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Late passenger commandeers airport PA system to demand they open the ‘mother****ing gate’

A clip of the incident has been viewed almost 10 million times

Benjamin Parker
Monday 19 June 2023 11:31 BST
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The man can be seeing banging on the gate
The man can be seeing banging on the gate (kieraadaviss/TikTok)

Delayed flights, missed connections, cancelled departures. It can be frustrating when you’re at the airport but travel plans aren’t going your way – leading to one man taking matters into his own hands.

After arriving too late to catch a flight from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, a man was filmed banging on the closed door at his gate before using the airport’s Tannoy announcement system to demand that he be let on board, reports Off the Beaten Points.

The outburst was recorded and uploaded to TikTok by a user called Kiera, with the 30-second clip garnering almost 10 million views at the time of writing.

In the video, speaking into the microphone, the man is heard saying: “We need security at [gate] C10 to open this gate. You got some people trying to catch their flight.”

The announcement then takes a slightly coarser turn, with the man stating that “you need to come open this mother****ing gate” before placing the handset back.

However, he later picks up the receiver again and repeatedly calls for security to come and open the gate.

Reactions from other TikTok users ranged from understanding – “this legit happened to me two weeks ago” – to finding the situation laughable, with one writing: “Is he trying to board a plane that likely isn’t even there anymore?? Lol.”

It’s unclear whether the man was allowed through to his scheduled flight or if he was allowed to travel later.

The Independent has contacted Delta Airlines for comment.

This incident isn’t the first example of tempers fraying at an airport.

Earlier this month, comedian and actor Marlon Wayans was cited for disturbing the peace after a dispute with a United Airlines employee over carry-on luggage at Denver airport.

In May, a woman was arrested after allegedly slapping a Spirit Airlines employee when she was denied boarding onto a flight for being “too intoxicated”.

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