As of: March 6, 2024, 9:39 a.m
By: Franziska Kaindl
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On a plane there is often a fight for every inch - and everyone tries to be as comfortable as possible.
However, you should ignore a TikTok travel tip.
Anyone who regularly flies economy class knows that things can quickly get tight.
Especially on long-haul flights, passengers still try to make themselves as comfortable as possible - for example with the help of neck pillows, sleeping masks or by folding back their seat backs.
However, passengers should not necessarily follow all of the tips for more comfort.
This also applies to a travel hack that is currently
making the rounds on the short video platform
TikTok .
All for comfort?
TikTok travel tip goes viral
Some TikTokers prefer to put the seatbelt around their feet rather than their hips.
(Symbolic image) © Pond5Images/Imago
The airlines' safety regulations actually stipulate that the belt must be strapped around the waist.
However, some TikTokers currently swear that it should be placed around the ankles - after the legs have been placed at an angle on the seat.
Many users find that you can sleep much better in this position.
And the strap ensures that the legs don't slip back down.
A video shared by user
@alexisburnaby1711
even reached over 20 million views.
“To the person who said to put the strap around your ankles... I owe you my life,” she wrote.
Many other users also shared their experiences and posted videos online.
“This life hack is so brilliant,” says user
suuga.spice,
for example .
Strap your ankles for more comfort?
Flight attendants advise against TikTok hack
What is currently being celebrated in the TikTok community is causing concern among flight attendants and travel experts.
“The seatbelt is designed to sit low and snug across the lap,” Sara Nelson, president of the US flight attendants union AFA-CWA, said of the
travel hack in a statement, according to the
Washington Post .
“This isn’t just for your safety.
If you are not properly restrained, you are likely to injure someone else if you are thrown into turbulence.”
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U.S. airline Delta spokesman Drake Castañeda agrees in the report: “Buckling up is one of the most important ways to stay safe on an airplane, especially when seen in the news and on social media “I hear severe turbulence,” he said.
Last year, for example, a video made headlines showing the effects of violent vibrations on a Lufthansa flight from Austin, Texas, to Frankfurt am Main.
Seven people were injured as a result of the turbulence.
Another flight attendant anonymously wrote an article about the TikTok hack in the British tabloid
The
Sun.
In addition to the risks mentioned in turbulence, she also sees a danger in emergency situations: “If you have to be evacuated quickly, you have to be able to get up and leave the plane as quickly as possible.” Passengers would only have a belt around their legs be hindered.
She also sees an increased risk of thrombosis and blood clots in this sitting position.
Because when the legs are bent, the blood flow in the veins becomes slower, as the
German Venen-Liga eV
also informs.
The disadvantages of this travel hack clearly outweigh the advantages - and according to the flight attendant, even these are hardly there, as she says.
“My main takeaway from all of this is that not everything you see on Tiktok is a good idea.
“So instead of blindly trying what other people think is smart, you should think about why it might not be so,” she concludes.