The incident took place August 24 on a Juneyao Airlines flight from the southwestern city of Guiyang to Shanghai.
A woman sat on the toilet seat holding the wailing child as she struggled out of the her lap and reached for the door. “We won’t let you out unless you stop crying,” the woman said. “If you make any noise again, we’ll come back,” the woman threatened when the child stopped crying.
Airline apologizes facing flak
The airline initially confirmed the incident and said that the child who was flying with her grandparents were crying non-stop. After facing flak for allowing two strangers to handle the situation, the airline’s customer service department apologized and blamed the oversight of the crew.
One of the women said the intention was to ensure a restful flight for the passengers. Many passengers had to block their ears with tissues, she said. Some moved to the back of the plane to escape the noise.
“Adults in their 30s can have emotional breakdowns, but people don’t allow toddlers to have theirs,” said one comment on China’s X-like Weibo platform.
“We were all once children … Don’t be a cold-blooded adult,” read another comment.
“The grandmother and the two aunts should be sued, and social services should intervene. If there are parents like this, children will suffer in the future,” one wrote.