Mum Lisa Flom, from Eden Prairie in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked a debate after sharing her ‘best airplane travel hack’ online – as some users say it’s cruel
A mum has been slammed after sharing her controversial ‘hack’ to keep her children in their seats when travelling on a plane. Lisa Flom, from Eden Prairie in Minneapolis, Minnesota, claims to have discovered the “best airplane travel hack” – and has shared it with her 800,000 followers on TikTok.
In a clip, she is seen adding Velcro strips to a plane seat and on her child’s outside clothing so that when they sit down, they’re stuck in place. The technique stops her children from leaving their seats as they’re not strong enough to break the Velcro attachment.
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While some users believe her trick is “simply genius”, others say it is cruel and would only cause them to scream and shout in frustration. One user said: “Dog kennel in the cargo area also works.” Another user added: “Until five seconds later, my child would use their vocal cords to express their frustration”
A third user said: “Is this legal?” While others complained the Velcro strips would leave a sticky residue for the next passenger to deal with, potentially ruining their clothes. One user said: “So after you pull it off the next passenger has to sit in the sticky tape residue?”
Another user added: “And do you pay the airline to get the residue off the seat or do you scrub them yourself?” Rather than using Velcro strips, other parents say they bring car seats on the plane with them, saying it’s more comfortable and safer for their child. One parent said: “I take my car seat on every single trip. So easy. And my aunt is a retired flight attendant and have seen lots of babies injured during turbulence.”
In agreement, another added: “Mum-of-four here. Kid would be safer in a car seat.” According to the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), passengers can request a bassinet or sky cot or their baby to sleep in on long-haul flights.
A statement reads: “You’ll need to book a bulkhead seat (a row with no other seats in front) to get those though. Contact the airline as soon as you know you’re travelling to see if you can reserve one.” When it comes to using a car seat on a plane, passengers are asked to check with their airline ahead of time as they all have different policies.
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