- TikTok user Desiree Salter shared a video of her blessing the plane she was about to get on with “Holy oil”
- Her video comes after multiple plane accidents, including the recent Delta crash in Toronto and the fatal American Airlines collision in Washington, D.C.
- Some commenters praised her actions, while others said it’s the aviation professionals who should get credit for safe flights
A plane passenger is taking extra precautions to give her some peace of mind before flying — but not everyone agrees with her actions.
On Feb. 15, TikTok user Desiree Salter shared her pre-boarding ritual in a short clip that has since gone viral, racking up 5.7 million views as of Friday.
In the video, she is seen holding a small bottle filled with what she tells PEOPLE is “Holy oil or blessed oil” to draw a cross on the outside of the plane before boarding. She can be seen tilting the bottle until some of the oil pours onto her finger, then marking the symbol on both sides of the cabin door.
Once she completes the action, she looks back at the camera and taps the bottle before entering the aircraft.
“In Jesus name we pray… AMEN!!” she captioned the video, along with a prayer hands emoji.
Salter’s TikTok received a mixed reaction from users in the comments section. Some viewers praised her and shared their understanding.
“At this point… I don’t blame you,” one person commented, seemingly referring to the multiple aviation incidents that have occurred in recent weeks. Another added, “Nah frfr… gotta stay prayed up… cuz these planes been tripping lately.”
One person found the practice to be comforting despite not being religious.
“I’m not religious but I flew alone for the first time last year and I sat by a stranger and he prayed twice before we took off and I felt so safe.”
Echoing a similar sentiment, others added how seeing someone bless the plane before boarding would make them feel better about their flight.
“Amen that would ease my mind fr,” one person wrote, followed by another who added, “The way I would instantly feel safer on that flight.”
Her post did garner backlash from other viewers, however, with some noting it’s the aviation professionals that get a plane safely to its destination, and they deserve the credit.
“Because y’all posting like Oil really did it. It was the pilot and maintenance staff,” one person wrote. Another added, “The pilot that has to fly the plane and get it from a [to] b safely.”
Salter proved to be unfazed by the haters, as she posted another TikTok of her doing the same routine days later on her flight back home.
“I made it back home safely!!! Thanks everyone!! God is Good!! I pray everyone have safe travels if they are flying soon,” she wrote in the comments of the clip.
Salter’s videos come after multiple recent plane accidents that have sparked anxiety among many travelers.
On Jan. 29, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter as it prepared to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. causing a massive explosion and both aircraft to crash into the Potomac River. There were no survivors.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
More recently, Delta Flight 4819 crash-landed and rolled upside down at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Monday, Feb. 17. All 80 people on board were successfully evacuated. Twenty-one were injured but all had been released from the hospital as of Thursday, Feb. 20.
While both incidents were horrifying, pilots and other aviation professionals confirm that flying is still the safest way to travel. In the U.S. alone, there are 45,000 flights per day, carrying 2.9 million passengers, according to the FAA.
And when accidents do happen, they tend to spark improvements to safety measures, according to Michael McCabe, an air traffic controller who works out of Chicago O’Hare International Airport and recently spoke with PEOPLE about coping with flight anxiety.
“The aviation community is an interesting community in that we talk about accidents and incidents, things that didn’t happen and how they could happen all the time,” he says. “We are always focused on changing rules, adapting and figuring out ways so that we don’t ever come close to something like the [D.C. incident] again.”
He adds, “Every time something happens, we get safer.”
Read the full article here
