An incident on a United flight sparked the online kerfuffle.
A tweet by Toronto pitcher Anthony Bass ignited a huge debate. His pregnant wife, Sydney Rae Bass, was traveling on a United Airlines flight with their two young children. According to the athlete’s tweet, she was asked by the flight attendant to clean up popcorn that their youngest daughter spilled. Bass claimed that the airline had provided the kids with the popcorn.
The flight attendant @united just made my 22 week pregnant wife traveling with a 5 year old and 2 year old get on her hands and knees to pick up the popcorn mess by my youngest daughter. Are you kidding me?!?! pic.twitter.com/vLYyLyJC54
— Anthony Bass (@AnthonyBass52) April 16, 2023
The tweet didn’t get him sympathy from internet folks. They questioned who else would clean up after the kids if not their parents. He replied: “The cleaning crew they hire!” Although many called out the entitlement behind this outrage, some agreed that a parent traveling alone with small children should receive more grace.
United pitched in to ask for additional details and Bass later tweeted that the airline is looking into the matter internally.
Thank you everyone for the support. United Airlines is taking care of matters with the flight attendant internally.
— Anthony Bass (@AnthonyBass52) April 17, 2023
American singer Jessie James Decker, Sydney’s sister, also shared the ordeal on Instagram: “My poor sister is on her hands and knees, crying in the aisle, completely humiliated and exhausted, with her children while everyone else watched. Way to go, United.”
But all of this has raised the question: who cleans up after kids on a flight?
Different Perspectives
Former flight attendant and freelance travel writer Susan Fogwell was a flight attendant for 22 years—coincidentally, she worked with United. She tells Fodor’s that if she saw popcorn on the floor, she would dismiss it. “It’s not in the job description to tell a passenger to clean up after themselves. Certainly, you would not want a passenger to be on her hands and knees picking up popcorn. It doesn’t matter if she didn’t clean up after her kids or maybe she hadn’t gotten around to it or maybe she was unaware of the popcorn on the floor.”
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She explains that airlines employ cabin cleaners and flight attendants don’t have to clean floors, lavatories, or seats. “There are some routes to smaller markets, where cleaners are not present and flight attendants have to ‘tidy the plane.’ They pick up any trash left behind on seats or in seat pockets and straighten the seat belts. It’s a cursory job of tidying before boarding begins for the next flight.”
When a passenger spills a beverage, a flight attendant may give them paper towels to clean up. With food on the floor, it’s the passenger’s choice. Regardless, cleaners will eventually get to it. “Flight attendants don’t clean up after children. On the same note, flight attendants don’t tell passengers to clean up their own mess.”
Contrarily, former flight attendant Josephine Remo, who worked with Scandinavian Airlines, believes that parents are responsible for the messes their children make on flights. “Most of the time, airlines do not schedule cleaning in between flights with a short turnaround time on the ground, and requesting additional cleaning causes delays. It is not the job of the flight crew to crawl around on the ground and pick up trash left behind by passengers.”
Related: 8 Surprising Truths About Flight Attendant Life—According to a Flight Attendant
What to Expect From Crew
Essentially, the crew is responsible for safety and service. Offering to hold the car seat, warming baby bottles, helping with the bassinet or seat belts, and giving kids books or children’s kits (as per the airline’s policies) are some of the things you’ll see flight attendants do. They will take extra care if it’s an unaccompanied minor (United Airlines and American Airlines both outline their policies).
David Doughty, CEO of private charter jet company Admiral Jet, says that flight attendants are responsible for maintaining a clean and safe environment, including cleaning up messes. However, parents have a responsibility to supervise their children whether they’re flying first class or economy. “While flight crew are expected to handle these situations professionally and respectfully, it is ultimately up to parents to ensure that their children are well-behaved and respectful of the other passengers on the flight, and I stand by flight staff setting firm boundaries when it comes to how they are treated.”
Often, things do get out of hand. Josephine Remo has had many discussions with parents about their charges’ behavior. “Once a woman asked me to discipline her child because he would not sit down. Another time I had a big argument with a woman because she was changing her baby’s diaper in the passenger seat. In addition, I’ve had several discussions with parents because I would not take their dirty diapers or children’s vomit bags with my bare hands. Countless times I have had to ask parents to clean up the mess of their children and they were always offended.”
That’s not to say that parents don’t face many hurdles when traveling, from a lack of bassinets, limited seat options, and kid-friendly meals to the absence of policies on priority boarding and measly baggage allowance. Until recently, families had trouble getting seats together without paying a fee.
Planning a trip with kids is no easy feat, and it is very stressful when children have meltdowns on flights and other passengers shoot dirty looks—one belligerent man went viral for screaming at parents who couldn’t soothe their inconsolable infant.
Related: The Best Tips for Traveling Alone With Small Kids, According to Experts
But the bottom line is: Flight attendants aren’t expected to clean the aircraft and, if possible, as a courtesy to other passengers and crew members, you should try to clean up after yourself and your children.
From what I read it was the attitude of the FA that is a big part of the issue. The woman was 22 weeks pregnant so getting down to clean up was a bit difficult for her. FA are there for safety first but there is also a service component to their jobs and so say the woman was entitled and not setting proper manners for her children presupposes those who say that know someting about her which they really dont know at all. UA is saying they are handling this internally. I hope so. I think the FA dropped the ball on this one. Perhaps she is the one feeling so entitled that cleaning such messes are beneath her. This is another back eye for UA CS.
We all know that popcorn would have rolled into our new shoes or new purse on under our feet to stink for the whole flight. As everyone else here says, teach your child responsibility.
You know why there is the angry reaction at the parents? Because so many of them - not travelling alone - think that they are entitled. Entitled to everything and at the cost to strangers. How many of you strut down the middle of the sidewalk, with or without stroller, expecting old ladies to fall into the dirt so your majesties can pass? How many of you expect single people who paid and booked the seat of their choice long in advance to move to a worse seat so you and your family can have what you did not plan? How many of you walk through doors with your ill-behaved brats and yourself - doors held open by others who may not be as strong as you? Oh, and did you bother to say "thank you" or "I appreciate your help" when someone does do something for you? No, of course not. The same can be applied to pet owners, who think they are entitled to ruin other's enjoyment of public spaces by ignoring leash and other laws.You cannot expect help or civility when you give none yourself.
A 5 y/o should be taught that they are responsible to clean up their own mess!!! And how presumptuous of the mother...don't care how pregnant she is...to expect someone else to look after her child! Ridiculous, and I really hope the airline done NOT compensate these irresponsible people!
The parent should have stopped her daughter the first indication she was trashing the floor. Removed the popcorn and replaced it with a cracker or something else. Who brings popcorn on a plan for kids.. An expected mess. My daughter is a flight attendant.. Should SHE be on her knees picking up after a rude customer who allowed it? BooHoo to the parent.