Passenger Gets Business Class 'Etiquette' All Wrong, Internet in Hysterics

2 hours ago 1

A video of a woman on a plane appearing confused about the "etiquette" around towels has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip was posted by @melissajasmine4 and has amassed almost 5 million views since it was shared on December 15. The moment was captured on a business-class flight with British Airways, according to hashtags shared with the post. A note overlaid on the clip reads: "When you fly business & don't know the etiquette."

The footage shows a woman on a plane sitting in business class. A flight attendant is standing beside her holding a tray of towels. The passenger then reaches to grab a towel before realizing the tray was actually meant to collect used ones.

A caption shared with the post adds: " … I thought she was giving me another towel, but she just wanted to trade in my dirty one."

Fifty-seven percent of Americans are preparing for winter travel, with 96 percent planning to travel as much or even more than last winter, according to the TripAdvisor study released in November.

Business-class seating has been prioritized by some airlines in recent years, scaling back on first-class seats due to dropping demand and to increase space for more business-class ones.

In October 2022, American Airlines said it would be doing away with first-class seating on international flights, replacing it with business-class seats, which more people are willing to pay for.

Vasu Raja, the airline's former chief commercial officer, reportedly said in a conference call with investors at the time that "first class will not exist … at American Airlines for the simple reason that our customers aren't buying it," reported CNN.

"The quality of the business-class seat has improved so much. And frankly, by removing [first class] we can go provide more business class seats, which is what our customers most want or are most willing to pay for," Raja said at the time, according to CNN.

Delta Air Lines and United have also reportedly nearly halved their first-class seats in the last decade or so.

'The Embarrassment'

TikTok users could relate to the moment in the viral clip and were amused by the misunderstanding, including apparently the flight attendant who served the poster.

Charxx890 wrote: "Haha That's me! I was the cabin crew serving you. hope you enjoyed your flight." The original poster replied: "Omg [oh my God] haha. Thanks for not laughing too much, you were a star!"

Katie.ellingson posted: "I would have dwelled on that moment the entire plane ride lol."

Zach Tancredi noted: "The embarrassment in your face."

User destinationdonatelli commented, "This would be me," and katya agreed, saying, "It's something I would do tbh [to be honest]."

Bianca posted: "Almost the same thing happened to me but I grabbed the tray."

Daniel Marleau wrote: "each time I work business it happens to passengers!"

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.