WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – Frequent fliers, parents, and social media commentators were debating something you might call the “Popcorn pick-up backlash.”
A photo of spilled popcorn on a United Flight has gone viral thanks to tweets from the kids’ father, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass, who happened to go to Wayne State.
Who should have picked up the popcorn?
Local 4 ran a WDIV Insider poll, and we have the results.
The Twitter debate has sided with the flight crew, but those we talked to at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport say the flight attendant was wrong.
We even posed the question to an etiquette expert.
Flying solo can be stressful sometimes, and adding kids into the mix can make navigating even more challenging. Ask Colleen Tillery, who was traveling with her 10-month-old back home to California.
“I have my retired mom here who is in a wheelchair, so I am pretty much stuck with trying to get her around, and the baby and people just don’t care,” said Tillery.
That’s why tweets by Bass, the MLB pitcher, and Dearborn native, struck a nerve with air travelers, especially those who are moms.
Bass claims a United Airlines flight attendant made his 22-week pregnant wife traveling with a 5-year-old and 2-year-old get on her hands and knees to pick up popcorn spilled by his youngest daughter.
“I would have been like, ‘Can you see my hands are full? I would really appreciate it if you could help me,’” Tillery said.
“That’s very embarrassing,” said air passenger Sadia Adhar.
The flight attendant @united just made my 22 week pregnant wife traveling with a 5 year old and 2 year old get on her hands and knees to pick up the popcorn mess by my youngest daughter. Are you kidding me?!?! pic.twitter.com/vLYyLyJC54
— Anthony Bass (@AnthonyBass52) April 16, 2023
Adhar has flown alone with three kids before and sympathizes with Bass’s wife.
“I don’t like it,” Adhar said. “The flight attendant should be helping with her.”
Bass has received some pushback on social media as some asking who should be responsible for cleaning up the mess, to which Bass responded that the cleaning crew they hire should be accountable.
“One of the foundations of etiquette would be having grace for people who are going through difficult situations and struggling,” said Detroit Academy of Etiquette Founder Danielle Kovachevich.
As an etiquette coach and mother of four, Kovachevichk believes the flight attendant should have offered a helping hand.
“If you are a passenger or the flight attendant, the sort of mannerly thing to do would have been to help her,” Kovachevichk said.
“I wish people had more observance to see that these moms are doing the best they can, especially if she had two kids and she’s pregnant,” Tillery said.
We contacted United Airlines for comment and have yet to hear back. But Bass tweeted that United was taking care of the matter internally with the flight attendant.
Thank you everyone for the support. United Airlines is taking care of matters with the flight attendant internally.
— Anthony Bass (@AnthonyBass52) April 17, 2023
The responses of our WDIV Insider’s Poll say just nine percent sided with Bass when he said the crew should clean up the mess.
About 59% said parents should clean up after their kids. But 32% say it would have been pleasant for the crew to help, but they don’t necessarily blame them.
