A post about a passenger's disastrous travel mishap has gone viral after they dropped their passport through a narrow, inaccessible hole in an airport floor, just moments before boarding their flight.
The ordeal was detailed in a Reddit post titled, "Dropped my passport down this hole to nowhere while lining up to board my flight." It was shared by u/Fearless-Hedgehog-58 in the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit. The post has amassed over 147,000 upvotes since it was shared on Tuesday.
An image shared with the post shows the user's shoes beside a slim opening at the bottom of a wall—a gap just wide enough for a passport to disappear. "Got put on standby due to overbooked flight, then went to the wrong gate, ran across the entire airport and made it just in time, only to then drop my passport through this inaccessible gap on the stairwell," the poster wrote in the caption.
The passenger's passport dilemma arrives at a time when international travel is booming. The U.N. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) says that roughly 300 million tourists traveled internationally during the first quarter of 2025—about 14 million more than the same period last year. The agency attributes the trend to "robust and sustained travel demand," despite global geopolitical tensions.
While the passport incident is maddening enough on its own, the broader context adds to the surreal nature of the ordeal. The user said in a follow-up comment that they tried calling airport security three times but got no response. "It looked like maybe there was an electrical closet that may have led to it but everyone had already boarded and I wasn't about to miss my flight," the poster wrote. "Not super reassuring that airport security doesn't answer their calls."
Fortunately, the traveler had brought along a second passport. "I have dual citizenship and luckily had my second passport with me as I was flying from my home country to my 'new' country and brought both to avoid questions about visas etc.," the poster said.
Thanks to the backup, staff were able to issue a replacement boarding pass and allow the poster to get on the plane: "They let me board with the other one after printing a new boarding pass (which had also gone down the gap). Said if security ever answers their phone they'll try to get it through one of the electrical closets that were below and I can get it next time I'm there."
The Reddit user said they planned to call again and check if it had been recovered, but noted that a return to the airport might not happen "for a few years." Reflecting on the loss, the poster said: "The only thing I'm a bit sad about is I've traveled a fair bit on that one and it was full of stamps and memories, would have liked to have kept it after renewal."
'I'd Be Panicking'
Other Reddit users were both sympathetic and amazed by the traveler's composure.
"That's majorly infuriating," wrote u/HauntedMeow. "That's not mildly. I'd be panicking! Are you ok?" asked u/ButterflyBadger3.
Several expressed disbelief at how calmly the situation seemed to be handled. "This only mildly infuriates you? You've got some serious self control skills," u/ConiferousTurtle commented. "Ikr [I know right], I'd have a panic attack if this happened," added u/A0123456_.
User u/CapnMurica1988 summed up the emotional toll, saying: "Oh my God, I would absolutely lose it."
Another user, u/Log_Out_Of_Life, was just relieved it didn't lead to a worse outcome, noting: "I'm happy this is just a slightly expensive mistake instead of it tying you down in another country and having to possibly be at for another flight …"
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.
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