A new and viral air travel trick has provoked fierce criticism from air crews and safety experts, who say it is dangerous and could result in a hefty financial penalty for non-compliance with aviation rules.
What’s the trick?
The hack supposedly makes long-haul flying more comfortable by allowing passengers to raise their knees, taking the weight out of their legs and providing a place to rest their head for sleeping. It is achieved by passengers putting their feet up on their seat – a position that usually cannot be maintained for long because airline seats are so shallow that one’s feet slip off easily. That issue solved by strapping the seatbelt around one’s ankles to hold the feet in place while relaxing.
In videos circulating on TikTok, various flyers have filmed themselves using the hack, with commentaries thanking the person who invented it for “changing my life” or declaring “flying has never been this comfortable before.”
@emilykrogsboel I wish i knew this three years ago before i started flying to Australia!!! #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #relatable #life #girls #everyday #couple #career #business #married #viral #australia #flying #seatbelt #hack #flights #fly #airport #airportlife #hacks #lifehack #girls ♬ Murda on the dancefloor sped up – Stan 🙂
Risk of serious injury or death
But before being tempted to try it out, flyers should be aware: it is the use, or misuse, of the seatbelt that has raised concerns among the aviation community. In what is essentially a squat position with the seatbelt strapped around one’s ankles instead of secured around one’s hips, there is nothing to prevent flyers from shooting out of their seats in case of turbulence or sudden deceleration. While passengers may point to the seatbelt and claim they are “wearing” it, the seatbelt is in fact rendered completely useless by buckling it in the viral way.
“DO NOT DO THIS” TikTok user MoxeyTravels insists, challenging the hack. As a former flight attendant she goes onto explain the risks involved with not being properly secured in one’s seat when turbulence strikes.
@moxeytravels Flying tip #1 – ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT (PROPERLY) #flyingtips #traveltips ♬ original sound – Moxey 🇨🇦✈️ Travels
She also physically demonstrates how a “knees up” position with the seatbelt around one’s ankles does not prevent one’s body from lifting towards the aircraft lockers and roof, or even being thrown around the plane – something that caused a fatality and over 30 hospitalisations on a Singapore Airlines flight out of London in 2024.
Violation of federal regulations
If the risk of a broken neck or harming another passenger is not enough to put flyers off the hack, Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, told CNN Travel, not only is the method “extremely dangerous” but “Bottom line, this is a violation of federal regulations and instructions from crew members,” wilful refusal of which she pointed out could “make you subject to a fine up to $35,000” (approximately €33,000).
For that amount, flyers seeking improved comfort could purchase several first class tickets offering privacy and flat bed accommodation, while avoiding harm and keeping other passengers safe too.
