Flight Attendant Welcoming Passengers Unprepared for Who’s on Board

A video of a flight attendant’s “priceless” reaction upon seeing a familiar passenger boarding a plane has gone viral on TikTok.
The moment was captured in a video posted by @hussyassine_ and has amassed 2 million views since it was shared on September 9, 2024.
A caption shared with the post simply says, “Surprised my best friend.”
More From Newsweek Vault: Best Travel Insurance for Flight Cancellations
The video begins with a note overlaid on it that reads, “Best airline cabin manager in the world.”
The footage shows a flight attendant standing by the entrance of the plane as passengers are boarding. She later glances toward the camera and suddenly radiates a big smile from ear to ear.
Appearing overjoyed, she scurries toward the camera with her hands stretched out in front and says, “Stop, what?” with a hand over her mouth in shock.
Another voice in the background is heard saying “No way, no way,” as the man and the flight attendant are briefly shown embracing each other.
More From Newsweek Vault: Which Airlines Have the Best (or Worst) Fees?
“Where are you sitting,” the flight attendant asks, appearing still in disbelief, as the passenger replies, “I’m actually gonna cry.”
The viral clip comes as the flight attendant profession was ranked 48th in the 2024 edition of the “100 Best Jobs” ranking by U.S. News & World Report.
More From Newsweek Vault: Compare the Best Travel Insurance Companies
The profession ranked third among the highest paying jobs without a degree and fifth among both the best civil service jobs and best jobs without a college degree.
Flight attendant employment is expected to grow 10 percent from 2023 to 2033, “much faster than the average for all occupations,” according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
“About 19,500 openings for flight attendants are projected each year, on average, over the decade,” the BLS said, noting that “many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.”
TikTok users were heart-warmed by the unexpected reunion of the best friends in the viral clip.
Marcel said it was the “Best reaction ever!” and kangar001 said “imagine having someone who likes you that much.”
PaknDaftPunk wrote “This kind of friendship. priceless” and renefalcon204 noted “I need friends like this.”
Bryan A said “that’s what joy looks like. everyone should have someone who sees them like this.”
Several users were invested in the relationship between the two friends, with some urging them to become a couple.
TXMoosie said omg, I need the story” and Gunnar said “awwww. can we get an explanation.”
Alex Alex said “dude marry her. she’s a keeper” and Brantly Durbin agreed, saying “yeah that needs a ring on it.”
Brian wrote “don’t let her go!”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via [email protected] and your story could be featured on Newsweek.