Passengers flying to New York City arrived at the airport soaked after condensation mist from the vents poured on them for hours.
In a TikTok video, that has now gone viral, Savannah Gowarty shows fog appearing to fill the cabin on a JetBlue plane. In caption, she quoted the pilot, saying: “It appears to be raining in the cabin.”
“What is this?” Gowarty says in the video, showing how her and fellow passengers’ faces were dripping in water. “Four hour flight. So cold.”
As she became drenched, she showed how she had taken to drying her overshirt on her armrest, to no success.
The video has been viewed 5.8 million times and liked 480,000 times on the platform, with people in the comment section shocked about what happened.
“I would sue for damages omg,” one person wrote, while another added: “Absolutely not!!! Would be requesting compensation!!”
“I hate being wet and cold,” a third commented. “I’d be in full meltdown mode.”
Others cracked jokes that the situation reminded them of the grocery store produce aisle or the Rainforest Cafe.
“Welcome to Rainforest Cafe airlines,” one user quipped.
“Like a cucumber in the produce aisle,” someone else joked.
Le Roche Posay’s TikTok account took the opportunity to add that misting can be healthy for the skin.
“4 hour flight plus free misty refresh for dewy skin,” they wrote, to which Gowarty replied: “That’s one way to look at it!”
What occurred on Gowarty’s flight is a pretty common experience, according to the Federal Energy Management Program from the US Department of Energy. The mist occurs when humid air comes into contact with the water condensing upon air-handling units and cooling coils.
Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University meteorology professor Christopher Hennon explained toFox that this usually occurs if the plane has been sitting at the gate for a while without the engines running.
Sometimes when the engines are turned on, as well as the air conditioning unit, any air near the vents becomes cold quickly and “saturated,” turning into a dense fog.
“This is pretty common. I’ve been on several flights where I observed this,” he explained. “The condensation dissipates fairly quickly as the air inside the cabin becomes progressively drier.”
This is said to occur with planes flying from more humid locales with one commenter noting that it’s a fairly common experience for them. “I live in the south and have flown multiple times, including 12 in the last 6 months. it happens often,” they said.
