Harebrained airport theory trend causing people to miss their flights

They’re causing a brain delay.Social media has cornered the market on idiotic travel trends — check-in chicken, anyone? But now, TikTokkers are purposefully showing up late to the airport as part of a lamebrained new challenge that, perhaps unsurprisingly, is causing people to miss their flights.Dubbed “airport theory,” the trend suggests arriving at the airport just 15 minutes in advance to clear security — going against the conventional wisdom of showing up hours in advance.The logic is that passengers can have their cake and eat it, too, by making it to the gate without having to get up as early or waste time lounging about the airport.While this might seem like a gamble, videos about “airport theory” have taken off on TikTok, amassing a whopping 400 million views.“It is currently 9:24, and my flight started boarding four minutes ago,” said one human guinea pig named Lexi Smith in a video demonstration of the time-saving hack.

“We’re in security right now; let’s see how fast we can get through this.”She claimed she got through security at 9:29, just five minutes later — despite getting randomly selected for additional screening — and then had to transfer to her gate via bus.The air-devil then updated viewers that she made it to the gate at 9:44, barely 15 minutes later, when the flight was “just now boarding.” “So.

We made it; airport theory is true,” she declared, adding, “Yes, I was the first one to walk on the plane.Make that make sense.”One brave soul even successfully tested the mile high-pothesis at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, which is reportedly the busiest in the world based on foot traffic.“If airport theory works here, I think it will work anywhere,” said wild-haired TikTokker Michael DiCostanzo, whose coiff looked like he’d just climbed out of bed, in a clip with more than 3.5 million views.The port-crastinator said he breezed through security in just 7½ min...