Pilot Stuns with Viral Video of His Pre-flight Speech: ‘My Will Is What Matters’

• An Instagram video where a flight captain delivered an unusual pre-departure speech has gone viral.
• The minutes-long speech divided the internet into two groups.
• Some people supported the pilot for talking to the passengers bluntly, while others thought he was mean and unprofessional.

A video of a flight captain’s unusual speech surfaced on Instagram, where he was heard dropping some truth bombs before the plane took off. The captain was reminding people to follow flight rules, but the pre-flight announcement drew both positive and negative reviews.

Anna Leah Maltezos was on the American Airlines flight where the speech occurred, and she recorded the video that has since garnered over 6 million views on Instagram. She was flying out of New York City when the captain spoke to the passengers in an unexpected way.

“It was an early morning flight out of NYC that had been delayed for a bit, so maybe he was just trying to lighten the mood,” Maltezos spoke about the flight captain’s blunt speech.

In the short video clip, the captain was heard telling the passengers to behave during the flight. He mentioned the specifics in a hilarious manner, which made Maltezos write, “American Airlines captain has had it with y’all.”

The passengers onboard had no idea the captain would surprise them with an unusual speech before their early morning flight. Maltezos began recording in the middle of the announcement when the man instructed the passengers to comply with what the flight attendants tells them.

After reminding the passengers that the flight attendants were only there to make their journey safe and enjoyable, he said, “You will listen to what they have to say because they represent my will in the cockpit or in the cabin. And my will is what matters.”

Then the captain proceeded to tell the passengers how to behave with each other. He advised them to be “kind” and “respectful” before specifying the dos and don’ts of their short-lived relationship with each other.

“You people should treat people the way you want to be treated,” the captain advised, stating that he’s not responsible for teaching people how to behave in public. He added that seeing a lot of “selfish” and “rude” passengers made him do this.

Then the captain told the passengers not to “lean,” “fall asleep,” “pass out,” or “drool” on other people, urging them to give space to each other. His way of explaining the rules wasn’t something the passengers were expecting.

The next topic the captain talked about was the usage of mobile phones and other devices onboard. He was against watching videos or talking on the phone on speaker mode, so he advised passengers to use earphones. He explained:

“It’s your business, right? So keep it to yourself.”

A few passengers recorded on camera were seen smiling as they heard the unusual announcement. However, the captain did not take much time and ended his speech by telling the middle-seaters they could use both armrests. “That is my gift to you,” he said.

Maltezos’ video grabbed the attention of many people online, and many commented on her post. The video divided the internet into two groups; one that agreed with the captain and the other that believed his speech was unnecessary.

One person said the pilot must be “fed up with all these childish adults” who didn’t know how to behave during a flight. She agreed with the captain and appreciated his pre-departure announcement. Meanwhile, another netizen said:

“If you’re offended by this speech, congrats, you’re the problem.”

People from various professional backgrounds, including aviation, watched the viral video. A flight attendant, who stated she was not part of American Airlines, agreed with the captain because she had first-hand experience watching people do “mind-boggling” things onboard.

“The aircraft has become a no-tolerance zone. Good job, captain!” another flight attendant cheered in the comments section. Meanwhile, another person praised the captain for discussing the middle seat armrest rule.

While some people applauded the captain for delivering an excellent pre-flight speech, others believed he shouldn’t have talked to the passengers in a sassy way. One displeased netizen said:

“This is highly unprofessional of him and very condescending. Just fly the damn plane, please, and get us there safely.”

“So rude,” another commented before stating that the American Airlines administration needed to take notice of the pilot’s actions. “He is only flying the airplane. He is not the owner,” the netizen added.

“I agree with a lot of what he said but not his place,” a woman expressed in the comments section. Some people did not enjoy watching the video as others did.

Maltezos, who jokingly termed the viral speech as the captain’s “TED talk,” revealed that the flight passed through some storms, but the crew safely flew the aircraft through them. On a lighter note, she said the pilot must have some “wild stories” to share about passengers, which made him deliver the surprising speech.

Click here for another story about a flight where a passenger opened the plane door mid-flight with 194 people on board.