Flight attendant speaks out after ‘terrifying’ flight from Sacramento to Denver. Viewers thank her for her ‘honesty’: ‘This is why I avoid Denver’
Sure, you might think flight attendants are made of steel and feel no fear whenever turbulence comes along. After all, we never really see them break a sweat over anything.
Recently, however, flight attendant and TikTok creator Nadia (@thenadliew), who was aboard a flight from Sacramento to Denver, says she was “terrified” by extremely strong winds.
She recounted the experience in a TikTok video that has since racked up more than 328,800 views.
‘Yeah, Flight Attendants Get Scared’
In the video, Nadia explains that the turbulence she experienced wasn’t the usual bumps most flyers expect.
“I wouldn’t wish the turbulence I experienced last night on my worst enemy,” she says at the start of the clip.
The flight took place during a period of extreme wind across Colorado. On Friday, parts of the state were hit with hurricane-strength gusts, with Boulder County recording wind speeds as high as 112 miles per hour. Nadia says those conditions were noticeable even before takeoff.
“When we got to Denver and when we were boarding, the plane was rocking left to right,” she says. “I’ve experienced really bad turbulence before. This was no joke.”
She notes that she was seated at the front of the plane on the jump seat, an area that usually feels more stable than the back. Even so, the movement was severe enough that she and her fellow crew members had to brace themselves.
“Our jump seat literally kind of folded us in at one point,” she explains, adding that they were holding on as the aircraft moved.
Things intensified once the plane crossed into mountainous terrain.
“From Denver to Aspen is when the turbulence was just nine out of ten bad,” she says. “We’re going through high winds, really bad winds, over the Rockies. The Rockies are already usually bad.”
At one point, the experience led her to question her career choice, even though she’s passionate about the job.
“I had a couple of thoughts like, do I really want to do this for as long as I said I wanted to do it?” she admits. “Yeah, flight attendants get scared. I can’t speak for everybody, but this flight attendant was terrified last night.”
How Other Flight Attendants See Turbulence
In a Reddit thread on r/flightattendants, most crew members said fear isn’t part of their personal experience, even during rough flights.
“I’ve been flying for 20 years and honestly, I feel more annoyed that I have to stop what I’m doing during turbulence,” one person wrote. “I’ve never felt scared.”
Another shared a different perspective, explaining how familiarity with flying changed their emotional response entirely. “My daughter was absolutely terrified of flying. I told her to apply to be a flight attendant with me. She did, she was hired, and she’s cured.”
Others echoed that confidence, pointing to training and trust in the flight deck. One commenter wrote that seasoned pilots and extensive safety preparation help keep anxiety in check, even when conditions worsen.
It’s important to remember that flight attendants undergo rigorous training for turbulence, emergency landings, and severe weather.
They learn how to secure the cabin, protect themselves and passengers, and respond quickly when conditions shift. Strong winds, particularly over mountainous regions like the Rockies, are also a known challenge in aviation and something crews expect to encounter at times.
That preparation doesn’t always cancel out the human reaction, though, especially when conditions exceed what feels routine.
@thenadilew This was the worst turbulence I’ve ever experienced. I tried so hard to look calm, but…I’m human ? #turbulence #traveltok #flightattendant ♬ original sound – NadiLew
Passengers React to Her Honesty
Viewers flooded Nadia’s comments with reactions, many of them expressing relief that a flight attendant acknowledged fear instead of brushing it aside.
“When the flight attendants get nervous, I am NERVOUS,” one person wrote.
Another admitted they felt the opposite. “Unpopular opinion, I’m a flight attendant and really bad turbulence makes me feel like I’m on a roller coaster and I like it.”
Several commenters focused on geography. “Note to self: never visit Denver,” one joked, while another shared a more reflective response: “I live by SFO and every morning while I workout I pray over all the planes as I watch them take off.”
For nervous flyers, Nadia’s video felt validating. “I’m a terrified flyer based in Denver so it is always so rough,” one person wrote. “I really appreciate you normalizing this as a flight attendant. People can be so dismissive, and it really is scary sometimes.”
The Mary Sue has reached out to @thenadliew via email for additional comment.
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