E-Paper
Man shares 'worst flight' experience after being kicked by child mid-air: 'Little patience went a long way'
Lee shared that the incident took place aboard a Vietnam Airlines flight in 2024, though he only posted the footage recently.
A traveller has sparked a discussion online after sharing their “worst” flight experience, during which they were repeatedly kicked by a child seated next to them on the plane.
Paul Lee posted a video of his experience on TikTok. In the clip, he is seen sitting calmly and sipping from a teacup while a young girl seated next to him has a dramatic fit. The young girl was screaming and kicking throughout the flight. She even hit Lee multiple times with her feet while the woman accompanying her, believed to be her mother, attempted unsuccessfully to calm her down.
At one point in the clip, the woman can even be heard laughing as the child continues to thrash about. Lee, however, remains composed, wearing headphones and making no visible attempt to confront them.
“Worst possible seat ever next to a crying baby,” Lee captioned the video, which has amassed more than 4 million views on TikTok.
Watch the video here.
According to a report by People magazine, Lee revealed that the incident took place aboard a Vietnam Airlines flight in 2024, though he only posted the footage recently. “This was filmed last year, and I had to sit next to a mother and daughter. This lasted for about five minutes,” he said.
Despite being hit multiple times, Lee said he chose to stay calm rather than escalate the situation. “I didn’t confront her or do anything, just waited and then enjoyed my flight. A little patience went a long way. The kid’s mother did not apologise,” he claimed.
He later reflected on the incident in another post, writing, “Rather than let this ruin my whole flight and make a scene, I just waited it out. Fortunately, minutes later, it stopped and I enjoyed the rest of my flight. Some battles aren’t worthy to be had.”
(Also Read: Amid US shutdown flight chaos, pilot's reassuring message to nervous flyers wins hearts. Watch)
Social media reactions
On TikTok, the video has since received over 200,000 likes and thousands of supportive comments.
“Mothers, please remember your kid is only special to you,” one user wrote, while another added, “Letting your kid kick a stranger is NOT ACCEPTABLE!”
“Yet people wonder some might want child-free flights. It's not about hating children, flights in itself can be frustrating and exhausting experience and children make it even worse,” commented another.
