A traveler says her flight turned into a sauna on the tarmac—with no air conditioning and one surreal suggestion from the crew: “meditate.”
TikTok user @brigchicago posted a video showing what she described as sweltering conditions aboard a plane that had stopped moving for an unknown reason. She didn’t specify how long the aircraft sat grounded, but said the temperature inside the cabin soared to a staggering 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the clip, passengers can be seen fanning themselves with the in-flight safety cards. Meanwhile, flight attendants, according to @brigchicago, offered little more than hollow reassurances.
“POV: it’s 130 degrees on the plane & you’re being told to meditate,” she wrote in the text overlay.
A crew member is heard telling passengers they were “doing our best,” urging everyone to stay calm.
The video has racked up over 1.3 million views as of Tuesday.
@brigchicago hasn’t posted a follow-up, but it’s likely her flight fell victim to what travelers dread most: a prolonged tarmac delay.
And she wouldn’t be the first. In July 2023, a United flight scheduled to depart Newark for Rome left passengers stewing on the runway for seven hours, without water, food, or functioning A/C.
That same month, a Delta flight in Las Vegas reportedly kept passengers aboard for up to four hours in 111-degree heat, also without air conditioning. Several were treated by medics, and at least two people ended up hospitalized.
More recently, in June 2024, dozens of athletes headed to the IFMA World Muaythai Championships were trapped on a Qatar Airways flight in Greece with no ventilation. The cabin got so hot that passengers reportedly passed out and stripped down to stay conscious.
In other words, @brigchicago’s story fits an alarming pattern—and airlines don’t seem to be learning from it.
Per the U.S. Department of Transportation, domestic flights can’t legally remain on the tarmac for more than three hours—four for international trips—unless there’s a legitimate safety or security concern.
At the two-hour mark, airlines are supposed to provide basic necessities: water, a snack, and access to a functioning bathroom, for instance.
Plenty of viewers were horrified by the conditions and made it clear they would’ve lost it.
“I would be having a medical emergency,” one person wrote.
“I would have had a panic attack,” another added.
“I’m pulling the emergency door, and we’re all getting fresh air,” someone joked. “Put me on the no-fly list.”
Others came to the flight crew’s defense, saying the attendants were stuck in the same mess with few options.
“She’s just trying to help,” one person wrote. “It’s not like this situation is her fault.”
“As a former flight attendant… they don’t train us on situations like this,” another added. “She’s doing her best in an awful situation with no other options.”
“People are so rude. She’s trying to help everyone understand the situation and cope,” a third chimed in. “Staying still and ‘meditating’ would lower the spread of heat as well as keep people as cool as possible.”
And then, of course, some tried to laugh through it.
“Have they tried having a kid sing Moana?” one person asked, channeling their inner chaos agent.