A video of a passenger appearing in "shock" after seeing the man next to her clap on a plane has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was shared by @jasonbooye and has had 1.6 million views since it was posted on June 3. The moment was apparently captured on a Spirit Airlines flight, according to a hashtag shared with the post.
Read more: Compare the Best Rewards Credit Cards for Travel
The footage shows a woman smiling at the camera while sitting on a plane. As she leans forward towards the camera, the man sitting next to her slowly begins clapping. Wide-eyed and appearing shocked, the woman stares back at him, while others on the plane begin to clap along with him before the clip ends.
Why Do People Clap At the End of a Flight?
The strange ritual of clapping when an aircraft lands dates back to at least the 1970s.
Passengers would, in the past, routinely burst into applause each time their plane touched down, according to Patrick Smith, an airline pilot and the author of Cockpit Confidential.Read more: Which Airlines Have the Best (or Worst) Fees?
He told Newsweek in January 2023: "I came of age, flying-wise, in the late '70s and early '80s, and the phenomenon was still widespread. No surprise that it seldom happens anymore."
However, you still see people clapping from time to time and when it does happen, it seems to be largely an "economy-class phenomenon," he noted.
Smith explained: "You'll be apt to look for socioeconomic meaning to this, and maybe there is one, but the dynamics of economy class—more people sitting closer together—lend itself to the occasion.
"There's a certain communal spirit, especially after a long-haul flight, when you've spent several hours in a relatively intimate space with hundreds of people. I don't see it as a judgment on the landing so much as a big collective handshake," the pilot said.
'Priceless'
The latest clip has left TikTok users in stitches, with many being embarrassed along with the woman in the video.
Signal65 said: "Her reaction is priceless." War noted: "The shock on her face!! Hahahaha."
PeppersParadise said: "She is mortified." User bean wrote: "My jaw also dropped lmao."
🇨🇩 tjscott 🇵🇸 noted: "The pure horror lmaooo." And Stephanie Leeann72 said: "I would literally die if my husband did this."
Others seemed less bothered by the clapping, such as Benifer, who said: "It's just fun to clap."
"Personally i love when people clap because it's like they're applauding me that i survived," said @vanessaspamrry.
Johnny Come Lately noted: "If people clap, I like to whistle to take it up to an absurd level."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
A stock image of a smiling couple clapping on a plane. A video of a woman's "priceless" reaction to a man clapping next to her on a plane has gone viral on TikTok.A stock image of a smiling couple clapping on a plane. A video of a woman's "priceless" reaction to a man clapping next to her on a plane has gone viral on TikTok.iStock / Getty Images PlusDo 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.
