This week, Americans said goodbye to Spirit Airlines.
One of few budget carriers in the United States, the Spirit Airlines business model relied on offering cheap ticket prices, then charging significantly more for add-ons. This meant that, occasionally, you could get a flight for around the same price as a loaded-up cup of coffee.
This also meant that the airline developed a bit of a reputation. The thinking was that the average person wouldn’t risk getting kicked off a flight for which they paid $500—but if they only paid $30, they might consider throwing hands if necessary.
Was that reputation warranted? It’s hard to say, but there are plenty of viral stories about just how unhinged flights on the airline could be. Passengers on Spirit flights have reported people smoking on their flights, finding “super rats” onboard, and even flyers getting openly drunk with their own alcohol.
Now, Spirit Airlines has bid us adieu—but that doesn’t mean the wild in-flight experiences are over. In fact, one woman has the internet talking after filming a crazy in-flight announcement.
What Happened On This Flight?
In a video with over 344,000 views, TikTok user Chloe (@chloeeleanorr) shows herself on a flight. She’s covering her mouth in apparent disbelief.
“This is your flight attendant speaking,” an announcement states. “Please be warned that all alcoholic beverages and pot are legal on this flight. The pilots are kind of f—— up and so are the flight attendants. We’ll be playing music throughout the cabin.”
In the text overlaying the video, the TikToker writes, “Im crying how is this [allowed].”
Is This Real?
Fortunately, there’s no airline on Earth that is actually openly allowing its pilots to show up drunk and high.
This is a meme that appears to have been created by the TikToker, which she first posted in 2021. At that time, she captioned the sound with, “Is this why my spirit flight was so cheap?!?!”
In reality, the FAA is (understandably) pretty strict about drinking and smoking on planes. If an employee on safety-sensitive functions blows over just 0.02 BAC, they are temporarily removed from their role. Official guidance advises a minimum of eight hours from the last drink to flying. It even suggests that pilots consider waiting a full 24 hours after their last drink before getting behind the throttle.
Passengers are allowed to drink on planes. That said, they will likely get cut off if they behave in a drunken manner. Not only that, but excessive drunken behavior—especially if you’re the type to get a little unruly—can result in major fines and even prison sentences.
In short, getting drunk on a plane is a pretty big no-no, no matter if you’re sardine-packed onto a Frontier flight or sitting pretty in United’s Polaris.
Is There Any Flight Where This Is Legal?
Sure, pilots aren’t allowed to light up—but is there any airline on Earth that allows passengers to do so?
It seems like the answer to that question is “no.” There are some airlines that allow passengers to travel domestically with weed, as it’s legal in the country where the airline is located. For example, passengers in Canada are allowed to travel domestically with marijuana in both their checked and carry-on bags—though they can’t smoke it on the flight.
In contrast, there is a federal cannabis ban in the United States. Consequently, FAA says that weed is not allowed onboard American aircraft.
That said, there have been documented cases of people getting high on their own private aircraft. For example, back in 2014, the pilot of Justin Bieber’s private plane claimed that they had to wear an oxygen mask because the plane was so filled with marijuana smoke.
So, if the edibles aren’t cutting it and you really want to smoke weed on a flight, it looks like you’re going to need to start saving up for a private jet.
Commenters Have Thoughts
In the comments section, many users joked about Spirit Airlines. Others simply enjoyed the idea of such a flight existing at all.
“I wanna fly with them,” declared a user.
“I’m flying tomorrow and I pray this is my pilot,” shared a second.
“I need the info for this flight asap. I will only be flying them from now on,” stated a third.
BroBible reached out to Chloe via email and Instagram direct message.