For those who suffer from severe aerophobia, flying is a stressful experience all on its own. Combine that with a fear of rats, and a flying trip could easily become a one-way ticket to sheer panic.
Now, rats being on a plane might be a far-fetched concept to some. After all, we’re used to snakes on a plane thanks to Samuel L. Jackson, but that’s just a movie. One airplane encounter on TikTok, however, has fully showcased how horrifying one’s experience can be when a rodent is maneuvering through the lights of an aircraft and startling unsuspecting passengers in the process.
The aforementioned TikTok was shared on the social platform by NBC News, depicting the moment a passenger on a Spirit Airlines flight caught sight of a rodent moving around in the lights above. Captions on the video suggested that Spirit Airlines is aware of the issue and that the company is currently addressing the situation.
Given how many head-turning issues have been reported on various airlines as of late — especially American Airlines and even Spirit in the past — it’s easy to understand why a large portion of flyers feel uncomfortable with the idea of flying at the moment. Let’s be honest, having to fly thousands of feet in the sky while a rodent moves around in the lights above you would certainly be an off-putting situation.
Considering how shocking the scenario is as a whole, fellow TikTokers were quick to dash to the comments to express just how dangerous it is for a rat to move around inside of an airplane — including the possibility of the rodent chewing electrical wires and hydraulics compartments, especially if the rat destroys these parts of the aircraft during an actual flight.
Of course, other onlookers decided to take a more comedic approach, with some referring to the rodent in question as “the chef,” meaning Remy from Ratatouille, while other TikTokers amusingly suggested the rat could have purchased a ticket and belonged on this flight, or that perhaps he was the new pilot of the aircraft.
Regardless of the split barrier between panic and humor of the situation, the truth is that a wire-chewing rat could certainly create a whirlwind of problems for an aircraft. AOPA specifically reports that mice or rats chewing wiring are not unheard of, which is why prevention is so important to ensure the safety of the passengers onboard.
Now, Remy from Ratatouille is certainly not the culprit here, but there’s simply no reason to discount the fact that Spirit Airlines needs to get this matter sorted sooner rather than later. After all, for those of us terrified of flying enough as it is, and who experience a multitude of anxiety and stress both in pre-flight and during the trip, the last thing we need in the back of our minds is the image of a hungry rat chewing wires and affecting the aircraft’s ability to fly correctly. Let’s just be glad that the electrical wires don’t resemble a block of Swiss cheese — then we’d really be in trouble.
