Shakes on a plane aren't all that funny to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Colorado College's ultimate frisbee team last month convinced the crew aboard a Frontier Airlines fight to let them do the "Harlem Shake."
But now that the video of their fun has gone sort-of viral, the FAA is looking into whether some safety rules may have been violated.
As the college's student-run newssite -- The Catalyst -- puts it:
"Something aboard a Frontier Airlines flight across the Rocky Mountain West caught the attention of federal investigators last week. Perhaps it was the passengers banging on the ceiling, walls and floor of the cabin, or maybe how most of the passengers were out of their seats, jumping up and down.
"The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a group of Colorado College students and a Frontier flight crew for a video that was shot in the air during Flight 157 of a Airbus A320 on Feb. 15, an airline spokesperson and federal officials confirmed this week."
According to The Associated Press, "FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said Thursday they're looking at what phase the flight was in during the dance in the aisles. Frontier Airlines says the seatbelt sign was off and safety measures were followed." The flight was headed to San Diego.
The sophomore who recorded the performance, Matt Zelin, tells The Catalyst that "obviously I hope that this whole situation is solved with the FAA. ... I don't see there being any reason why this should cause any trouble. We asked the staff and they said it was safe."
The team says it not only asked the cabin crew for permission to do the shake, but also asked the other passengers -- many of whom obviously decided to get in on the fun.
If you're not up on the Harlem Shake, the AP describes the trend this way: "In the suddenly popular YouTube videos, one person starts dancing, then the video cuts to a large group of people dancing, many in costume."
The Catalyst, though, calls it "a fading fad."
Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit www.npr.org.
