Teen goes viral after bringing 200 tortillas on Texas flight
A TikTok user has gone viral and sent thousands of people into laughter after sharing a video of herself bringing 200 tortillas onto a plane in Texas.
TikToker Anna Jones recorded the video in the early morning hours of June 14. As she stood in line at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, she captured footage of her fellow unsuspecting travelers.
"All these people and no one knows I have 200 HEB tortillas in my backpack," Jones wrote, referring to the grocery supermarket chain H-E-B.
Once she made it onto the plane, the bag of tortillas was quite the heavy lift.
'I struggled to get that in the overhead carrier, but it went OK,' she said.
USA TODAY contacted H-E-B and the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport about tortillagate.
Here is the story on tortillagate and the laughter that ensued once social media users got wind of it.
What's with all the tortillas?
Jones is 17 and lives in Nashville, Tennessee, she told USA TODAY on June 20. She had previously flown to Texas to visit her father and the University of Texas at Austin campus, she said.
Because there is no H-E-B near her in Tennessee, Jones makes sure she stocks up when she visits Texas, she said, adding that she and her father have done this at least three times.
Jones is part of a family of six, and they go through tortillas quickly, she said. Last time, her dad got her about 200 to 300 tortillas, and they lasted a few months, she added.
'We bring them home, and we can freeze them, and we just use them until they run out,' Jones said. 'They normally last about two months.'
Jones said she usually always gets flagged by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for carrying tubes of toothpaste that are too big, but she wasn't stopped for her tortillas.
'I just went on through,' she said. 'Nothing happened. It was pretty obvious that it was tortillas. This is kind of normal for them, I guess.'
Southwest Airlines, which Jones flew with, states that TSA has a list of approved items travelers can put in checked or carry-on bags. Bread and other solid food items are permitted, per the database.
'TSA officers may instruct travelers to separate items from carry-on bags such as foods, powders, and any materials that can clutter bags and obstruct clear images on the X-ray machine,' TSA said on its website. 'Travelers are encouraged to organize their carry-on bags and keep them uncluttered to ease the screening process and keep the lines moving.'
H-E-B: 'Gotta keep those in the carry on'
Jones said once she makes it home to Tennessee with her H-E-B tortillas, she likes to make them with pork, lime crema, and also quesadillas with beans, cheese and chicken.
When H-E-B heard about the post, the company chimed in: 'Gotta keep those in the carry on. Don't want to chance them getting misplaced.'
Jones replied and let the company know she could always use more tortillas. As of June 20, she hasn't heard back.
The social media response her post garnered has been fun to be part of, Jones said.
'I immediately texted my dad because he grew up in Austin, so he loves H-E-B,' she said. 'He texted all of his friends from high school. I thought that was pretty funny.'
She also said it has been funny seeing folks debate about the quality of tortillas and what makes them tasty.
Some TikTokers shared their own stories about traveling with food.
'I had 75 pounds of food in a suitcase to NYC,' wrote one user. 'I need yall to restock the cold/hot bags please. Going on a run again this month.'
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
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