Many people might think that the job of a flight attendant is a luxurious one. After all, you’re visiting different states and countries, and looking pretty sharp while doing it. But flight attendants have plenty of unenviable obligations after the flight takes off. One being collecting garbage from the passengers.
So when the crew on a TUI Airlines flight asked a man to help them with collecting “rubbish” as a joke, they were certainly not expecting to get a “yes” in response. But the man, named Michael, was serious about the offer, and when his girlfriend Olivia Power, who goes by @lifewiththemancs on TikTok, looked up, she saw that her boyfriend somehow took a new job role mid-air.
What happened when he left his seat
The footage showed Michael in the aisle of the flight, wearing disposable gloves and donning an apron along with a neck scarf to mimic the flight staff’s uniform, pushing a trolley alongside a flight attendant.”
“Anyone with any rubbish?” Michael spoke to his fellow passengers, who gladly played along and handed him the trash that he stuffed down the trolley he was pushing. Power recorded her boyfriend and giggled along as he inched closer to their seat.
As Power shared in interview with Newsweek, she and Michael were traveling back to London’s Gatwick Airport from their vacation in Crete, Greece, when the 36-year-old man decided to join the flight crew. When he didn’t return from the washroom within the next few minutes, Power wondered what was taking him so long…until she noticed Michael in a new attire.
“I turned around and he was coming down the aisle like that!” Power told the news outlet, writing “The UK and Ireland might have a new staff member by next week. We’ll take free flights as payment, please,” in the caption of her video.
The internet loved every second of it
People in the comments section of Power’s video were equally gobsmacked.
“Took me a moment to realize he wasn’t the guy behind the attendants and he was the new attendant.” – @claire.willis3
“Airlines are going to cut staff now and ask passengers to fill in to pass the time.” – @garymckie2
“I thought he was the guy in red and he was just stuck behind the trolley.” – @beccaheywood3
“I need to know how this happened lol what was the conversation with the flight attendants that he was allowed to be an honorary flight worker.” – @_plsdontbotherme (To this comment, Power replied that Michael had taken up the offer as a joke for the time being.)
“If they removed the extortionate baggage prices, I’d do this to pass the time.” – @label743
Maybe we could all pitch in a little
Honestly, given how chaotic travel has been lately, maybe Michael’s silly act of service feels like it’s for the greater good. With government shutdown talks sparking fresh worries about air traffic delays, staffing shortages, and general airport mayhem, having a few enthusiastic volunteer-bin-collectors on standby might not be the worst idea. Hey, if everyone pitched in a little mid-flight, maybe we could shave a few minutes off boarding times, or at least score some free pretzels.
In the meantime, you can follow Olivia Power (@lifewiththemancs) on TikTok for more lifestyle videos and, who knows, maybe updates on Michael’s budding aviation career.
This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.
