A video showing a woman arguing with a flight attendant and refusing to fold her tray table before takeoff is going viral on social media. Users claim the woman didn’t comply because she had placed her “expensive bag” on the tray. However, this video is not genuine but a scripted performance. It was uploaded on YouTube by Fly High Institute, an aviation training center in Nagpur, which regularly shares such skits to raise awareness about in-flight conduct.
User @BhaavnaArora posted the clip, stating:
“She refused to fold the tray table because of her expensive bag. Sis, if your bag is too costly for takeoff, maybe you should’ve bought a jet — not a seat in economy.”
Several other accounts, including @mjavinod and @KathleenWinche3, amplified the video, sparking outrage online and mocking the passenger’s behavior.
Truth: Scripted Video from Aviation Institute, Not a Real Incident
As this post went viral, it drew our attention. The D Intent Data Team starts the investigation immediately. We conduct reverse image search with the help of Google Lens and did some frame by frame analysis. And we traced the clip back to Fly High Institute’s YouTube channel, where it was shared as part of a training/awareness series. It is one of many scripted videos created by the institute to depict flight etiquette scenarios and is not a real-life event.
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— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) June 28, 2025
ANALYSIS: Fake
FACT: A video showing a female passenger arguing with a cabin crew member and refusing to fold her tray table before takeoff is being circulated with the claim that an Indian girl refused to do so because of her expensive bag. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/PTSJZ0DMAQ
Intent:
Influencers are circulating scripted videos as real events to gain engagement and provoke outrage on social media.
Conclusion:
Claim: Woman refused to fold tray table due to expensive bag on a real flight.
Fact: The video is staged and posted by a training institute. It’s not a real incident.
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