When it comes to moms, nobody goes hungry — not even at 30,000 feet. Shelly Murphy, a 71-year-old woman from Utah, turned her economy class seat into a makeshift snack bar during a five-hour flight to make sure her family was well-fed, and the whole thing was caught on camera. The clip quickly spread across social media, sparking a wave of reactions that ranged from wholesome admiration to outright disbelief. As reported by People, the video became one of those rare moments where the internet truly could not agree on anything.
The footage was shared by Shelly’s daughter, Ilesha DePasquale, who is 48 years old. It shows Shelly calmly assembling sandwiches using rolls she packed herself, stuffing them with salami, cheese, onion, pickles, lettuce, and mayonnaise. She then handed them out to her adult children and their spouses as if she were running a deli counter at cruising altitude. A fellow passenger seated across the aisle could be seen watching the whole operation in visible amazement. The casual confidence with which Shelly carried out the entire thing only added to the charm.
“Thank you, Mom,” Ilesha said on camera as she accepted her sandwich from Shelly. Shelly’s son Ned, who is 44, was quick to weigh in on the quality of the food, calling his sandwich “very good,” and Ilesha’s husband Donny was fast to agree. For this family, at least, the whole experience seemed completely natural, as if assembling deli sandwiches mid-flight was simply what their mom had always done. The warmth and ease of the moment clearly resonated with a large portion of viewers who watched the clip.
@ileshadepasquale Traveling with your parents no matter what age you are is the best, it nice when someone takes care of ya. ♥️🥰 #mom #kids #funny #airplane ♬ original sound – iLesha
Online, however, the video ignited a full-blown debate. Supporters praised Shelly’s devotion and found the whole thing endearing, while skeptics questioned the practicality and hygiene of assembling food in such a tight, crowded space. “It’s like she brought a Subway onto the plane,” joked one commenter, while another chimed in, “Those sandwiches look incredible!” The contrast in reactions was sharp and immediate, which is likely a big part of why the video gained so much traction so quickly.
Not everyone was charmed, though. Some people raised concerns about the proximity of so many strangers and the general conditions of a packed aircraft cabin. “I’m afraid to bring the wrong-sized shampoo onto a plane, and this woman brought an entire sandwich shop,” one person wrote. Another added, “With all the germs and people crammed into a tiny tube… yeah, I won’t be making sandwiches.” The pushback highlighted how differently people think about personal space, food safety, and what is or is not acceptable behavior in a shared public space like an airplane.
For all the debate, the core of what Shelly Murphy did is something many people will recognize from their own childhoods. Packing food for family trips, making sure no one leaves the house hungry, and finding creative ways to look after loved ones are behaviors deeply embedded in the maternal experience across cultures. Regardless of where people landed on the etiquette debate, Shelly’s clip tapped into something universal: the image of a mom who simply refuses to let her kids go without, no matter the setting or the altitude.
From a general standpoint, bringing your own food on a flight is entirely permitted under Transportation Security Administration guidelines, provided that items pass through security screening without issue. Solid foods like sandwiches are allowed in both carry-on bags and checked luggage. Airlines in the United States no longer offer complimentary meals on most domestic economy flights, which has led many travelers to pack their own snacks and full meals. The practice of bringing homemade food aboard has actually grown more common over the past decade as airline meal service has declined significantly on shorter and mid-range domestic routes.
TikTok, where the video was originally posted, has become one of the primary platforms where these kinds of heartwarming or divisive family moments go viral. The app’s short-form format makes it easy for a single clip to reach millions of viewers within hours, and the comment sections often become battlegrounds for generational and cultural differences in values and behavior. Content featuring older generations doing something unexpected or unconventional tends to perform especially well, partly because it bridges the gap between different age groups in a way that feels genuine rather than staged.
Whether you think Shelly Murphy is a hero or a handful, one thing is hard to deny: her sandwiches looked good, and her family seemed very happy to eat them — share your thoughts in the comments.
