- Travelers are wrapping seatbelts around their ankles and legs to get comfortable on planes.
- Two flight attendants warned against the hack.
One thing most travelers can agree on is that a plane seat isn't comfortable.
There are countless neck pillows to fit every type of sleeper, and someone even designed a hammock for your feet — all in the name of getting cozy on an aircraft.
On TikTok, a new approach has gained some attention. Over the past few weeks, travelers have shared a hack where they wrap the plane's seatbelt around their ankles and legs. This creates a position where your feet are on the seat and not sliding off.
While some people on TikTok have shared their experience trying the hack, user @alexisburnaby's video went viral. It was posted at the beginning of February and had 21.3 million views as of Tuesday.
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While some commenters and TikTokers love the approach, two flight attendants told Business Insider it's a terrible idea.
Both flight attendants said it could pose a safety risk
"Absolutely not," CiCi, a flight attendant at a major airline, told BI. "It's unsafe." CiCi, who shares airline tips on TikTok and Instagram, asked BI to omit her full name and the airline she works for. BI has verified her employment.
She said her main concern with the approach is turbulence.
"Turbulence can happen unexpectedly," she said. "Improper usage can injure you or other passengers."
If a plane hit some unexpected bumps, this could force a passenger's head into their knees or the seat in front of them, potentially causing a concussion, Michael Wallace, travel expert and CEO of Greenback Expat Tax Services, told Thrillist.
Lea, an American Airlines flight attendant who goes by @flightattendantbaelee on TikTok and Instagram, agreed. Lea's full name is also omitted for privacy reasons, but her employment has been verified.
Lea told BI that emergency landings were the first thing that came to her mind when she saw the video. She said it could take a traveler longer to get the seatbelt unbuckled and delay a quick evacuation.
"I understand their logic through the comments, but it's probably a terrible idea," Lea said. "If you were to have to evacuate, it seems like it would be a bit of an issue."
Thankfully, both flight attendants said they had not seen passengers using the method on recent flights.
If they did, though, they both agreed they would politely ask the passenger to wear their seatbelt correctly.