Stunned airline passenger watches worker putting tape on plane wing before takeoff
Stunned airline passenger watches worker putting tape on plane wing before takeoff
If you're the type of person who gets nervous before a flight, a worker taping the plane together is not what you'd ideally like to see before take-off.
That's what one passenger saw when she looked out the window of a Spirit Airlines plane.
TikToker @myhoneysmacks was waiting for her flight to takeoff from Nashville International Airport when she spotted the unusual maintenance job - and it absolutely terrified her.
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Clearly a little traumatised by what she's seeing, she can be heard saying: "The reason why I don’t fly with Spirit.
"I don’t care if it is aviation airplane tape or nothing, the fact that you have to tape the plane together and then you doing it while people are on the flight like we cannot see you.
"That’s the reason why I will not fly with Spirit, now Southwest I’ll do, but Spirit no sir."
She continued: "After a while, they’re going to need a fresh new roll of tape, their tapes gonna lose all its stickiness, you flying all around the world and you got tape holding it together. Don’t even worry about it, I won’t be booking with you."
The video quickly went viral, earning over 1.6 million views.
While some viewers were just as petrified as the passenger, others assured her that using that tape, known as Speed Tape, was pretty common practice among all airlines - not just Spirit.
Speed Tape is an extremely durable type of aluminium tape that can withstand extreme environmental conditions and up to 600mph winds, and is regularly used for minor plane repairs.
It does look a little bit like duct tape, though, which might be why the sight of it going on a plane wing is a little daunting for passengers onboard.
"It's speed tape. It [temporarily] repairs things. You don't think southwest [does] this? Lol," commented one TikTok user.
A second agreed: "That's gorilla glue tape girly, [you're] safer than you were before it was fixed."
"So many people overreacting... it's completely normal," a third viewer added.
And a fourth, who claimed to have a background in aviation, even told her: "I’m an airplane mechanic every and I mean every airline uses speed tape on planes. And yes we routinely have to apply it after each flight."
But still, some followers did not like the look of what they were seeing.
"Baby I would've RAN off the plane! And got my money back," one horrified viewer wrote.
"Yeah, absolutely not!!!" commented a second.
LADbible has contacted Spirit Airlines for comment.
Ali Condon