She Said No to a Crying Toddler, Now She’s Taking the Airline to Court!
A woman who faced criticism for refusing to switch seats with a crying toddler is now suing the airline and the passenger who filmed her.
The incident happened on December 4 during a GOL Airlines flight from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Jeniffer Castro, a 29-year-old bank worker, declined to give up her window seat to a young boy. The child already had a window seat in another row but threw a tantrum, insisting on sitting in Castro’s assigned seat, according to News.com.au.
Despite the situation, Castro stood firm and refused to swap. This upset the child’s mother, who began filming Castro while scolding her.
@antenasulfm 👑 TODOS COM JENNIFER CASTRO! Jennifer Castro se tornou o assunto do momento nesta quarta-feira (4), depois de viralizar em um vídeo onde foi filmada e insultada por outra passageira em um avião. O motivo? Ela não quis trocar de lugar com uma criança que queria sentar na janela. Com a repercussão, Jennifer recebeu uma onda de apoio e compartilhou em seu Instagram uma montagem que a retrata como uma rainha, usando a hashtag #TODOSCOMJENNIFERCASTRO. ✈️ Quem nunca defendeu o seu lugar com garra? E você, trocaria de lugar ou ficaria firme como a Jennifer? #JenniferCastro #Trending #TodosComJennifer #Viral #AntenaSulFM ♬ som original – Antena Sul Fm
In the video, the woman behind the camera can be heard asking: “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.” She added, “It’s the 21st century, and people have no empathy for children.”
Castro stayed calm during the ordeal, only asking if she was being filmed.
The video quickly went viral on TikTok, but online users defended Castro rather than criticizing her.
Many people praised her composure and supported her choice to stand her ground. One TikTok user wrote, “I admire her patience,” while another said, “I’m with you, Jeniffer Castro. The mother has to educate her children.”
Another comment read, “As a mother, I’d never do something like that. I wish I had Jeniffer’s inner peace.”
During a recent appearance on the Cola Mais Podcast, Castro spoke about the incident and revealed her plans to take legal action against the airline and the passenger who filmed her.
“Measures are now being taken,” she said, according to the New York Post. “What I went through wasn’t easy. The flight attendants didn’t help me or ask if I was okay, even though I was clearly being bothered. They stayed out of it.”
She shared her version of events, explaining that the child was already in her seat when she boarded. “I said, ‘This is my seat,’ and waited for him to move,” she recalled.
“A man sitting across the aisle told me to switch with the child and take an aisle seat. I said, ‘No.’ The boy cried for the whole 50-minute flight. The mother was very rude,” Castro added.
Despite facing backlash from some people online, Castro says she is grateful for the support she has received. “I’m happy about all the support, although there were online haters too. I’m still trying to process everything,” she said.
