Dangerous airplane seatbelt trend risks ‘catapulting’ passengers

Aviation experts, lawyers and travel doctors have issued strong warnings against a TikTok hack which promises a more comfortable flight

Doctors, lawyers and cabin crew union representatives have raised concerns about a social media trend where passengers fasten their seatbelts around their ankles.
In a series of TikTok posts, which have collectively amassed tens of millions of views, passengers pull their knees up to their chests with their feet at the edge of their seats, and then fasten the seatbelt around their feet.
Some TikTok users say that the alternative sitting position makes for a more comfortable flight, although Dr Richard Dawood, a specialist in travel medicine at the Fleet Street Clinic, is alarmed by the trend.
He said: “This does not look at all safe. I’m not aware of any formal impact testing on passengers wearing lap straps around their ankles – well below their centre of gravity – but with a frontal impact, the likely result would be to catapult the passenger forwards, over the belt and into the back of the seat in front.
“Another likely passenger injury in this position would be from a flexion force, driving their face or chin into their knee. Beyond protection from impact, normal wearing of a lap strap also helps restrain the passenger in the event of a sudden loss of altitude, that would otherwise force the passenger upwards.”
In May this year, a flight from Heathrow to Singapore encountered severe turbulence resulting in one death and 104 injuries. After the incident, the pilot made an emergency landing in Bangkok. Incidents of clean-air turbulence (sudden turbulence in the absence of clouds or storms) increased by 55 per cent between 1979 and 2020.
The trending seatbelt trick contravenes the official rules regarding how a seatbelt must be worn. “The Civil Aviation Authority has specific requirements for seatbelt design and placement; the belt must lie across the passenger’s groin and must not restrict the movement of the wearer’s limbs,” points out Damian Devlin, a lecturer in aviation management at University of East London.
“Any assumption that wearing the seatbelt around the ankles, with limbs tucked between the belt and the seat, would be safe is flawed. The forces strong enough to forcibly eject a passenger from their seat would be capable of causing severe damage to limbs restrained in such a manner.”
One flight attendant says she would intervene if she witnessed this behaviour during certain points of a flight. Kristina Galvydyte, who worked as a cabin crew member for a major British airline for six years, says: “From a safety perspective, this would be categorically forbidden during take-off or landing, as well as any other times the seatbelt sign is on. However, while the seatbelt signs are off I probably wouldn’t say anything.”
The Union of Pilots, Engineers and Cabin Crew (UPECC) expressed concern around this alternative use of the seatbelt: “Our members and their colleagues across the industry work in safety critical roles. They are often put in difficult positions due to passenger behaviour, and ‘trends’ like this are the last thing they need adding to the list of strange passenger behaviours.”
There are legal considerations around fastening a seatbelt around the ankles, too. The UPECC pointed out that if a passenger caused injuries to themselves or others due to sitting in this manner, they could be liable for the costs of a potential diversion.
Natasha Ross, a senior associate at JMW Solicitors, added: “If a passenger suffers an injury while not wearing their seatbelt correctly, it is likely they will face legal arguments from the airline that they have contributed to the injury.
“Recent studies have shown turbulence to be increasing in frequency, and clear-air turbulence often means there is no warning: I would therefore strongly discourage this trend. We may well see an amendment to the Civil Aviation Authority rules on the wearing of seatbelts during flights.” 
When The Telegraph put the trend to the CAA, a spokesperson said: “Obviously wear your seatbelt correctly.”
There have been a number of so-called travel “hacks” made popular by influencers on social media platforms. These include attempting to sneak luggage onto a flight in a pillowcase, hiding clothes in a bra, wearing a coat with multiple inside pockets, and creating a makeshift hammock footrest. 
Aside from the legal, medical and safety questions around the seatbelt “hack”, Prof David Livermore of the University of East Anglia has a more pressing concern: “Try sitting on your office chair for five minutes like that, with knees scrunched up towards your chin. Maybe comfortable for a 20-year-old yoga devotee. But for anyone older or less flexible?”