Aviation experts raise concerns after TikTok ‘hack’ goes viral

A TikTok user has created some discontent over a video that shows an unconventional way of using a seatbelt to sleep on planes. Photo / Getty Images

Aviation experts have expressed concerns regarding a contentious trick for sleeping on flights that has gone viral on TikTok, amassing over 21.2 million views and two million likes.

The video, posted by @alexisburnaby1711, shows the user Lexi illustrating a way for passengers to get comfy and sleep on an economy flight.

The ‘travel hack’ in question, which experts have labelled as both foolish and hazardous, involves the passenger pulling her legs up onto the seat and buckling the seatbelt around them to hold them in place.

The method is seemingly supposed to stop the passenger from falling out of the seat with her legs up while she falls sleep.

“To whoever it was that said to put the plane belt around your ankles, I owe you my life,” she cheered in the caption below the video.

At first glance, this may appear to be the ideal method for passengers to nap comfortably while flying. The other, more expensive option is to get a reclinable seat in business class, which many can’t afford.

@alexisburnaby1711

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But instead, professionals in the aviation industry swiftly criticised her approach to setting yourself up for sleep on a long-haul flight, considering it an unsafe position to be in during turbulence or any potential in-flight incidents.

Michael Wallace, the chief executive of Greenback Expat Tax Services and a seasoned travel expert, said to Thrillist: “If it’s attached to your ankles, it could put you in a life-threatening situation as you take extra time to first unbuckle and rebuckle your seatbelt”.

“If the plane hits turbulence that causes you to lean forward at an increased rate, colliding with the seat in front of you and your knees can lead to two very different outcomes.”

He also mentioned that a passenger could face a potential concussion by hitting themselves in the face with their knee if the plane suddenly jerks.

Most TikTok users commenting on the video appeared to conclude that the seatbelt method of sleeping on a plane was absurd.

A self-identified cabin crew member commented: “As a flight attendant ... please don’t”.

“That is such a medical emergency waiting to happen,” said one person, amassing 15,000 likes in support.

“Ok but that is not safe,” wrote another person.

Another user pointed out how uncomfortable this position would be for their knees, stating: “My knees would be like grenades when I unbuckled it”. Their comment received over 122,000 likes.

Some individuals also mentioned that they were told off by flight attendants for putting themselves in this fetal position while flying.