A refusal to give up a window seat for a special-needs child led to a catfight between two women and ultimately a massive fight between two families in which 15 passengers were eventually removed from the flight.
Catfight Over Window Seat, Rudeness Leads To All-Out Battle Between Two Families, With 15 Passengers Kicked Off Flight
The incident occurred on Brazilian carrier GOL on flight 1659 from Salvador (SSA) to São Paulo (CGH). According to witnesses onboard:
- A mother with a special needs child boarded and wanted to sit in the window
- A woman already seated in the window seat denied the request
- The mother (or perhaps the sister according to one source) of the special needs child took “offense” at the way in which the request was denied and attacked the woman in the window
If you watch both videos below, it appears the woman who loses her top is the mother of the special needs child and it is principally her and the window seat passenger who are battling, though eventually, an all-out battle breaks out between the two large families.
PORRADA CANTANDO IRMÃO
Duas famílias se desentenderam durante um voo da Gol e o pau cantou no meio do voo pic.twitter.com/hZJb4Q8ecS
— Aeroporto da Depressão (@AeroportoD) February 2, 2023
POR TODOS OS ÂNGULOS pic.twitter.com/Y3jY5Xtw0s
— Aeroporto da Depressão (@AeroportoD) February 2, 2023
Flight attendants broke up the fight and sent all passengers were removed. A flight attendant later told Brazilian media:
“I was already closing the doors when I saw the two slapping each other in row 20. I ran, as soon as I got there, I already got between the two, but what happens: one family had five people and the other 10. The two families started slapping each other, cursing each other.”
(translated from Portuguese)
While the family was removed, there is no indication any members of the family were arrested.
Moving Seats For Special Needs Child?
I think we can all agree that the conduct was simply unacceptable in this case. It also appears that the family of the special needs child started it. It once again opens the debate over whether people have any obligation to move to accommodate families. In this case, the added layer of complexity is that it was a special needs child.
I am of the opinion that it does not make a difference. You are free to ask someone (politely is recommended) to swap seats, but if that person says no than you really have no right to be angry (although there are exceptions).
CONCLUSION
A brawl between two women over a window seat descended into an all-out Montague-Capulet war onboard. Clothes were lost and blows exchanged during the battle, which forced flight attendants into the middle of it to break it up. In the end, 15 family members were thrown off.
Helpful advice: if you want a window seat and the passenger refuses to move, don’t attack that passenger.
images: @AeroportoD / Twitter
The demographics of the perps. Shocked, SHOCKED I tell you…said no one ever.
What “demographics” are you speaking of? I’m curious.
I wonder about your demographics.
Bolsonaro-Trump voters, idiots.
In masks? Nah. More like my voters.
You should study Geography and read about politics. The flight was coming from Salvador, Bahia, the trash of the trash of the Brazilian population that votes socialism so they can be taken care by the Government. Bahia has elected a socialist Governor and Lula got 72% of their votes.
That doesn’t mean they can’t be from the other 18%…just saying.
I hadn’t thought that looking out the window could be classified as a special need.
I will be introducing “H.R.6: Airline Window Seats for the Disabled Promise Act of 2023–For The People” next week. Window seats will be for disabled persons of any color besides white, as aisle and middle seats are racist.
You posing as her isn’t as funny as you think it is.
What an awful scene
I don’t know the seating policies of GOL; is there a fee for reserving a seat in advance, or is it open seating such as Southwest?
Could the child’s mother simply have claimed that her child has special needs merely to secure a window seat in such instances? Could parents be using the claim of “special needs” in the same manner as in the past few years there has been an explosion of “emotional assistance” pets?
In the USA people with disabilities can request advance seats at no charge with in the class they paid for.
Catfight? Is that really a word we still use today? It sounds like something out of a 70s exploitation film.
Well some comfort this kind of behavior isn’t just a US thing
LOL, I thought I was watching Idiocracy 2.
Well, at least nobody could get hurt as they were all wearing masks!
Masks are out, balloons are in. All balloons MUST be vaccinated.
LMAO!
People are absolute trash nowadays. Respect doesn’t exist anymore.
I have a special needs autistic child who loves window seat but we always book the seat we want in advance or call the airline . I have no guts to ask someone to change the seat unless it is an emergency seat and I wouldn’t think about arguing over this key alone attacking others . If my child doesn’t have something he wants we would explain to him redirect him to something else and he would listen . My child is a happy usually quiet child and loves traveling ! But regardless show compassion to others and be helpful to others or at least don’t harm others .
Hillbilly’s what do you expect lol
I would think that in the interests of the child with special needs that the family would want a calm peaceful flight more than a window seat.
Whichever doofus LCC airline employee caused this seat snafu should be fired. Cattlelike pax will never behave, so don’t get them fired up …
masks…that’s why…that’s all…oh…and getting wi-fried.
The poor child having to see this. Terrible example!!!
Surely the parents of a special needs child are able to book and pay for a window seat just like everyone else?