A new ‘airport theory’ going viral on social media is making people miss their flights

From DIY hacks to ‘get ready with me’s,’ TikTok is full of tips and tricks on how to lead a more efficient life. That is, until the viral “airport theory.” It’s a TikTok trend that maintains arriving at the airport 15 minutes before a booked flight cuts down on wait time.

While many people have utilized the “airport theory” successfully, even more have not; their attempts at the theory resulting in a missed flight and incredibly stressful airport experience.

What is the Airport Theory?

Though the originator of the “airport theory” isn’t known, one of the earliest mentions of the travel philosophy—described as arriving at the airport 15 minutes before a flight to easily clear security and save hours of waiting—was online personality and challenge enthusiast @michael.dicostanzo, who documented his successful attempt at the airport theory in a TikTok video created on Jan. 10, 2025.

@michael.dicostanzo Can Airport Theory survive the world’s BUSIEST airport?? 👀✈️🤔 #airportheory #atlantaairport #challenge ♬ original sound – Michael DiCostanzo

In the video, Dicostanzo arrived at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a travel hub the creator cited as being “literally the most crowded airport in the entire world.” Walking to his gate, and noticing no line for TSA pre-check, Dicostanzo maintained, “if airport theory works here, it can work anywhere.”

After getting through security, Dicostanzo mentioned that there was no line to check a bag (though the creator did not check a bag), and made it to the gate in 14 minutes and 57 seconds. “A huge win for airport theory,” he said, about to board his flight to Orlando.

Immediately, the comments in Dicostanzo’s video showed concern, criticism and skepticism towards the airport theory. “TSA pre-check is cheating for airport theory,” read one comment. “This was not a standard day at Atlanta,” read another comment. “I don’t feel like it was a fair test of airport theory.”

“So you had pre-check, didn’t check a bag and are at the nearest terminal?” Read another comment. “Now let’s do it when it’s not all the optimal situations.”

“Hundreds of dollars gone”

In January and February, other creators also tried the airport theory. While some had great luck with the travel philosophy, most did not, missing their flight or nearly missing their flight in the process.

In one viral video garnering 1.1 million views, creator Jenny Kurtz confidently documented her employment of airport theory, only to find that—upon arrival at her gate—her flight had concluded boarding and the gate itself was closed. “Don’t do it,” she captioned her video.

@jenny_kurtzz i would not recommend 😩😭✈️ #airporttheory #airport #flying #fyp #lifehack #tipsandtricks ♬ son original – tswiftmusic

Krutz’s video also amassed criticism in its comments section. “That’s hundreds of dollars gone because you can’t wait at your gate,” read one comment. “Girl please tell me you got that coffee after you knew you were going to miss your flight,” read another.

According to reporting about the trend in the New York Post, since the rise of this trend, Google searches for “I missed my flight” in February have increased by 645% than in previous months. This is a staggering and concerning increase that might correlate to the rise of the TikTok trend…and, its apparent failure.

“Thank you for opening up those standby seats”

As the trend continues to be viral online, commercial aviation professionals are also weighing in on the theory. A video by TikTok user and flight attendant @beautyhouse77 made light of how people utilizing airport theory made their fellow travelers’ lives easier…because they themselves were likely to miss their flight. The video was captioned, “to all the passengers who are trying airport theory, concepts, and only giving themselves 15 minutes to get to the gate, thank you for opening up those stand-by seats.”

While more and more people are still trying out the trend, Amanda Parker, an expert for travel site Netflights, told The New York Post that “the trend largely depends on variable factors like queue times and the distance to your gate, which can differ depending on the airport and the time of your flight.”

She additionally warns that “boarding typically begins 45 minutes before departure, which is half an hour earlier than the 15 minutes suggested in ‘airport theory,’ further emphasizing the risks of following this trend.”

Airport theory also goes against industry recommendations of arriving two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international one…so if the travel philosophy curiosity, know that it could also lead to some expensive—and stressful—risks.

The Daily Dot has reached out to @michael.dicostanzo via direct message on TikTok. The creator did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

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