‘Life-threatening situation’: Flight experts horrified by dangerous TikTok travel hack

Travel experts are furious after spotting a hack online for sleeping on a plane that could leave passengers in great danger.

It kicked off World War ZZZ.

Flight experts are raising alarm bells over a controversial seatbelt sleep hack, which they deemed both dumb and dangerous, circulating TikTok.

In the inflammatory tutorial, which currently boasts over 20 million views, TikTok user @Lexi demonstrates how travellers can catch ZZZs in the infamously cramped economy section by curling their legs up onto the seat.

The passenger then fastens the seatbelt around their legs like manacles, to presumably prevent them from slipping off the seat once they doze off.

“To whoever it was that said to put the plane belt around your ankles, I owe you my life,” she gushed in the caption.

The hack using a seatbelt has gone viral.

The hack has been praised online, but flight attendants are furious.

At first glance, this might seem like the perfect way for flyers to sleep on a plane sans the aid of a fully-reclinable business-class seat.

However, flight experts were quick to rip her method of snooze control, which they deemed potentially hazardous should the aircraft encounter any turbulence or other in-flight mishaps.

“If it’s attached to your ankles, this could put you in a life-threatening situation as you take extra time to first unbuckle and rebuckle your seatbelt,” Michael Wallace, travel expert and CEO of Greenback Expat Tax Services, told Thrillist.

“If the plane hits turbulence that causes you to lean forward at an increased rate, colliding with the seat in front of you and your knees can lead to two very different outcomes.”

He added that a sudden jolt could even cause the passenger to knee themself in the face, potentially causing a concussion.

@alexisburnaby1711

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Commenters seemed to agree that the sleep-belt technique was ludicrous.

“My knees would be like grenades when I unbuckled it,” scoffed one incredulous commenter, while another wrote, “No way that’s safe.”

A third wrote, “As a flight attendant … please don’t.”

Others pointed out they even got yelled at by air hostesses for assuming this in-flight foetal position.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission