A certain American Airlines A319 flight may soar to viral fame thanks to a passenger who decided to partake in an unconventional mid-air pick-me-up, and I’m not talking about a double espresso.
The brief yet bizarre scene was captured on video by a quick-thinking fellow traveler and the video, just three seconds long, was later posted to Reddit. Here’s the scene:
In the clip, our unnamed protagonist is seen dipping a tiny spoon nonchalantly into a small container of white powder. With all the aplomb of someone adjusting an air vent, he proceeds to inhale the substance right there in his seat. No whispers, no sneaky bathroom trips–just an unapologetic display of high-altitude hijinks, a bit like a low-budget remake of the Wolf of Wall Street.
Reddit users were quick to comment on this high-flying spectacle, with reactions running the gamut. A couple of them were pretty funny:
“On a 319, kinda hard to blame him”
“They got my sealed jar of blueberry preserves from Maine, but this guy gets coke through.”
The airline industry is no stranger to challenges regarding passenger behavior. From unruly conduct to intoxication, flight crews often have their hands full maintaining peace and safety in the skies.
I’m not exactly sure why this would be the case, but it seems like outlandish passenger behavior has become far more common since Covid hit. We know from FAA data that there was a massive 74% increase in unruly passenger behavior in 2021, but it’s interesting that the trend is continuing after Covid has faded into the periphery. Perhaps that’s just bad luck, or maybe it augurs something more concerning like falling public trust and increasing anti-social behavior.
On the bright side, in-flight entertainment has never been better.
