TikTok user Me’Kayla (@burgessbooks) is a “book + product plug” for her 180,000 followers. But when she posted a video last week, she was not discussing books. Instead, she recorded the video from an airport while traveling. She says she sat down in the airport after her flight was canceled and was mistaken for an unhoused person by workers.
The text overlay on her video reads, “Why did two officers just walk up to me in the airport to ask if I was homeless and needed services [expletive] MY FLIGHT WAS CANCELLED IM JUT TRYNA SIT DOWN.”
Me’Kayla shakes her head at the situation. The video’s sound is “Good Luck Babe” by Chappell Roan. In the caption, she wrote, “i gossiped with two workers and apparently they are actually trying to find a homeless woman who is hiding in the airport (the fact that they thought it was me tho).”
Viewers found her travel experience relatable
The video has amassed more than 228,000 views as of Monday afternoon. In the comments section, users said this is an extremely relatable travel tale.
“Don’t we all look homeless at the airport?” joked one user.
“How did they think you got past TSA,” asked another user.
Someone else said, “1) ask why they would make such an assumption?”
One user said they would turn it back on the authorities. ““Interesting. What gave you that impression???’” they wrote.
@burgessbooks 😭 i gossiped with two workers and apparently they are actaully trying to find a homeless woman who is hiding in the airport (the fact that they thought it was me tho😭) #fyp #airport #wtf #funny ♬ GOOD LUCK BABE by CHAPPELL ROAN – Chappell’s Fandom 👑
Another person said they’ve stayed in an airport for an extended period of time before. “My flight kept getting canceled and I was stuck in the airport for 3 days. No one said anything to me, but I realize then how easy it would be to just live in the airport,” they wrote.
Homelessness at airports
The U.S. is experiencing a nationwide increase in homelessness at airports. According to Invisible People, airports in large cities like Chicago, Seattle and New York are seeing an increasing number of people experiencing homelessness in their facilities.
“Airports are often attractive places for unhoused people to go because they offer amenities like Wi-Fi access, electricity, and restrooms. However, airports are also often ill-equipped to connect unhoused people with services in a strategic and effective way. In turn, some airports have turned to criminalizing people to control visible homelessness,” the article states. In other cases, police may reach out to a person who is unhoused and connect them to community resources.
The Daily Dot reached out to Me’Kayla via email for comment.
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