Should airlines introduce child-free flights?
A woman in America is making headlines after going on a rant about having to fly in first class with crying children.
A Nigerian-American rapper named Chika has come under fire for complaining about children who were crying during her flight.
I’m so pissed off right now. I already had trouble falling asleep. And as soon as I do, you bring the consequence of YOUR sexual promiscuity into MY life. I got noise cancellation on, and I STILL woke up.
Chika took to Twitter to rant about the children, whom she says woke her up from her sleep.
"The lady next to me who thought it would be a good idea to buy yourself and your twin infants first class seats on a red-eye flight, who just woke me up by bringing your screaming bastard to OUR seats to soothe her. I just bought $34 WiFi at 4am to call you a stupid b***h," she wrote.
Chika took further swipes at the woman travelling with the children, calling her a "h**" and a "wench".
"P.S., I hate you, and I hope you get a paper cut between each finger tomorrow, you senseless wench."
The 26-year-old also called the woman "mentally delayed" for thinking a toddler will "shut their b***h a** up" on a seven-hour flight that takes off at 1am.
"You ALREADY had them up past bedtime. [I don't care] the circumstance. Take yo a** to economy at LEAST," Chika wrote.
Yikes!
ALSO READ: HOT TOPIC: Mom asks fellow passenger to switch seats so she can sit next to her child
Unbeknownst to Chika at the time, the crying baby in question is the daughter of Zonnique Pullins.
Zonnique's mother is Xscape singer, Tiny Harris, and her stepfather is rapper T.I. Her two-year-old daughter Hunter is the crying child Chika was complaining about.
Hunter was travelling with Zonique's aunty - whom Chika assumed was the nanny - and another child.
Zonnique took to Twitter to share a video of the two children sitting in their seats.
wait I’m in tearssss not chika boo was mad my child was cutting up in first class😭😭😭😭 you should of just sat there and been mad babe..she sky priority af🤭 pic.twitter.com/PJpGE3zRUU
— baby spice (@Zonnique) June 3, 2023
Chika received major backlash for the tweets, which have since been deleted.
She returned to social media to apologise, saying she was on the verge of a panic attack when she went on her rant.
"I’m sorry cuz it was triggering/infuriating to many. I just don’t like being seen as someone I’m not. I wasn’t cruel to anyone, I was mean *about* someone. Stop conflating the two and acting like I caused harm. I can own what I did. I will not own what is projected onto me. I’m sorry.”
Chika also provided a screenshot of a message she sent to her therapist after the incident as proof that she was having a manic episode.
"Having bad thoughts today. Don't know what to do besides reach out to you as promised," she wrote in the text.
Chika has, however, declined to apologise to Zonnique and her family for the derogatory terms she used during her rant.
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Chika's rant comes a month after a male passenger also went viral for an outburst he had on a plane. He too was complaining about a crying child.
"We are in a f***ing tin can with a baby in a goddamn echo chamber... That child has been crying for 40 minutes... Calm the child down, please," he can be heard saying while a baby cries in the background.
A man freaked out on Southwest Airlines staff Monday after a passenger’s baby continuously cried on the plane. The man, who has not been identified, was escorted off the plane after his profanity-laced tirade. The Law&Crime Network’s Angenette Levy @Angenette5 has the details. pic.twitter.com/8jT7THso7Z
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) April 20, 2023
Security was waiting for the man when the plane landed.
Both incidents sparked a debate about crying babies on planes, with many questioning whether airlines should offer child-free flights.
Some suggested airplanes be equipped with noise-canceling headphones.
"A crying baby can be stressful especially if it's not yours. Airlines need to have noise cancelling headphones or ear plugs available for such situations. I always bring my earbuds and tablet," one woman said.
Main image credit: iStock/Nadezhda1906
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