We're all guilty of reading strangers' texts over their shoulders from time to time; after all, that's why so many of us have privacy screens stuck on our phones these days.
However, it seems that not everybody has learnt their lesson when it comes to peaking at another person's text messages, as one traveller's curiosity ended up getting an entire flight diverted.
Earlier this week, a passenger travelling on an American Airlines flight 1847 from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Dallas, Texas found themselves feeling a little bored after take-off, so decided to peer over at a string of text messages the passenger next to them had received.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, a misunderstanding about the contents of the messages would lead to the aircraft being forced to turnaround and making an emergency landing back in San Juan.
Advert
But what could the unnamed woman have seen on the other traveller's phone that made them feel the need to alert the crew that resulted in the flight being turned around just after take-off?
Had the other traveller forgotten to turn their oven off or pack critically important documents?
Nope, the whole debacle was caused by one very misunderstood 'RIP'.
According to Spanish language outlet Primera Hora, the passenger saw the RIP (rest in peace) text and immediately assumed the message was referring to the traveller themselves.
Advert
She then assumed the message was suggesting their was an imminent threat to everyone onboard the flight and promptly alerted a member of cabin crew.
The flight was then rerouted to land back at San Juan shortly after take-off as a precautionary measure, much to the confusion of everyone on board.
Unfortunately for the vigilant woman, the entire situation turned out to be one major misunderstanding.
The other passenger was interviewed by airport security Aerostar upon returning to the airport and was able to prove the message was in relation to a relative who'd recently died, which was the reason he was making the trip from Puerto Rico to Texas.
Advert
Meanwhile a thorough investigation of the aircraft revealed there was nothing sinister onboard, allowing the plane to ultimately resume its scheduled flight to Dallas.
"It was a mix-up that was handled in accordance with safety protocols," Aerostar's Nelman Nevárez explained to the outlet.
"There was no real threat to the flight or its passengers."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for American Airlines has also confirmed that the incident took place, telling USA Today: "Safety and security are our top priorities and we apologise to our customers for the inconvenience."
As for the unnamed passenger, let that be a lesson to pack a book or download a film for future flights, rather than relying on peaking at other travellers' messages.
Brenna Cooper