Couple Warn Why You Should Always ‘Make Sure the Gate Exists’ Before Flight

A video about a couple who nearly missed their flight after failing to scope out their departure gate before heading to the airport lounge has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip, posted by Joseph and Brent Philips on their joint TikTok account, @joeandbrentphilips, has garnered over 1.3 million views since it was shared May 23.

Joseph, a 34-year-old attorney, and Brent, a 35-year-old philanthropy consultant, are based in Philadelphia and have been digital content creators on social media for a little over a year, Joseph told Newsweek.

The video, which they captioned “PSA: check your gate,” humorously highlights their moment of panic as the couple realized they had almost missed their flight from Philadelphia to Boston.

The clip shows Brent asking his husband, “What happened, Joseph?” To which Joseph replies, “We didn’t check to see if the gate existed.” Brent then prompts him with “And?” and Joseph admits, “We may have almost missed our flight.”

Brent ends the video with a cautionary piece of advice: “That is why you check to make sure the gate exists every time.”

Travel is forecast to reach “record highs” this year, with global tourism spending expected to hit $2 trillion, according to a December 2023 survey by Euromonitor International, the market research company.

Air travel has seen continued growth in the post-pandemic era. A July report by the International Air Transport Association said that total passenger demand in June was up 9.1 percent, compared with the same month in 2023.

Joseph shared more details about the flight incident, telling Newsweek, “This trip was back in May. We were flying from Philadelphia to Boston on American Airlines for a wedding.”

He went on: “Every time we fly, when we get past security, my husband, Brent, always makes sure to walk to the gate listed on the boarding pass. He jokingly says he does it to ‘make sure the gate exists.'”

Joseph said that he typically heads straight to the airport lounge after passing through security, assuming he has enough time to get to the gate before boarding. “Brent’s more of a cautious person, hence why he has to walk to the gate, I guess to reassure himself,” he said.

The couple’s routine was different this time around. Joseph said, “For the first time, I was able to convince my husband to just go to the airport lounge after passing through security rather than walking to and ‘checking’ the gate.”

Confident in their familiarity with the airport, they skipped their usual precaution. But this decision nearly cost them their flight.

“What we didn’t realize was that had we gone to the gate, we likely would have noticed that our plane was smaller than typical planes we’ve traveled on domestically. As a result, the airlines finished the boarding process much earlier than anticipated,” Joseph recalled.

By the time they arrived at the gate, 15 minutes before departure, the boarding process was complete and the airline staff were “waiting for us before closing the doors,” he said.

‘This Was 1,000 Percent Our Problem’

The video has resonated with TikTok users, many of whom shared similar experiences.

“The gate always exists. The problem is you don’t know whether it’s a three-minute walk or 25 minute walk to get to it,” wrote one. The original poster replied: “This was 1,000 percent our problem.”

Peeka Boo northe said: “The first thing I do after security, it is go to my gate no matter what.”

Said uccio: “Truth. I always walk to my gate first to confirm and verify before I release myself to get snacks.”

Amanda Kay wrote, “The worst is when they change the gate after you’ve checked the original actually exists and you have to repeat the whole process over.”

Said trinkets032623: “I’ve had my gate switched unexpectedly without announcement before I got through security. Always check your gate first.”

Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured in Newsweek.