Substance Blasting From Plane Cabin Vents Sparks Debate: 'Completely Safe'

Jul 08, 2023

A video of what appears to be a foggy mist clouding the inside of a plane cabin with passengers on board has caused concern among some users on TikTok.

The clip was posted on July 22 by TikTok user @marram_grass. According to a subsequent video shared by the poster, the footage was captured on a flight operated by easyJet, a British low-cost airline. The flight took place on July 21 and was traveling from Nice, a city located on the French Riviera on the south coast of France, to Gatwick airport in London.

As alarming as the footage might appear, the scene in the clip is "completely safe," a spokesperson for easyJet told Newsweek.

The spokesperson said: "On board aircraft it is sometimes possible to see the air conditioning system cooling and condensing the warm air from outside, which is what passengers could see on this flight from Nice to Gatwick. We can confirm this is completely safe for everyone on board. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority."

According to a later comment from the poster in the subsequent video post, "the temperature outside [the] aircraft was 32 degrees C [around 89.6 Fahrenheit]."

The office of the Federal Emergency Management Program of the U.S. Department of Energy explains: "Water condenses on air-handling units (AHUs) and cooling coils when humid air contacts these cool surfaces. A large amount of condensate can form on cooling equipment in areas with hot, humid summers such as the southeastern United States."

A similar foggy plane scene was also captured back in August 2019 on a Delta Air Lines flight from Jacksonville in Florida to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, according to CBS News.

Alan Yurman, a retired National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator, told CBS News at the time: "When the air conditioning system is turned on, and you've got cold air meeting whatever the temperature of the cabin was, you start getting condensation."

In a June 2018 interview with travel website JohnnyJet.com, pilot Spencer Marker explained that the condensation "comes from the usage of the airplane's air conditioning system during hot and humid days...during the normal use of the air conditioner on humid days, passengers can sometimes see condensation coming out of the vents."

The footage in the aforementioned TikTok post shows fog blasting from the side air vents, with a cloud forming along the ceiling of the plane cabin. Passengers appeared to be relatively unbothered, with some seated, while others were seen reaching for the overhead bins.

In a later comment, the original poster said: "Just condensation effects when hot air meets the cold air. This is normal so nothing to worry about.

"When the 2 doors are open, hot air and cool air mix [and] creates this fog effect. This is not smoke!" the poster said in a comment in the subsequent video post.

Several TikTok users were intrigued by the scene on the plane in the video. Some were alarmed while others appeared to be aware that it was a likely result of condensation.

Babsy said: "Saw this once it's harmless yet frightening," while Lisa D added: "It's quite normal."

Antonette Fisher wrote: "It's air conditioning, had it last year from Lanzarote [Spanish island] it was great."

In the subsequent video, laura-janex wrote: "I was on a flight like this and I was so worried I had never seen that before, but the air stewards assured me it was just condensation in the air con [air conditioning system]."

User ashleighmeg said: "why am I seeing this when I'm flying soon," in the same clip.

User #GuyInTheCommentSection said: "S*** myself 1st time I experienced this, perfectly normal tho!" in the later video.

Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via [email protected] and your story could be featured on Newsweek.