The woman filmed refusing to swap seats with a crying toddler on a plane has now shared her side of the story, including her plans to sue the “rude” passenger who recorded her.
Jeniffer Castro, a 29-year-old from Brazil, isn’t the first to refuse giving up her seat for a child, and likely won’t be the last. Castro revealed that she intends to take legal action against the child’s mother after the woman filmed the incident and shared it online, causing it to go viral.
The incident took place on December 4, 2024, when Castro boarded a domestic flight with GOL Airlines and discovered a toddler in her seat. The child’s mother explained they wanted to sit by the window, but Castro pointed out that she had specifically booked and was assigned the window seat, asking them to move. Instead, the mother began filming, and in the footage, Castro is heard saying, “I’m recording your face, this is disgusting. It’s the 21st century and people have no empathy for children.”
In a recent appearance on the Cola Mais Podcast, shared on January 22, Castro addressed the situation and hinted at taking action against the mother or the airline. She stated, “[Translation] Measures are now being taken. 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.”
While Castro didn’t elaborate on the specific actions she plans to take, she expressed frustration with how the situation was handled by the flight attendants. She recalled telling the mother and child that it was her seat and waiting for them to move. A passenger across the aisle suggested swapping seats, which Castro agreed to, but things escalated when the mother continued to be rude. The child cried for most of the 50-minute flight, and the mother’s video eventually went viral, sparking a mixed reaction online.
Many social media users supported Castro, with one commenting, “She is well within her right not to move! I’m sick of self-entitled parents.” Others criticized the filming, with one writing, “I would sue everyone who filmed me against my will. Just saying.” Some also defended Castro’s right to her seat, with one person noting, “She paid for it, it’s her seat. The toddler’s parent’s poor planning doesn’t constitute an emergency for the lady.”
UNILAD has reached out to GOL Airlines for a comment on the matter.
