A four-year-old girl suffered severe burns when a cup of boiling tea was accidentally knocked off a dining tray during a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Singapore on April 28. Stomp contributor Valerie, the child’s mother, recounted that the incident occurred around 5 a.m. while her family was asleep.
Valerie explained that a flight attendant served her tea, which she placed in the tray’s cup holder. As she adjusted her position, her leg accidentally hit the tray, causing the hot tea to spill onto her daughter’s legs while she slept. The child cried for an hour due to the burns.
The flight crew provided a first-aid kit with bandages and burn cream for them to treat their daughter. Upon landing at Changi Airport, they were taken to Raffles Clinic, though there was a 20-30 minute wait for medical attention due to a shortage of staff.
Valerie expressed concern over the tray’s design, describing the placement of the cup holder as problematic. She noted that other Qatar Airways flights feature trays with safer designs and has shared feedback with the airline, awaiting a full response. Valerie hopes her story raises awareness about the potential hazards of the tray design, especially for those requesting hot drinks.