With “fake news” being the new hot word that people want to grab onto, it’s important to note that tricks, fakery, and embellishment have been tools of the media for years. The internet has only enhanced these acts and many use them to “go viral” and get attention. Flights seem to be hotbeds for fake viral content, with people tweeting about fake passengers for attention, concocting fake stories about airlines to gain favor, and pretty much anything else you can think about.
Take the video above from New York comedian Adam Saleh, showing the YouTube vlogger apparently stuffing himself into a suitcase to sneak onto a flight in Australia:
I’ve been waiting for this for so long and I finally did it!! I put myself in a luggage and sent myself to another city on a plane!!!! PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS!!
Now there’s little doubt he found a way to get inside the suitcase, you can see that in the video and there’s nothing really wrong with that part of the stunt. The trouble comes when Saleh claims he snuck onboard of Tigerair Australia’s flight from Melbourne to Sydney. Saleh’s video claims he made the trip undetected in the luggage, something that Tigerair would like to dispute.
https://twitter.com/TigerairAU/status/808965118797103104
According to News7 in Australia, the airline sent the YouTuber an open letter regarding his videos and a few inconsistencies they noticed:
“Firstly, you wouldn’t have been accepted by our automated bag drop machines at 66kg as a friendly staff member would have stepped in to assist,” the letter read.
“Secondly, some aircraft have heated baggage holds but the aircraft you were on does not and it gets pretty cold at 36,000 feet so by the time you arrived in Sydney you would have been a popsicle.
“Thirdly, we have footage of you boarding the aircraft using your legs.”
The airline shared that footage with the network and you can see an image from it here. But the shame of being outed by an airline online isn’t the only trouble possibly connected to this stunt. An airline representative spoke to The Sun about the clip and they want the footage taken down for a good reason:
“The safety and wellbeing of our staff and customers is always our number one priority and was not compromised at any time.
”The airline industry in Australia is highly regulated and has among the strictest standards in the world.
”Tigerair Australia has a zero tolerance for inappropriate behaviour and has investigated this matter as a priority.
”We can confirm that the footage is not genuine and we have requested that the footage be removed as a consequence.”
The count on the video stands at a little under 500l at the moment, but this attention is sure to drive some folks to look at it a little closer. It raises a question about where the line is for such things and if there is anything malicious about a video that makes such claims. Saleh could easily claim he’s a comedian and this video is a work of comedic art, but he also didn’t run a warning ahead of the clip. We’ll just have to keep an eye to see if anything comes from this. At the very least, maybe people can stop faking pranks and beatings on YouTube. Go review some Wendy’s food in your dimly lit car like real people do!
