Photo © 2006 AP Photo/Paul Miller, File

67-year-old American business woman, Jean Barnard, set off on her dream holiday early last year. But on the first leg, aboard a Darwin-bound flight, a three-year-old boy across the aisle reached across and let out a scream so shrill that blood erupted from her ears and left her “stone cold deaf”.

Although no other passengers were injured on the flight, Ms Barnard was rushed off the plane straight to hospital, bringing an abrupt end to her trip. She was scheduled to travel around Australia and New Zealand and now remembers the incident as when “my life came to an end, January 16, 2009”.

Ms Barnard has been locked in a legal battle with Qantas for over a year claiming severe and permanent injuries, including sudden sensio-neural hearing loss. She was seeking damages for physical and mental suffering, medical expenses, and loss of earning capacity. Ms Barnard has now settled the case out of court.

Qantas’s US legal team had fought the case, claiming she had a hearing problem before she boarded the plane, but since the settlement neither party will reveal whether Ms Barnard accepted money as part of the truce.

What do you think about kids on planes? Would you pay extra to fly on a child-free flight?