Footage of a playful pillow fight among passengers aboard a Continental flight has become an Internet sensation.

The aerial pillow fight broke out among dozens of coach passengers who grabbed the complementary comfort items and laughingly pelted each other and the stewardess, before the entire cabin tossed their pillows into the first class cabin.

A roughly 90-second video of the pillow fight has become a YouTube hit.

The airborne pillow battle – which occurred on a flight from Phoenix to Washington State - was a special service provided by the airline to a group of frequent flyers whose views are sought by airlines.

Members of the online passenger forum FlyerTalkers were taking part in Star Mega Do 2010, a six-day, six-city tour of the Star Alliance (Continental, United and US Air) routes.

Back in August, a similarly silly pillow fight broke out on a Lufthansa flight between Israel and Frankfurt when passengers good-naturedly pelted a stewardess with pillow as she tried to hand them out.

The footage of that incident became a YouTube smash, with more than a million hits to date.

Pillow fights aren't just happening 35,000 feet in the air. Pillow fights – a staple of every childhood slumber party – have also been popping up on the ground.

In recent years so-called "pillow fight flash mobs" have been waged in cities throughout the world, promoted and organized through social networking sites.

In April pillow warmongers all over the globe celebrated their favorite day of the year, International Pillow Fight Day , waging feathered battles in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Sao Paolo, and Amsterdam.

Students at Columbia University have incorporated a Spring Pillow Fight to relieve stress during finals.