A two-hour flight should, by all accounts, be pretty straightforward. However, TikTok user Emma O’Doherty (@booksdabob) has gone viral after encountering an unusual complication on her Spirit Airlines flight.
The TikTok involves a disgruntled-looking O’Doherty looking at the camera before pointing it to the front of the plane. A crew member gets on the intercom encouraging passengers to “shake [their] spirit fingers” while they stretch their arms during what looks like a sit-down yoga class.
Via on-screen text, O’Doherty added that she was in the midst of an in-flight nap when this occurred. “As a Brit I will NEVER understand being woken up mid-flight for this,” she wrote.
The clip amassed 712,600 views.
O’Doherty didn’t immediately respond to BroBible’s request for comment via TikTok comment and email. Spirit Airlines didn’t immediately respond to BroBible’s request for comment via email.
How Did Commenters React?
For the most part, commenters were just as confused as O’Doherty. “Been flying my whole 18 years of life and have NEVER seen this,” one wrote. “As an American who flies regularly, I am also confused,” a second echoed. A third added, “I’ve taken easily 200+ flights on lots of different airlines and never seen anything like this!”
Amid the confusion, a fourth suggested a crew member went rogue, writing, “Yeah this isn’t an airline procedure, this is just some random air steward going off on a tangent.”
Other commenters stressed that, like O’Doherty, they wouldn’t exactly appreciate the yoga lesson, with a fifth saying, “I never, ever, ever want to fly on an airline that does this. Do not interfere with my personal time.”
However, a sixth suggested that there might be a reason behind the chaos, noting, “It’s to prevent blood clots. It’s important to move every part of your body periodically during a flight.”
Airplane Yoga Has Become Widespread
The concept of airplane yoga first went viral on TikTok last year. In the video in question, which at the time of writing has 2.1 million views, EasyJet passengers stretch their arms and follow the instructions of a crew member while “Maniac” by Michael Sembello plays in the background. However, airplane yoga has actually been going on longer than just 2025.
Two TikToks from 2024—which were filmed on a Spirit Airlines flight and Southwest Airlines flight, respectively—feature passengers following similar instructions to the ones given in the 2025 video.
However, this trend actually seems to date back as far as 2018, with a YouTube video depicting a Spirit Airlines flight attendant encouraging people in a similar manner to the other TikTok clips.
The fact that this happens on several different airlines suggests it’s not something unique to Spirit. It is most likely something that is done at the discretion of the on-board crew. So, next time you go on a flight, you better be prepared. You never know, you might get a surprise yoga session too. Failing to participate may well be a flight attendant’s pet peeve.
@booksdabob two hour flight btw😐 keep your spirit fingers on silent #newyearnojob #americatravel #campamerica #postcamptravel #spiritairlines