“This Could So Be a Southwest Commercial” — Airline Passengers Do Runway Walks Before Boarding

A viral TikTok uploaded to the Nashville Nuggets (@nashvillenuggets) account shows an unusual scene: a passenger-packed runway show at Nashville International Airport in Nashville, Tennesee.

Nashville's video begins with a Southwest passenger walking toward their flight with their luggage in tow. Other passengers are seated at the airport, shouting and applauding her as she makes her way down. She steps deliberately as if she were a runway model.

A text overlay in the video explains what the cause of the festivities is: "Southwest uses boarding gate as passenger model runway," the on-screen caption states, capped off with a laughing emoji.

People cheer the woman, who can't help but smile. Next, someone, who appears to be an employee of the airline, begins walking down the same stretch of the airport floor. She embraces the adulation of the crowd, gesticulating her arms and looking about, serving looks in the process.

Once she makes it to the end of the line, she strikes a pose and then lifts her arm up, smiling. A man can be heard encouraging her over the intercom as fellow flyers can be heard clapping and applauding her.

The third passenger is someone who is walking in what appears to be a motorized chair. As the Southwest employee informs folks that they're going to start boarding in seven minutes, the third passenger, with a cane in hand, begins walking to the desk. "Come on down, come on down," the airline worker encourages the man.

At this point in the video, there's a cut to a different passenger: a woman with blonde hair who is wearing a black cloth mask. The kind of music you'd expect to see at a runway show begins blaring over the loudspeaker, and she begins to dance and twirl down the line.

"Aye, aye, get it, get it," the male Southwest employee says as she makes her way back down the line. Following this, another passenger, who gets low with some dance moves walks down the allocated "runway" area of the boarding area.

Afterward, another flyer attempts to foster a more interactive runway walk experience: She issues a chant that is echoed by the other passengers. She's clearly working to try and put everyone in a better mood. A tall order when it comes to airline travel.

"Let's go Buffalo!" she says, as throngs of waiting passengers echo her cry.

The final passenger in the clip ends up being the same one the video started with: She makes her way down with her luggage and, while keeping her stride intact, removes a yellow coat.

She tosses it over her shoulder and also echoes the "Let's go Buffalo," chant as the video comes to a close.

Much has been written about the stresses often associated with airline travel. PR Newswire featured a story that claims people find booking airline travel, navigating the airport, and getting ready for a trip more stressful than visiting the dentist.

The same piece cited a study from Expedia that covered numerous ways passengers can try and minimize the stress that often comes along with booking air travel.

In the piece, the third-party booking site recommends that flights should be secured 28 days before folks plan on departing.

Not only does this ensure that you're going to get a seat, and probably select the row and class you'd like, but you'll also save some coin in the process of doing so. That's because the report claims folks who book four weeks ahead of time pay 24 percent less on average for their tickets.

But that's just for domestic flights. If you're going international, you're going to want to book tickets 60 days ahead of the time you plan on flying. Other helpful pointers include flying before 3 p.m. in order to help minimize flight cancellations and getting ahead of "rush hour" on roads to make your flight a smoother experience.

Also, if you're looking for the most affordable day of the week to book airline tickets, the report indicates Sundays are the best days to do so.

Others recommend that you should spend a few minutes stretching parts of your body that may cramp up after being seated for so long. Physio Inq suggests this routine prior to flying if you're looking for some inspiration.

When it comes to clothing, Travel + Leisure recommends that folks wear comfortable, breathable clothing and layers, just in case the airplane cabin becomes too hot or too cold. Shoes that are easy to take on and off if you're required to remove them at security, compression socks, and loose outfits are other recommendations.

But, all of these helpful tips may just be nullified if all you need is a catwalk experience to put you in a good mood. Does seeing this video make you want to book a flight on Southwest out of Nashville?