A man has ignited a fiery debate after criticising parents for bringing their sick toddler on a flight. He expressed his frustration, stating he has no issue with babies on planes unless they're "walking Petri dishes", spreading germs throughout the cabin.

On Reddit, he made a plea to all parents: "If your kids are sick, stay home! No one deserves to get sick because of your selfishness."

His ordeal began when he boarded a flight and was greeted by the sound of a child's relentless crying, sniffing, and coughing just a row behind him. Despite initially shrugging it off due to having earbuds and anticipating a short journey, his tolerance waned as the flight progressed.

"The flight takes off and the kids finally settle down... enough so that all I can hear are their phlegmy coughs. Yep, these parents knowingly brought their sick kids onto a plane full of people and didn't even bother giving a heads up to people so they could pre-emptively mask up."

After resorting to his own cloth masks, he complained it was too late. Now, he claims to be battling the child's cold, struggling to breathe four days later.

He continued: "That's not the worst part. The reason they were on the plane?? So that the walking Petri dishes could meet their baby cousin. Not only did they infect all the people around them on the plane, they are also going to greet a newborn with this sickness."

Online opinions were divided, with one user advising to expect such scenarios during winter: "You're better off assuming that anytime you fly in winter you're sitting in a giant bucket of germs."

Another added: "Given how air circulates inside airplanes, honestly wouldn't be surprised if you got it from someone else." A third sympathised but highlighted the dilemma faced by travellers: "This is a tough one because obviously I don't want to be trapped with sick kids in a giant metal tube, but at the same time, airlines don't do refunds because you're sick. If I dropped $2k (£1.6k) on flights I'm going. Plus, if you get sick during your trip you have no choice really but to fly back while sick. Just one of those unfortunate realities of air travel."