Passenger’s ‘Game Changer’ Meal on a Plane Goes Viral

Don’t feel like spending money on an overpriced meal on a plane? One passenger managed to enjoy a hot meal for free without having to shell out a fortune, according to a recent viral video on TikTok.

The clip was posted by @sazberli and has had 13.3 million views since it was shared on January 11.

The footage shows a woman seated on a plane, with the camera facing her. Talking into the camera, she says, “I have just seen someone who has the best airplane snack…I’m so jealous and I’m so annoyed that I didn’t think of this first.”

She later reveals that the passenger appeared to have brought cups of Shin Ramyun, a South Korean brand of instant noodles, with them. This meant they’d only have to ask for boiling water, which is free, to enjoy the meal.

A caption shared with the post simply reads: “Game changer.”

Many travelers are likely to find the plane meal hack in the latest clip to be quite handy, since in-flight meals and some snacks tend to be offered free only on certain flights and by certain airlines, such as all of South Korea’s airlines, which offer free cups of Shin Ramyun.

Korean Air, the country’s largest carrier, offers economy passengers a wide selection of snacks, including cups of noodles as well as jumeokbap (a Korean rice ball snack), bananas and muffins, according to the airline’s website.

The viral post comes as the size of the global in-flight catering services market, which was valued to be $16.01 billion in 2022, was projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.9 percent from 2023 to 2030, in a report by Grand View Research, a market research and consulting company headquartered in San Francisco,

According to the report, the arrival of ready-to-eat meals for travelers and the rising demand for catering services on long-distance, non-stop flights are the key factors driving the growth.

The report said that airlines worldwide “benchmark themselves against the competition by establishing a decent price range for onboard meals” and major in-flight catering companies are “taking initiatives to provide meals to culturally diverse passengers.”

‘Absolutely Genius’

The woman in the viral clip says: “Obviously this might be a thing…but you know those Shin Ramyun cups, they obviously have them in cup form, not just packet form.”

According to the poster, a passenger was spotted with three cups of Shin Ramyun that they’d brought on board.

“Obviously you can just ask for boiling water, so they [can] have ramen the whole time [during the flight],” the woman in the clip says, adding “Genuis. Game changer. Do this on your next flight.”

Users on TikTok were impressed by the plane meal hack shared in the viral clip.

User pinkyswearjewelry said: “Definitely doing that next time I’m traveling internationally!”

Jacqualine115 wrote: “I spent $13 Canadian on cup noodles on my way back from Iceland. I’m doing this next trip!!”

User lazyboyleroy noted: “I did this!! Best plane food I had in a long time and the old man next to me with his sandwich whispered to his partner how it was such a good idea.”

Dani said: “Legit when I flew Korea Air four years ago. ALL K Passengers had their ramen cups and just asked for boiling water. Absolutely genius.”

Shauna’kay said: “I did this with my kids .. I thought I was the only one.”

Others were less convinced, such as user5955215789844 who asked, “Does that not just make the plane smell?”

EB noted: “Someone in the plane did this and they sat in front of me, I could smell it the majority of the flight and it made me feel really sick.”

Drooooo noted: “The sodium at altitude though.”

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. The video has not been independently verified.

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