A video of a plane passenger who allegedly gave his seat upgrade to his wife has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip, captured on a plane at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport heading to Miami, was shared by 34-year-old TikTok user Zoli Honig (@zoltronic). It had over 822,000 views at the time of writing.
Honig is the owner of Short Form Media, a social media agency. He and his wife Chava are based in Miami, where his wife is a real estate agent with Sotheby's International Realty, the husband told Newsweek.
A message overlaid on the video says: "When I let my wife take my business class upgrade." A woman is shown peeking out from the side of a plane seat. She is seen looking back at the camera, raising her eyebrows and flashing a big smile.
A caption posted with the video reads "She appreciates it very much" and was shared with the "#couplegoals" hashtag.
Several TikTokers in the comments were quick to point out that the upgrade in the video wasn't actually a business class upgrade and that the wife was in premium economy seating.
Honig admitted "it was actually an upgrade to the premium economy section." He said he "left the business class line in there as a tactic [for the video] to go viral."
He added: "We frequently get one upgrade to first/business when we travel and I always give it to her."
The wife's elation over her seat upgrade comes as no surprise because passengers in first/business class were reported to have a "decidedly more positive experience," in a North America Airline Satisfaction Study released in May 2023 by J.D. Power, the consumer insight research firm.
Passenger satisfaction was measured based on the airline's performance in eight different areas: aircraft, baggage, boarding, check-in, cost and fees, flight crew, in-flight services and reservation.
For the second consecutive year, JetBlue Airways ranked highest for customer satisfaction in the first/business class sector, followed by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, according to the study.
Annual declines in passenger satisfaction were found to be "most pronounced" in the economy/basic economy segment, the study said.
@zoltronic She appreciates it very much. #frequentflyer #wife #couplehumor #americanairlines #upgrade #airtravelhack #airtravel #couplegoals #husband #instagramhusband
♬ Sail - AWOLNATION
Honig said his social media agency "focuses specifically on short-form videos," such as the latest viral clip, and helps their clients "go viral."
He explained: "Most great creators on TikTok will include a mistake specifically so people call it out in the comments—a tactic that worked beautifully if I do say so myself."
Several users on TikTok praised the husband in the latest viral clip for being accommodating towards his wife.
Leora Gershaw and Angelbaby both said: "Happy wife happy life."
KeshaBiatch96 wrote: "That's a high value man right here."
Carrie said: "What a nice husband."
Rollo wrote: "everyone's worried about whether it's premium economy or not, but no one's talking about that premium smile she gave."
Newsweek has contacted American Airlines via email for comment.
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Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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