'Flight attendants are not babysitters': Video of SIA stewardess feeding boy in business class sparks debate

While travelling business class on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo, a father was pleasantly surprised to see a cabin crew feeding his 5-year-old son.

Heartened by their "amazing" experience, Michael Rutherford took to Instagram on Dec 5 to share a clip of the moment, which has since garnered over 17 million views and 8,000 comments.

In the short clip, an SIA stewardess can be seen crouching beside the boy and feeding him with a spoon. The boy, who is wearing a pair of headphones, seems to be absorbed in his device.

"What would you do if this happened to you? We're having the greatest flight ever and this just made it even more perfect," captioned Rutherford.

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He added in a subsequent post: "Business class seat on Singapore Airlines was absolutely amazing and the best flying experience of our lives."

Mixed reactions

However, the viral video has sparked online debate on whether Rutherford should have let the stewardess feed his son.

"Excellent service but totally unnecessary," wrote one netizen.

"Flight attendants are not babysitters. They are there for the safety of the passengers," said another.

On the other hand, some complimented the stewardess and suggested that she had wanted to feed the child.

"Ex-flight attendant here and a mother and I'd do that out of sheer love towards babies and kids onboard," said a netizen.

Another questioned: "Did it maybe cross your mind that she had time and felt like doing this? The reel never said, 'I made her do it'."

Responding to comments slamming him and his son, Rutherford clarified that he was seated in front of his son and that the stewardess had "did it on her own desire".

He added in another comment: "I was happy for my little dude and blown away by the love and service the staff gave."

Rutherford also told 8world: "It's a shame that people turned such a positive thing into a negative. The flight attendants were really great and attentive, and we felt like we were the only passengers onboard."

In response to 8world's queries, an SIA spokesperson said that their cabin crew receive training on how to understand and attend to the needs of various customer groups, including children, the elderly and persons with reduced mobility.

"We are pleased that our cabin crew was able to anticipate and see to the needs of the customer on this occasion," said the spokesperson.

Flight attendant feeds elderly passenger

In 2021, a Lion Air flight attendant won the hearts of netizens after a clip of him hand-feeding an elderly passenger was shared on Instagram by a fellow passenger.

According to the passenger, the elderly woman had refused to fasten her seat belt after the plane had taken off and had even asked if she could leave the aircraft.

The flight attendant, identified by Lion Air as Donny Prima Yuszela, was seen calming the passenger down by giving her a cup of tea and feeding her some food, also chatting with the woman and wiping her mouth for her.

Donny told local media then, that he even gave the elderly woman his own food as he was concerned that she not eaten due to flight delays.

"I accompanied the elderly lady because I wanted her to feel comfortable," said Donny. "I served her as I would serve my mother." 

ALSO READ: 'Are we spoiling our baby?' Singapore parents fly toddler on first class 4 times, here's why

lim.kewei@asiaone.com