The fail of the tape.
The recent rash of airline mishaps has passengers noticeably on edge — but are these fears justified?
One Delta Airlines flyer freaked out after seeing that her airplane window was seemingly taped together, only for a flight attendant to accuse her of blowing things out of proportion.
The passenger, named Laura Iu, described on Threads how she kept hearing a “whistling sound” but initially thought it was coming from the air vent and fell asleep.
When the traveler awoke, however, she allegedly discovered that it was coming from outside.
“I realized the window seal was being held with TAPE,” recalled the petrified passenger. “I could feel some type of air coming thru (not sure what it was but it scared me).”
Accompanying footage shows the petrified flyer peeling black tape off of the window frame, seemingly revealing a gap in the border through which air could ostensibly pass through.
However, when she informed a flight attendant, they said she was “overreacting” and that they “wouldn’t be able to fly if it was a big deal.”
Dissatisfied with the response, Iu sought answers from the commentariat, inquiring: “What do u think? Was I wrong to feel unsafe?”
Her query elicited a range of responses.
One armchair airplane expert claimed she had nothing to worry about, writing: “You’re fine there are different layers. If there was air escaping the cabin past the outer shell it wouldn’t have been pressurized and you would have known about it. I understand why it could be worrying though.”
Another even posted a diagram showing the airplane windows’ multiple layers.
Despite the apparent lack of a depressurization risk, many commenters thought that applying adhesive like with an old model airplane was not a good look for the airline.
“It’s the optics that matter here,” they declared. “Are we really messaging to passengers that our planes are being held together with tape and glue?”
They continued, “Fix it correctly using the proper replacement parts. This type of jerry-rigging makes passengers think: what else on this plane is being held together with tape/glue/paper clips/clothespins/staples/random screws and bolts?”
“In the year of Boeings falling apart don’t you dare tell me I’m overreacting when I see the plane is being held together by TAPE,” fumed another.
They were referencing the spate of Boeing plane fiascos, which have included the Alaska Airlines door disaster this past Winter and Southwest Airlines’ near crash-landing just two weeks ago.
