Tuna on a plane: Is this the ultimate breach of the in-flight passenger code?

Would you eat tuna on a plane? Photo / 123RF

A mortified passenger captured on video the moment another traveller opened a can of tuna on a flight, sparking an online debate about which foods are appropriate during air travel.

US TikTok creator @allyjakson, known as Ally, said she was travelling on an Alaska Airlines flight from Anchorage, Alaska to Seattle, Washington when she filmed a man beside her with a fishy snack, and shared the video online on September 17.

The seven-second TikTok showed only the man’s hands and left leg and an open can of US company Bumble Bee Seafood’s tuna sitting on his food tray.

“Canned tuna on a plane gotta be up there in terms of crimes against humanity,” the text overlayed on the video clip reads.

@allyjaksen

@Bumble Bee Seafoods get your mans 😭😭😭

♬ oh my god bruh oh hell na man - ok9172917

Ally wrote in the comments that she tagged the tuna brand in the caption, “@Bumble Bee Seafoods get your mans [sic]”, because “they need to be held accountable”.

The video has racked up more than 1.2 million views and nearly 3000 comments – many appalled at the potentially odorous situation.

The most popular comment read, “This should be a CRIME”.

“No-fly list, immediately,” read another comment.

Others shared their own experiences of being disgusted with a passenger’s food in-flight. “I sat next to a lady [who] pulled out a baggie of BOILED EGGS,” remarked one user.

Ally revealed in another video it was four hours – the duration of the flight – before she was free from the stench and discomfort.

While there is nothing legally wrong with eating tuna – or boiled eggs, for that matter – on a plane, there is an unspoken rule that perhaps one shouldn’t.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Shanie Peralta, a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, said while some plane etiquette is common sense, “common sense is not always common”.

“It is a small minority of people who bring food on-board, but you do get offenders who like to bring egg salad or tuna sandwiches,” she said. “In their mind, they don’t think they’ve done anything wrong. They’re just like, ‘Hey, I want to eat my tuna sandwich. I’m hungry’.”

But it’s not only pungent foods which can cause an uproar among passengers.

On August 22, one woman uploaded a video of herself making sourdough bread on a plane to social media. And the internet raged.

Instead of admiring Texas home bakery owner Maria Baradell’s ability to ferment – quite literally – sky-high, social media users were quick to criticise her actions, labelling them “inconsiderate”.

Many pointed out the seeming disregard for people with gluten and wheat sensitivities. “If I was [seated] next to you, I would ask for a new seat immediately and a full refund because it would make me sick for several weeks to just inhale the flour. Please be more considerate next time,” raged another commenter.

Baradella later responded to the mountain of criticism, saying she was “trying to be creative” and commenters had helped her see it “was not a great idea”.