A parenting blogger has called out the negative reactions of a fellow plane passenger in response to her tearful toddler on a cross-country flight.

In an open letter published on the Facebook group for parenting site Momstrosity, Stephanie Hollifield revealed how she was taking her first trip with her two-year-old and described feeling “very nervous”, particularly as her daughter was recovering from a sinus infection.

From the moment the pair sat down, Hollifield said that the male passenger in front of her made a series of “dramatic huffs and puffs”, letting her know that he was “annoyed by our very presence.”

Despite making extensive preparations prior to the journey, Hollifield’s daughter began to cry and scream as the plane took off.

“I did everything in my power to keep her calm and quiet. I shushed her, and made sure her little feet didn’t kick your seat,” she wrote.

“She was exhausted and fussy,” the 33-year-old continued. “You did not let up with your mutters of annoyance and looks over your shoulder. I apologised to everyone around me. I almost started crying myself.”

Salvation came in the form of an “angel” flight attendant who gave her daughter a cup and a straw to play with.

Four female pilots discuss life on the flightdeck Show all 4 1 /4 Four female pilots discuss life on the flightdeck Four female pilots discuss life on the flightdeck Jessica Sundquist: 787 Dreamliner captain at Norwegian Jessica Sundquist, a Swedish 787 Dreamliner captain for Norwegian, has spoken extensively about being a woman in the industry. In the past she’s spoken about the concept of “putting your femininity aside” in order to succeed. Sundquist says today that she felt she “didn’t have to do it”, but also wanted to fit into the industry “without being known as ‘the girl’”. Today, times are changing, she says, and more women are joining the industry – but it’s not all good news. “Despite working hard to get to where I am today as a captain at one of the most modern and exciting airlines, the industry still has a lot more work to do to give women more opportunities,” she says In the future, she’d like the discussion on gender inequality to remain “open and ongoing”, but argues that real action also needs to take place to make any difference. Norwegian Four female pilots discuss life on the flightdeck Joanna Riggs: A380 first officer at British Airways First officer Joanna Riggs says she was never “particularly exposed to aviation as a career choice”, but became a BA cabin crew member after university in order to see more of the world. She says that entering such a highly male-dominated profession wasn’t daunting, but that she felt “lucky to have two other females” on her course. Colleagues have always been supportive in Riggs’ experience as have – for the most part – passengers, though some are “surprised” when they see a female pilot. “I hope it will one day be normal to everyone,” she adds. Some passengers give a “thumbs up or a girl power sign”. As for gender differences on the flight deck, Riggs says, “We are very professional on the flight deck so it doesn’t matter what the gender, race or sexuality of my colleague is. “Flying with a fellow female is always a treat though. My brother is also a British Airways pilot, and although I haven’t flown with him, I get the feeling we would be very similar. British Airways Four female pilots discuss life on the flightdeck Lucy Tardrew: Boeing 747 captain at Virgin Atlantic Lucy Tardrew had always wanted to join the RAF, she says, but it was never allowed to happen – because ”they weren’t taking girls at the time”. Instead, she travelled to America, where she trained before becoming a flying instructor. After returning to the UK and converting her licences, she began flying night mail – “literally all the posts around the country at night” – before stints flying executive jets, and last-minute jobs including air ambulances and freighting transplant organs, before joining Virgin 23 years ago. Tardrew is enthusiastic about the company, but is saddened that the ratio of women in the industry as a whole remains low. As for challenges in the workplace, she’s never experienced any discrimination. Noting the rare pay equality in the piloting industry, Tardrew feels the reason there aren’t more female pilots is down to the fact that ”there aren’t enough female role models for schoolchildren to think, ‘I’m going to become an airline pilot’.” Virgin Atlantic Four female pilots discuss life on the flightdeck Kate McWilliams: captain at easyJet At 26, Kate McWilliams became the youngest commercial captain in the world. “I love being a captain for easyJet,” she says. “And I’m really happy to be working for an airline that is working hard to increase the number of female pilots.” Flying was always her goal – but she didn’t realise how far she could take it. “I joined the air cadets at 13-years-old, but it wasn’t until much later that I realised I could become a commercial pilot,” she says. “EasyJet is aiming to inspire young women, with the Amy Johnson Flying Initiative and their sponsorship of the Brownies, giving girls aged seven to 10 the opportunity to earn an Aviation Badge. The work it’s doing is really important.” The Amy Johnson Flying Initiative was launched in October 2015 with the aim of doubling the number of female new entrant pilots, to 12 per cent, over a two-year period. After achieving its aim in the first year, the airline set a target of 20 per cent for new entrant cadet pilots in 2020. easyJet

“The kind attendant told us, ‘It’s ok! Flying is tough on everyone, and you are both doing great!’”

These simple words had a calming effect on both mother and child.

“She was right. We were doing great! We were doing our best, and that’s as great as it gets.”

On reflection, Hollifield had some choice words for the irritable passenger: “What you need to know, is that while children can be terribly inconvenient now, they will run the world when you are old and grey,” she wrote.

“I get it, kids can be a nuisance, but next time you are forced to be near one, I hope that you will be more like the flight attendant. I hope that instead of frustration and annoyance, you feel hope and goodness.

“This world certainly has enough negativity without us adding to it, and just maybe the kindness you give out today, will be returned to you in the future.”

Other parents acknowledged the challenges of travelling with young children and sympathised with Hollifield’s predicament.

“He’s had decades to learn to deal with his emotions under stressful circumstances, she is still learning self-control. One of them was being a brat and it wasn’t your child,” one commenter wrote.

Another said: “I never know what someone is going through, so I try to always be empathetic but mommin is hard…no need to compound an already stressful situation. You did great and hopefully his wife lovingly explained why HE was wrong.”