Flight Attendants Are Now Checking That All Passengers Are Real After Viral Karen Meltdown

Carly Tennes Published 07/13/2023 in Funny

Carry-ons? Properly stowed. Seatbelts? Fastened. Shapeshifting fake passengers? Nowhere to be found, thanks to these flight attendants’ latest addition to their pre-takeoff checklist.

A Karen who delayed an American Airlines flight from Dallas, Texas to Orlando, Florida after throwing a tantrum about a passenger she insisted was “not real” earlier this month launched a new trend with her viral meltdown, convincing flight attendants to make sure all passengers are real people before hitting the friendly skies.

“POV: I am making sure everyone is real before this plane takes off,” stewardess @georginaflys captioned her clip, which amassed more than 8 million views in its first four days on TikTok.

@georginaflys we will not close this door until i know #shapeshifter #fyp #flight #attendant #flightattendant #notreal #fy #foryou ♬ Running through my mind - N.

“POV: Making sure everyone is Real,” esthetician and American Airlines gate agent wrote alongside a video of her eyeing passengers waiting to board, the Law & Order theme song playing in the background.

@_justcandace No shapeshifters on this flight today! #thatmfisnotreal #flights #airlineagent #travel #traveltipsandhacks #mainlineairlines ♬ Law and Order - The Hollywood Prime Time Orchestra

These checks aren’t just reserved for before takeoff.

“Making sure everybody is still real during my garbage run,” @stefenjc wrote, also atop the crime drama’s opening number.

@stefenjc Not on my flight shapeshifters! Laski side is clear! VC: @Geo Linares #airlinetiktok #flightattendant #aviation #cabincrew ♬ Law and Order - The Hollywood Prime Time Orchestra

Passengers, too have also gotten in on the fun, uploading videos of themselves scanning their aircraft for any imposters lurking among the exit rows.

“Making sure everyone on my flight is real and not shapeshifting aliens in green hoodies,” model @laurenblakeee wrote in her take on the trend.

@laurenblakeee Verticle winking #womanonplane #womanonplanesayingapersonisnotreal #shapeshift #greenhoodie #womanonairplane #airplane #alien #alienonplane ♬ Law and Order - The Hollywood Prime Time Orchestra

Tots, too are also taking steps to make sure their fellow travelers are legit.

“He’s making sure everyone on the plane is real before the flight takes off,” @dejalana captioned an adorable clip of a child saying “hi” to flyers while toddling through the aisle.

@dejalana
he’s making sure everyone on the plane is real before the flight takes off
♬ original sound - dejalana

These viral clips come days after the video of the passenger meltdown became social media’s latest Karen obsession.

“I’m telling you, I’m getting the f–k off and there’s a reason why I’m getting the f–k off and everyone can either believe it or they can not believe it,” the woman, who has yet to be publicly identified, exclaimed in her viral clip. “You can sit on this plane and you can die with them or not. I’m not going to.”