Passenger Makes Worrying Realization on the Plane: 'Wish Me Luck'

A video capturing the moment a passenger on a plane realizes that they forgot to unplug an electrical device at home has gone viral on TikTok. The clip was shared by @a_loraa1 and has amassed more than 7.7 million views since it was posted on June 18. A message overlaid on the clip reads: "Should I tell my parents that I forgot to unplug my hair straightener?" The footage shows the hand of a person sitting on a plane, putting up the window blind as the camera looks out at a blue sky. In a later comment, the poster said: "We are going back today guys, wish me luck." More From Newsweek Vault: Compare the Best Rewards Credit Cards for Travel Travel sees continued strong growth in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. Total passenger demand in April was reported to be up 11 percent, compared with April 2023, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported in May. In November 2023, globally total air traffic was reported to be at 99.1 percent of November 2019 (pre-pandemic) levels, according to an IATA report in January. More From Newsweek Vault: Which Airlines Have the Best (or Worst) Fees? The passenger's concern over the possibility of having left a hair device unplugged is understandable due to the potential fire hazard. A February 2022 report by the National Fire Protection Association found that fire departments responded to an average of around 46,700 home fires involving electrical failure or malfunction each year from 2015 to 2019. These fires caused an average of around 390 civilian deaths and 1,330 civilian injuries each year in the same time period; there was an estimated $1.5 billion in direct property damage a year. Electrical failures or malfunctions were the second leading cause of electrical home fires from 2015 to 2019, accounting for 13 percent of home structure blazes, the report found. Luckily, the passenger in the aforementioned viral clip later found out that the hair straightener was removed from the electrical socket after they left. A note overlaid on a subsequent video shared by the poster on June 25 read: "UPDATE! My mom unplugged it before we left." The clip shows a view of the cord of the hair straightener unplugged on a floor inside a room.

'So Scared'

Users on TikTok were relieved for the passenger in the viral clip. User maryphilips20 posted, "Thank god i was worried," and @lillieluuvsyouu commented: "Yayyyy i was soo scared for uu." "Well you got lucky there..." wrote @lola_unicarn and @girlsinto.mo added: "all that anxiety for nothing." "Mum's a lifesaver," wrote @meanie_alert. Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified. Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.