On TikTok, brave travelers have been hopping on the “rawdogging flights” trend or voluntarily going through an entire flight without any sort of entertainment. That means no phone, no TV, no music, no books, and even no naps—basically, nothing but looking ahead and lots and lots of waiting. It’s a strength game, and whoever endures a raw flight the longest wins (here are some tips to succeed at it).
Sometimes, however, it’s not you who follows the trend, but the trend that follows you. If rawdogging a flight wasn’t already a miserable experience when it’s voluntary, imagine what it must feel like to be forced to do it.
To many Americans, that’s one of their biggest fears when flying. According to a new study by Faye Travel Insurance, which surveyed 2,000 Gen Z and millennial travelers, finding yourself with no other option than rawdogging a flight scares many Americans. More specifically, it looks like American travelers are terrified of their phones dying.
A whopping 12% of Americans rate their phone dying when flying as their biggest fear. In other words, they are terrified of being unable to charge their phone and, therefore, having nothing to do during their flight.”Most travelers expect their seats—no matter the tier of ticket they bought—to have plugs for their electronics,” Lauren Gumport, VP of communications & brand strategy at Faye Travel Insurance, told Thrillist. “It’s become a basic expectation nowadays, meaning it’s no wonder when their phone dies they’ll become annoyed—it houses downloaded books, music and movies. No phone can mean a completely boring flight without any entertainment.”
A quick look on TikTok will quickly back up the statistics. “My friend’s phone died on the plane and there’s no outlets to charge your phone so he’s left to his thoughts for two hours,” reads the caption of a TikTok that amassed more than 1.3 million views. “Scary experience for him and us.”
In another TikTok, a traveler plays the part of someone freaking out because their phone did, in fact, die on the plane. “Flew Spirit for the first time yesterday and there weren’t phone outlets on the plane,” reads the overtext in the video. Luckily, it wasn’t too big of a deal, though. “My phone died on the flight and thank God it was only an hour flight,” the video caption reassures.
If you’re extremely worried about your phone dying on a flight, ensuring your phone has a full charge before you get on the plane is a good habit. Before you pull out your USB cable and connect your phone to the airport’s charging stations, hear us out: Opt for a portable charger instead! As Thrillist previously reported, the FBI is warning about “juice-jacking” through public charging stations, including the ones you find in airports. That means that using them puts you at high risk of your phone being monitored and hacked. Think twice next time your phone dies at the airport!
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