Plane passengers 'parent shamed' over kids' behaviour

More than a third of parents travelling with babies and toddlers in the last five years have experienced '˜parent shaming' from other passengers, a report has claimed.

Parents are given advice by fellow passengers when they jet off on holiday.

A quarter of parents who had experienced issues heard other passengers saying they should not be flying with their child, while nearly a third overheard another passenger complaining about having to sit near a child, according to the study from from Direct Line Insurance.

Some parents were even told directly how they should manage their child’s behaviour by another passenger or asked to stop the child crying.

Meanwhile, some mothers said they were asked to stop breastfeeding their baby on a plane.

Tom Bishop, head of travel insurance at Direct Line, said: “Time spent on planes is rarely fun for stressed parents who are likely to have spent the last few hours desperately organising sleepy children, trying not to lose said children in the airport, misplacing passports and the incessant ‘are we nearly there yet?’.

“Travelling with children is hard enough without having to worry about other passengers complaining about sitting near children, and being given advice about how to look after your kids."

Some parents have spent more than they would have to avoid the displeasure of fellow passengers, with a third paying a premium to fly direct to minimise travelling time and others shelling out for speedy boarding so that they board the plane first.