Passengers ‘parent shamed’ on flights

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.

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 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. 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.”