Alex Buscemi
Jeniffer Castro’s flight from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte took a turn when a crying toddler and an angry mom put her in the spotlight—literally.
The 29-year-old Brazilian bank worker found herself in the middle of an internet storm after she refused to give up her assigned window seat to a toddler.
Now, she’s considering legal action against both GOL Airlines and the passenger who filmed her.
A Brazilian woman is going viral for refusing to give up her window seat to a crying toddler on a flight
@ondavirall2.0 Uma criança fez um escândalo em um avião porque queria sentar na janela, essa passageira se recusou a ceder o assento para a criança. A mãe da criança, não gostou e começou a filmar a passageira, como se ela fosse a culpada da situação.
The incident began when Castro boarded her GOL Airlines flight on December 4, only to discover a toddler already sitting in her window seat.
“I said, ‘This is my seat,’ and waited for him to leave,” she shared on the Cola Mais Podcast.
When a man across the aisle suggested she switch seats and sit by the aisle instead, Castro refused.
“I said, ‘No,’” she recalled, standing firm on her decision.
What followed was a tense and awkward flight.
The child’s mother berated Castro for her lack of empathy toward children
The toddler cried for the entire 50-minute trip, and the child’s mother, visibly frustrated, pulled out her phone and began recording Castro.
“Why doesn’t she want to change seats?” the mother asked while filming. “I even asked if she has some kind of syndrome or something. If someone has a problem or disability, we understand.”
The mother went on to call Castro’s behavior “disgusting” and berated her lack of “empathy for children.”
Despite the verbal onslaught, Castro remained calm.
“The flight attendants could have asked me if I needed anything, or if I was bothered by the passenger, but they didn’t,” she said, expressing her frustration over the airline staff’s lack of involvement.
Instead, she quietly endured the ordeal and asked only if she was being filmed.
After the video went viral, public opinion shifted overwhelmingly in Castro’s favor
What the mother had intended as an online shaming backfired, with many commenters applauding Castro for holding her ground.
“I felt sorry for the girl, she just wanted a peaceful trip,” one person commented. Another added, “The only one who is really spoiled here is the mother.”
The incident unexpectedly catapulted Castro into internet fame.
Her Instagram following skyrocketed to 2.1 million, leading to several lucrative deals and endorsements.
“I’m happy about all the support I received, although there were some online haters too,” Castro said.
Castro’s Instagram account has grown to 2.1 million followers since the incident
Describing herself as a “first-time influencer,” she admitted that the sudden attention has been overwhelming.
“I still don’t know how to feel about it,” she said. “I’m still trying to process everything.”
However, the newfound fame hasn’t erased the stress of the incident.
Castro has decided to take legal action, accusing GOL Airlines and the woman who filmed her of failing to handle the situation appropriately.
“Measures are now being taken,” she explained. “What I went through wasn’t easy.”
Etiquette experts have largely sided with Castro, arguing that the airline staff should have stepped in.
Jo Hayes, an Australian etiquette expert, noted, “The airline should have told the mother to stop filming. This is a major breach of privacy.”
Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert from the Protocol School of Texas, added that Castro had every right to stay in her seat, emphasizing that the incident could have been handled as a learning moment for the child.
For now, Castro is focused on navigating her new role as an influencer and resolving the legal matters at hand.
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