a fight. If you've asked someone—parent or otherwise—to stop doing something two or even three times and it hasn't yet stopped, it's time to press that call light and get some professional help.”