Chris Petty from Denver has gone viral on TikTok after sharing the unfortunate position he was in when passengers walked on to the flight he was due to be working on.
Petty told Newsweek that being spotted filming the viral video was the ultimate icebreaker. “In my seven years of flight attending this was the fastest friend I’ve ever made. This was a six am flight, so this was the first thing that poor passenger had to see.”
With the many challenges faced by flight attendants in their occupation, it’s no surprise to see a professional trying to find light humor in the day to day.
A survey released in 2021 by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA showed that the difficult and often abusive behavior that cabin crew have to endure has drastically risen in recent years.
The survey tested 5,000 flight attendants at the beginning of 2021, and more than 85 percent confirmed that they had to suffer unruly passenger behavior while at work. The results of the study have led the flight attendants’ union to call for a “zero tolerance policy” to protect workers from disruptive and dangerous passengers.
Before his passengers boarded their flight from Chicago to St. Louis, Petty hoped to film a funny video for his TikTok account, but he wasn’t expecting to film the outcome that took place.
After setting the phone up in front of him to record the TikTok, he hoisted himself up in the aisle between two seats and spun himself so he was upside down.
While holding this upside-down position, the moment Petty sees his passengers begin to board becomes clear as his face drops from sheer embarrassment, and he is forced to quickly dismount from the pose.
Despite laughing the moment off with those who saw him, Petty hopes those passengers don’t become regulars of his.
He said: “I just hope I never have to see them again!”
Fortunately, when it comes to service, Petty is no rookie, so as soon as he spotted his passengers boarding he swiftly got down from the chairs and shifted into work mode, walking towards them with professionalism.
The video was shared on TikTok on January 2 with the caption: “caught by passengers” to make light of the hilarious moment, and it generated over three million views in just a single day.
Many users were quick to comment on how instantly Petty’s face turns as he realizes his predicament, with many left wondering what other funny antics cabin crew might get up to when there supposedly aren’t any passengers around.
One TikTok user commented that he was “just checking under the seats one final time”, and another amused person said: “at least the dismount was smooth.”
Thankfully the experienced flight attendant wasn’t affected by the awkward incident and managed to return to his normal duties of serving his passengers without any further glitches.
Although he has shared regular videos in the past showing how he adds humor to his busy work life, none have garnered as much attention as this one.
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