A sleeping passenger on a 12 hour flight gets fed without ever opening his eyes, and the trick is going viral

A man’s in-flight meal strategy gained attention on social media during a 12-hour flight to the Philippines. The traveler displayed a message on his phone and placed it on his lap before falling asleep, with the screen set to read “chicken” in case a flight attendant came by asking passengers about their meal preference. When crew members made their rounds, they were able to read the phone and bring him his meal without ever needing to wake him up.

The story gained traction when reported by the Daily Dot, after a video showing the strategy circulated widely on social media. X user @akafaceUS reposted the clip, which shows the man sleeping while a flight attendant checks his phone for the meal choice and later places a tray on his table without waking him. The repost has racked up more than 5 million views along with significant commentary from other users.

Reactions to the video have been largely positive, with one user writing, “a man who plans ahead like that is a keeper honestly.” Another called the move “wild” but credited him anyway, writing that showing the crew his notes app “actually worked.” Some commenters raised concerns about the plan, including the possibility that the airline could run out of chicken before reaching his row, which would have forced him to wake up regardless.

He turned his tray table into a do not disturb sign and it worked exactly as planned

Other users questioned the logistics of the trick rather than its cleverness. One person asked who would end up eating the meal if the man genuinely slept through the entire flight, while another wondered whether he ever woke up to eat it at all. Frustration with fellow passengers during long flights has become a recurring theme online, similar to one ex flight attendant’s seatmate confrontation, which also drew significant attention after circulating on social media.

A second commenter suggested the man could simply take the meal home and reheat it after landing, while others felt the entire request was pointless if he had no intention of eating on board. One user joked that the move was the smartest thing they had seen all week, while a more skeptical voice argued that sleeping for the full 12 hours made requesting food unnecessary in the first place.

The discussion around the video also touched on broader frustrations with air travel, a pattern that has shown up before in cases like a traveler’s VPN trick to slash flight prices, which similarly drew widespread reaction after going viral. Despite the mixed reactions, the original video has continued to draw views and comments since it was first reposted on June 17.