A woman had an epic surprise on her flight when she discovered that the "stranger" sitting beside her was wearing a disguise.
Jen Clement was traveling from her home in Paradise, California, to North Carolina to celebrate her 50th birthday with her twin brother, and after boarding her flight, someone sat beside her and made her feel slightly uneasy. However, once she realized it was her brother in disguise, she was over the moon.
"Before I knew it was him, he made me kind of nervous," she told Newsweek. "I could tell from side glances that his eyebrows and mustache were fake because they didn't match the hair that was poking out from under his hat."
Clement shared a video on TikTok showing her reaction when she realized her brother had surprised her. In the clip, which has amassed more than 1 million views since Clement posted it this week, her brother can be seen wearing a fake mustache, sun glasses and a hat.
He turns the camera to his sister and wishes her a happy birthday, and she looks confused until the realization hits and her jaw drops. "Dude, are you serious?" Clement says.
She told Newsweek: "I didn't know what he was up to, but in my head I had it all planned out what I was going to do if he tried something crazy.
"At one point I considered seeing if I could change seats, but because I'm shy, I didn't want to ask. Thankfully, it wasn't anybody crazy. It was just my big brother trying to give me the best birthday surprise ever!"
She added: "My brother and I haven't shared a birthday with each other for over 15 years, so being able to be together on our 50th birthday was really important to me. I really didn't think it would ever happen with work schedules and all.
"My family actually surprised me with this trip a week before I flew out there. So having my older brother on the plane with me was another big surprise for me."
Domestic air travel has been growing over the past few years following the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2023, more than 819 million passengers flew across the United States, according to Statista.
The Christmas holiday period in particular is a highly busy time for U.S. air travel, and the TSA has been preparing for the large volume of passenger traffic at a number of airports around the country.
TikTok users loved Clement's surprise from her brother, with hundreds taking to the comments section of her video to share their reactions.
"The best my brother did was wake me up on my birthday with a cold bucket of water and proceeded to say 'congrats on getting closer to death,'" one viewer wrote.
"The smile and fear behind your eyes combo is so good," another said.
A commenter added, "This is so wholesome I love it."
Has a dream vacation turned into a nightmare? Whether it's a missed flight or lost luggage, we want to hear about your travel disasters. Let us know via life@newsweek.com, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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