Around 40% of Americans report having some fear of flying. This fear is understandable—although flying is safer than driving, traveling by train, or even walking, the simple act of going up into the sky is enough to give many travelers a bad feeling in the pit of their stomachs.
That said, passengers can comfort themselves with the fact that the airline they’re traveling with has been around for a long time and that the airline has flown the route numerous times before.
However, this isn’t always the case, as TikTok user Hazel Chadwick (@hazechadwick) noted in a video with over 1.3 million views.
“When you shop up to your gate only to find out it’s the airline’s 1st ever flight,” she writes in the text overlaying the video. In the video, an arch made of balloons is on display along with several goodie bags, apparently intended to be given to passengers.
@hazechadwick But at least they gave me a free keychain and a popsocket.🫡 #travel #plane #planes #flight #canada #travelblogger ♬ Red Ruby Da Sleeze – Nicki Minaj
Chadwick’s overlay text is a little misleading. The airline operating the flight is Flair Airlines, a Canadian budget carrier that’s been operating under that name since 2017.
The event that Chadwick is showing happened a year ago and is the launch of a new route for Flair, from San Francisco to Edmonton, which she clarifies in a comment. This route was announced in 2021, and on April 14, 2022, the airline flew the route for the first time.
Chadwick later posted a follow-up video in which she reveals what passengers received in their goodie bags.
@hazechadwick Replying to @sretsbil ♬ original sound – Hazel Chadwick
The contents included a pop socket, an SFO luggage tag, a keychain, and a cookie.
“[The] flight was great,” Chadwick says. “I booked it in an emergency, and it ended up being a great experience.”
No matter how safe flying is, many users in the comments claimed they wanted no part in being part of an airline’s route launch.
“Yeah, I’m not going on that trial run with them,” one user wrote. “I’d just leave.”
“I would be crying,” another added.
“Yeah I would never,” echoed a third.
That said, some were enthusiastic about the idea.
“I’d literally do anytning for a free water bottle,” a commenter joked.
“Baby I fly spirit,” a second shared. “new airline? Can only go up from here.”
We’ve reached out to Chadwick via Instagram direct message.
