NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
    • All Herald NOW
    • Ryan Bridge TODAY
    • Herald NOW Business
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Herald NOW Business
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverASB Investment HubInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Gisborne
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Travel

American woman calls for 'adults-only' flights in viral TikTok

Sarah Pollok
Sarah Pollok
Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·
30 Aug, 2022 11:00 PM3 mins to read
‌

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
One young American woman claimed she would pay more for an 'adults-only' flight without children. Photo / 123rf

One young American woman claimed she would pay more for an 'adults-only' flight without children. Photo / 123rf

A woman has called for adults-only flights, saying she would pay 'so much money' to avoid screaming children on a plane.

Last week, American traveller Moran Lee posted a 10-second TikTok video of herself sitting on a plane. Unlike most videos posted on the platform, there was no music or fun sound effects but instead the sound of a child screaming non-stop.

Text posted over the video reads: "Why isn't there such a thing as adult-only flights? I would pay so much money."

According to the caption alongside the video, the flight was three hours long and Lee listened to the screaming "the entire time".

The solution, Lee said, was to charge more for a flight that did not have children on board.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In the video, Lee smiles to the camera, appearing slightly hysterical at the situation.

The issue and suggested solution clearly struck a chord with viewers and received more than 22,600 comments.

Many people suggested she use earphones and music to block out the sound while others said the mother of the crying child was probably having a far worse time than Lee.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The 24 year-old from Florida said music had not helped and that the mother appeared to be enjoying a far more peaceful flight.

"I have noise-cancelling headphones, the child was well over five years old, and they sat directly behind me while kicking my chair as the mother slept," she wrote.

However, her comment prompted many to question whether she was telling the truth.

One said the baby sounded further away in the plane while others said the cries were definitely of a younger child.

The idea of an "adults-only" flight was also a divisive one that earned both criticism and praise from viewers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Think of the parents
Unsurprisingly, many people judged Lee's response and defended the parents of crying children on flights.

"And this is why people/parents/mums have anxiety when leaving the house. Because no grace is given," wrote one user.

"As a parent I 100% agree. I would love to be on an aeroplane and not get dirty looks or grunts from angry people that don't like kids/noise," another added.

Dozens of others also expressed pity for the mother. "POOR MOM omg I would be devastated," wrote one person.

However, one person claimed these people simply felt called out.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"All the moms in the comments mad because this be their kids," they wrote.

Adults-Only flights do exist
One user pointed out that Lee's great idea already existed.

"They do exist - they are called 'private flights'," they wrote.

"You could fly private. It's expensive but you said you would pay SO much money," another added.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Travel

Travel

Chasing winter sun: Why sleepy Leigh is the hottest spot in Aotearoa

13 May 07:00 PM
Travel

A side of Australia you've never seen before: 'Like walking into a movie'

13 May 07:00 AM
Travel

Noosa Food & Wine 2026: An insider’s guide to Australia’s most relaxed luxury festival

13 May 07:00 AM

Sponsored

10 reasons winter is Tasmania’s most unforgettable season

12 May 09:49 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Travel

Chasing winter sun: Why sleepy Leigh is the hottest spot in Aotearoa
Travel

Chasing winter sun: Why sleepy Leigh is the hottest spot in Aotearoa

The small coastal village is the hottest spot in NZ.

13 May 07:00 PM
A side of Australia you've never seen before: 'Like walking into a movie'
Travel

A side of Australia you've never seen before: 'Like walking into a movie'

13 May 07:00 AM
Noosa Food & Wine 2026: An insider’s guide to Australia’s most relaxed luxury festival
Travel

Noosa Food & Wine 2026: An insider’s guide to Australia’s most relaxed luxury festival

13 May 07:00 AM


10 reasons winter is Tasmania’s most unforgettable season
Sponsored

10 reasons winter is Tasmania’s most unforgettable season

12 May 09:49 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • NZME Digital Performance Marketing
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP