Neon Nightmare: How A Flashy Charger Turned A Redeye Flight Into A Sleepless Spectacle

A passenger boarded a redeye flight, and spent 6 hours with their flashing rainbow charging cable plugged into their coach seat while passengers around them filmed because it was too bright for them to sleep.

With as given towards conflict as modern airliners have become, maybe the most striking thing here is that the rest of the cabin didn’t speak up? It can even be done politely!

Hi, excuse me. That charger is really awesome. Since it’s a night flight, and it’s a little bit bright, could I lend you my cord instead so that I can sleep a bit?

I’m almost disappointed that this passenger isn’t flexing their charging like the passenger who plugged in a power strip. However, this has to be up there with bringing a sewing machine on board, and using it at your seat, both for the audacity and the noise.

Seeing that video of the charging cable shining bright out of the USB socket, is wrong to note “It’s always American Airlines?”

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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  1. I wonder why they didn’t say anything to the guy with the sewing machine?
    Oh! Nevermind, I know why…

  2. I assume that the passenger is doing it to annoy other customers because it could be covered up with no loss of charging ability.

  3. I have a Larq bottle that I keep next to me and wondered if it freaked out who don’t know what it is when it automatically activates so I started covering it — good thing it doesn’t light up red!

  4. After a week of heavy permabuzz spring break drinking, passengers should look forward to about 30 college students seated in first-class and coach, all using their high-intensity light-up strobing power cords when returning on six-hour night flights from Miami to LAX. On long night flights like AA669, students know they must keep their cell phones charged 100% to stay connected with their other spring break buddies jetting back on other flights.

  5. @jns
    I don’t understand your comment? Because they’re black?
    Are black people somehow different? Could you better explain to me why?
    I’m sure I’ve done all kinds of annoying things in public that I don’t realize until later. And no one told me at the time it was rude.
    Perhaps just asking someone politely to stop being rude is the first step, instead of assuming that they’ll be sent into a rage because of their skin color.

  6. I’m sorry. I can’t edit my post. I wasn’t responding to “jns”.
    It was Chris. I’m sorry! I don’t know how I misread that initially.

  7. Not to excuse the thoughtless passenger with the rainbow charging cord, but who takes a red eye without a sleeping mask? How is it everyone else’s responsibility to help me sleep?

  8. Hannah, why would you think that a person’s skin color has anything at all to do with this? Look up ‘paranoid’.

  9. Probably most of not all of the people who filmed this had their own charging cable they could have loaned to this person. That’s what I would have done. “You’re keeping us up, could you please use this instead? FFS?”

    This person is a jerk, but I agree this weird culture of filming people and posting it, without actually speaking to them, doesn’t speak well to our civility. Those people are jerks, too.

  10. Passengers could politely ask them to stop but I m surprised a flight attendant didn’t ask them to stop. They ask you to shut your windows on acted eye so people can sleep. Seems ridiculous.

  11. We’re great sometimes.

    You have a peanut allergy, it’s your problem, figure out how to stay safe, and I’ll go on eating my peanuts because I like them.

    But I want to sleep – well everyone around me should understand and follow my personal optimal sleep requirements.

  12. @Hannah

    Don’t take it personal but in this day and age of twitter and tiktok some people will be believed on those platforms over others so for many it’s just easier to not say anything.

  13. In the vivid metropolis of Neon City, a traveler’s red-eye flight transformed into an unexpected spectacle when a flashy solar inverter by SunSolar brand took center stage. As the plane taxied on the runway, the neon lights of the cityscape flickered in rhythmic synchronization with the solar inverter’s dazzling display. Passengers, initially fatigued from the late departure, found themselves captivated by the mesmerizing light show.

    The SunSolar brand, renowned for innovative solar technology, inadvertently turned the cabin into a neon-lit wonderland. The solar inverter, intended for sustainable energy use, took on a new role as an impromptu entertainment source. From vibrant hues to pulsating patterns, the inverter’s luminous dance left passengers wide-eyed and transformed their red-eye ordeal into a sleepless yet unforgettable experience. The Neon Nightmare became a shared tale, blending the realms of technology and travel into a surreal, unexpected journey through the night sky.https://sunsolar.pk/product/solar-inverter/

  14. How could this cable possibly be brighter than the video screens? Unless the cable is brighter than a screen, I don’t see how anyone could fairly complain.

  15. I agree with Daniel. Those video screens are bright. I use an eye mask. I thought that the dimmed lights were so that the flight attendants could pretend that they are unavailable and don’t have to provide any service.

    Yes, that sewing machine was a shocker. I actually had to play the video to try to believe it. Even after playing that sewing machine video, I lack any snappy sm@rt-@ass retort.

  16. Now people are getting offended by light?! What if that person works 3rd shift and needs to stay on schedule? Or, maybe they find comfort in a bit of light when surrounded by a bunch of strangers looking to start problems. Maybe they have PTSD and try not to sleep in public places! Bring a damn eye mask on a night flight if you can’t handle a little light! That person has done nothing wrong – get over it and take steps to solve your own issues.

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