Man’s ‘audacious’ mid-flight act leaves people feeling queasy

One man’s mid-air act on passenger plane has left some people feeling rather queasy. Photo / 123RF
It’s a big no-no in the office lunchroom. On a packed and confined commercial flight, some consider it a step too far.
A man known as Ryan Koplinick has dared to eat a tuna fish salad wrap mid-flight, much to the distress of his fellow passengers.
Filmed by his best friend, Will Chizek, and later posted to TikTok, the video reveals the moment the brazen traveller pulls out his pre-bought lunch item – something Chizek describes as “indefensible”.
Worse, as part of the video’s text overlay, the mid-flight snack is described as “lukewarm”.
READ MORE: Eating and drinking etiquette you should know before travelling the world
Whole plane ready to throw my girl off the plane and there’s only one of me ! I had to pretend i didnt know her #gay #traveltiktok #bsf #besties #lax #jfk #tunafish #traveldiaries #la #nyc @ryankopilnick
Chizek, who was travelling with Koplinick on a five-hour flight from Los Angeles to New York City, later told Newsweek the pair had bought the food items before the flight from Erewhon Market, an upscale supermarket chain in the US.
“I should have stopped him when I saw him reach for the tuna wrap… I got a sensible turkey sandwich,” he admitted to Newsweek.
A short while into the flight, Chizek recalls smelling the reek of tuna erupting into the plane’s small cabin space, where the air is continually recycled.
“The smell hit my nose, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I saw everyone turn and Ryan remained completely unfazed,” he told Newsweek.
While most of us probably shudder at the thought, it seems the duo’s fellow passengers managed to curtail any reactive behaviour. For most, it was a case of grimace and bear it.
In the TikTok video, the caption reads, “Heads start to turn. Noses wrinkle. Sighs are heard from row 58B”, but Chizek later confessed to Newsweek that “people sighed, but everything remained civil”.
However, the TikTok commenters have been far less forgiving.
The video, which has now racked up more than 726,000, views, has seen a flood of people’s opinions in the comments, and for the most part, they’re unimpressed.
One user reacted with, “OMG, that would end the friendship in a post-trip ghosting kind of way. The audacity and lack of awareness.”
“Uh yeah, airlines need more rules and etiquette training videos (in multiple languages) that are required viewing after booking,” wrote another.
While some couldn’t understand the fuss, stating “tuna does not even smell that bad or strong”, the majority felt it was bad form.
Conversely, a handful of TikTok users speculated Koplinick had done it on purpose as a psychological move – a strategic power play at 30,000 feet.
Taking things to the extreme, one user was so outraged they suggested tuna-eaters should be put on a different flight entirely.
“There should be a separate airline for people who need to eat tuna sandwiches and other mayonnaise-based foods on a plane,” they suggested.
Until then, we may have to endure whatever mid-flight nibbles passengers choose to bring on board.