“New fear unlocked”: A flight attendant warned passengers about a rare mid-air danger, and revealed one simple ritual that could help you prevent it

Longer flights won’t just take a lot of time; they also seem to affect your health. According to Brobible, a TikToker who is also a flight attendant has identified a health concern that passengers may face while sitting still on longer flights. Apart from this problem, she has also shared a ritual for it, which she claims to always follow, no matter how long the flight is, to avoid this health concern.

The TikToker Cici (@ciciinthesky) posted a video of herself stretching her calves on an airplane. Similar to a Spirit Airlines case, this flight attendant also has a ritual, but she claims it prevents a person from developing Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). The overlay of her video says, “I’m a flight attendant and I do this before every flight.” Apart from stretching, the video doesn’t feature her explaining what this exercise does.

The caption on her TikTok, however, appears to provide further context. She explains that sitting still for 4+ hours can slow blood flow in your legs, which the flight attendant claims can create a blood clot (DVT), which can then travel to your lungs and cause health complications. While it sounds like a serious concern, the TikToker also adds, “It’s rare, but it’s real, and it’s preventable.”

So, what exactly do you have to do to perform this exercise?

It looks like Cici has thoroughly explained how to perform her ritual in the caption of her TikTok. She wrote, “One of the simplest things you can do: calf raises before you take off. Your calf muscles act as a pump that pushes blood back up toward your heart. When you sit for hours, that pump basically shuts off. Do 20–30 before your flight. Then repeat every 30 minutes in your seat. That’s it.”

In my opinion, her ritual sounds quite simple. It appears that Cici’s claim is fair as well. Per ScienceDirect, DVT (symptomless) can develop in as many as 10% of travelers during long-haul flights. Similarly, it appears she wasn’t the first to identify it for her audience, as some comments on her video suggest people have already been doing it.

Per Brobible, one of them wrote under her TikTok, “I do this every flight. My husband once asked if I was nervous. Nope, just trying to prevent blood clots.” At the same time, some who weren’t aware of this seemed worried, “Welp… New fear unlocked… Guess I’ll be doing this on every flight now…”

This issue doesn’t seem to be an odd flight experience, but it’s tied to being still for hours in the same position. The flight attendant’s ritual seems like an attempt to simply maintain blood flow. If it’s really that simple and time-consuming, I think there’s no harm in practicing it.