Dad sparks debate after sharing video of flight attendant feeding his son

Travelling with kids can be rough, especially on a long-haul flight. Any extra help you can get is always appreciated.

But one dad, who shared a video of a flight attendant helping make his flight that little bit easier, has sparked a massive debate online.

Michael Rutherford was on a gruelling 12-hour flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Tokyo with his young son, when a Singapore Airlines flight attendant went above and beyond to help the dad out.

Michael shared a video from the flight on Instagram, which shows a flight attendant crouched down next to his son's seat in business class, spoon-feeding the youngster while he's engrossed in something on his electronic device.

He captioned the clip, which has since been viewed more than 24 million times: "What would you do if this happened to you? We’re having the greatest flight ever and this just made it even more perfect."

Instagram/@michaelrutherfordonline

But, the seemingly sweet clip has divided opinion on social media, garnering more than 9,000 comments.

Some people praised the flight attendant for the first-class service she offered the father-and-son duo.

One person wrote: "Little man is living his best life! Kudos to the awesome flight attendant!!"

Another said: "She probably misses her children. This is sweet of her to let the parent sleep."

Meanwhile, a third claimed that Singapore Airlines were 'the BEST.'

However, not everyone was in favour of the flight attendant's actions, with some slamming Michael for not feeding his son himself and others saying child was too old to be spoon-fed.

Instagram/@michaelrutherfordonline

One person commented: "Flight attendants are not babysitters. They are there for the safety of the passengers."

"That child is old enough to feed himself," said another.

Another wrote: "You’re showing the whole world you’re a shameful parent."

Michael has since responded to his critics in an interview with Business Insider.

He said: "The flight attendant asked if she could help him and showed him so much kindness, holding his hand, talking to him, and even feeding him a few bites.

"He engaged with her, talked to her, said thank you and the 13-second clip was just one part of a 12-hour flight."

Singapore Airlines have also commented on the now-viral clip, saying that it's 'heartened to see our cabin crew's warm service to Michael and his family'.