Funkytown: Airline employee spreads joy with 5am dance moves

A Delta Airlines employee brought joy with dance moves at an ungodly hour. Photo / 123RF
Most people awake at 5am are not exactly in a talking mood – let alone a dancing one.
Video of Delta Air Lines employee Devon Ridge has gone viral after he was captured busting a move, bringing a smile to early morning travellers waiting to board their flight at an airport in Houston, Texas.
Recorded by a passenger identified only as Eddie and later posted to TikTok, the video shows Ridge jiving to the Lipps Inc 80s-era track Funkytown around 5am on August 18.
“POV: You have a 6AM flight & this is your entertainment,” read the overlaid text on the 18-second clip, which has now garnered almost five million views.
@delta give him a raise 🙌🏼💙 #travelvlog #deltaairlines #houstontx
Ridge is first seen shimmying at the airport gate with a passenger in a green jumper vibing along with him.
He continued rocking out over to the desk by gate A10 – this time with a fellow employee.
In what appeared to be his signature move, Ridge finger-gunned about 10 times in the video.
The airline employee’s unexpected burst of energy had a contagious effect on viewers, with many TikTokers commenting on how it put them in a good mood.
“He needs to be CEO of vibes,” wrote one user.
“@American Airlines, you see how’s he’s vibing? Very demure, very mindful of everyone’s experience,” wrote another person in reference to Jools Lebron’s viral TikTok, which coined the phrase.
Even Google had chimed in. “Putting ‘Funky Town’ into Google Flights and hoping it takes us there,” the multinational tech company wrote.
This wasn’t Ridge’s first time entertaining travellers with his moves.
@delta employee making sure everyone is having a great Halloween as they arrive in #houston #iah
Captioned “@delta employee making sure everyone is having a great Halloween as they arrive in”, another video on TikTok posted on November 1, 2023 shows Ridge grooving out to I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown & The Famous Flames they greet arriving passengers.
The airline hasn’t been shy about encouraging disco moves in the past.
In August 2022, passengers waiting for a Delta Air Lines flight out of Hartsfield Airport, Atlanta were informed there was a spare seat going at the front of the plane. Airline staff asked travellers to “go to gate” and bring their biggest moves for a shot at a seat upgrade.