Every new workplace comes with new rules. For some, pranking a new hire in the workplace is part of the assimilation process. Nothing drastic, just something silly enough to get the whole office giggling. Or in the case of one newly minted Southwest Airlines flight attendant, the entire airplane chuckling.
In a TikTok video posted by Ericaonthefly (@ericaonthefly) she’s doing some unusual in-cabin work for her new employer, Southwest Airlines. A more senior crew member directed her to do it.
What’s The Flight Attendant New Hire Prank?
In a video that’s been viewed over 953,000 times, Erica is near the front of the plane. She’s fully decked out in her Southwest Airlines uniform and is holding a small plastic bag. To open the bag, she snaps it into the air. Then she “scoops” it over a passenger’s head. It’s unclear if she’s trying to help him or just infringe on his airspace.
Next she bundles the now air-filled plastic bag close to her chest and walks down the aisle toward the person videoing the scene. Meanwhile, Erica looks very serious.
However, there’s a little caveat. In the on-screen text, she put the “smack my face” emoji and the acronym, “iykyk,” which stands for “if you know you know.”
Erica had been directed by a superior to collect an air sample from the cabin. Though a decidedly low-tech approach, it is easy to imagine the new hire complying. Even if, as she said in the comments, “I didn’t learn this in training class.”
“I should have never told them I was new to aviation,” she captioned the post.
The ‘Air Test’
Viewers were familiar with the “air test” and shared that they, too, had fallen for it or other aviation pranks.
“Not the air test!!!!!” one viewer exclaimed.
“Oh lord she fell for the get a air sample….” another said.
“I was told to get the keys to turn on the airplane,” a third wrote.
“Been there, done that,” another wrote, including a picture of their own air-filled bag.
Southwest also got in on the fun, with a post, writing, “The very important air test [laughing emoji].”
Pranks Make Us Stronger
Most viewers probably see a harmless prank that the new employee was a good sport about. At the same time, the relationship among the Southwest crew was likely being strengthened. Michael Kurcina wrote on the site Spotter Up that while pranks can be seen as bullying or harassment, they can also bring an existing group closer. Pranks can also be used to bring a new person into a group.
The theory is that a well-done prank, that hurts no one and that everyone feels part of acts as a kind of “glue.” Intuition and patience are also an important aspect to consider for success. The key is to make the individual being pranked feel as if he or she is being laughed with, more than laughed at.
Legacy pranks, like the “air quality test,” become points of conversation, too. As odds are people will tell their own stories around the prank. The small details, like what they were thinking or how the passengers reacted, adds funny points for new coworkers to share. That can help build lasting rapport.
Pranks can also contribute to a creative workplace culture, reports Time Magazine.
IDEO is the design firm that brought the world the Apple mouse. “Pranks challenge the hidebound rules that can stifle creativity,” said IDEO general manager Tom Kelley.
Further, he said they “encourage the camaraderie that’s so essential to fruitful collaboration.”
So if you ever see this activity while on a plane, know that you’re in on the prank now too. We hope the air quality is good.
BroBible reached out to Erica via TikTok direct message and to Southwest Airlines via press email. We will update this if either replies.