A man was filmed getting told off by a worker after opening a secure door and seemingly attempting to wave down a flight.
@abail_ posted the video, which was viewed over 450,000 times. In it, a man opens a door with multiple signs on it that indicate it should not be opened. He gets stopped by an airport employee, who tells him she now has to call the police. “We’re gonna call the police. … You do not do that. … That’s trespassing. They could take you to jail,” she says.
The man quickly backs away from the door and repeatedly apologizes. Defeated, the man sits down in a chair near the door. The airport employee walks away and speaks on a radio as the man awaits his fate. @abail_ claimed he was attempting to flag the pilot down.
“Ngl tho he was in the wrong cause he was trying to wave the pilot down by opening the emergency door leading to the runway,” @abail_ responded to a commenter.
@abail_ He really did a wave😭😭poor guy #fyp #airport ♬ original sound – Abail
Many viewers defended the man, suggesting he is foreign and unfamiliar with U.S. airport regulations.
“I give him the benefit of doubt,” one commenter wrote. “He’s foreign and could have been waving at his friends that made it on the plane.”
“Bro must be foreign, ain’t no way he can’t read those signs,” another commenter wrote.
“He’s def not American. Maybe Euro or Aussie or something?” a third shared, highlighting an experience from when they flew domestically in Australia. “They didn’t check my ID and let me take 6 wine bottles.”
Regardless, just as many viewers felt the gate agent was in the right for reacting the way she did.
“The most incredible thing here is that ppl trying to minimize his action and judge her reaction when that is very serious for everyone security,” a commenter wrote.
“I work in an airport, that is a huge security risk,” another commenter wrote. “The only way to get through the door is with a badge. The woman is not overreacting.”
“People are really in the comments attacking the agent and defending the guy,” a commenter wrote. “The door is clearly marked with Do Not Enter signs.”
The Daily Dot reached out to @abail_ via Instagram direct message.
