TikTok/emmersoncollins1
Passengers on at least three American Airlines flights reported bizarre moaning and groaning noises from in-flight intercom systems.
In a viral video, one passenger described the sound as “somewhere between an orgasm and vomiting.”
According to an American Airlines spokesperson, the PA systems “are hardwired and there is no external access.”
Passengers aboard an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Dallas earlier this month were thrown into a state of confusion and concern when strange noises began emanating from the plane’s public announcement system.
As documented by Emerson Collins in a now viral video, a bizarre series of ominous moans and groans suddenly filled the cabin shortly before takeoff, puzzling passengers and flight attendants, and then continued for the duration of the flight.
“Someone on this flight seems to have broken into the intercom system and continues to make a sound that is somewhere between an orgasm and vomiting,” Collins says in the video shared on TikTok.
—Emerson Collins (@ActuallyEmerson) September 23, 2022
As Collins continues to capture the bizarre series of noises, a flight attendant acknowledges them and tells passengers employees are trying to turn them off.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we realize there’s an extremely irritating sound coming over the public announcements,” a flight attendant says in the video. “The flight deck is trying to troubleshoot, trying to turn it off, so please be patient with us, we know this is a very odd anomaly and none of us are enjoying it.”
Later in the video, a flight attendant is overheard saying “I swear it’s a prank,” while walking down the aisle.
According to an American Airlines spokesperson, the sounds were the result of a technical issue, noting that systems on their aircraft “are hardwired and there is no external access.”
“Following the initial report, our maintenance team thoroughly inspected the aircraft and the PA system, and determined the sounds were caused by a mechanical issue with the PA amplifier, which raises the volume of the PA system when the engines are running,” the spokesperson told Insider.
However, it appears this wasn’t the only American Airlines flight that has been subject to strange noises. According to The Los Angeles Times, a passenger on a July flight from New York City to Los Angeles reported similar sounds.
The passenger, Bradley P. Allen, told the Times the noises were nearly identical to those shared by Collins, comparing them to someone who is “incapacitated by a severe gastrointestinal problem, and is just moaning.” He called the experience “unnerving.”
On Twitter, yet another passenger on an American Airlines flight — this time from Orange County, California, to Dallas — came forward last week to share a similar experience, writing “someone keeps hacking into the PA and making moaning and screaming sounds.”
“The flight attendants are standing by their phones because it isn’t them and the captain just came on and told us they don’t think the flight systems are compromised so we will finish the flight to DFW,” the passenger wrote.
He continued: “I also feel the need to add that the ‘hacked into’ part is the part I’m having the most trouble with — it doesn’t feel physically possible. At same time, cannot for the life of me figure out what the eventual explanation is gonna be.”
The American Airlines spokesperson told Insider the company is reviewing the additional claims, and also noted that there is no WiFi component to the PA systems, which would make an external hack difficult.
“Our team is reviewing the additional reports,” the spokesperson said.