Okay – I don’t want to overly toot my own horn here, but I did want to share a story of something that happened to me awhile ago at the Charlotte airport (CLT). This is a story that happened back in 2023, but I wanted to share it again not to talk about me, but to encourage others to look out for others while at the airport (or anywhere else).
I was traveling home from New Orleans to Cincinnati via Charlotte on American Airlines. I had about a 90 minute layover so first I went to The Club CLT to use my Priority Pass membership, but at the door they told me that it was full and had a 45 minute waitlist. So I decided to just head to my gate anyways.
Elderly Man Dumped At The Gate
I get to the gate and take a seat near the gate stand. There is an elderly gentleman sitting next to me and he seemed a bit agitated. I saw him stand up a few times to go over to the gate stand but nobody from American was there. He was definitely shuffling and unsteady on his feet. Then he sat back down and said something like “I think they took me to the wrong gate”. I asked if he needed any help and where he was going.
He showed me his boarding pass and said he was going to Miami. I pulled up his flight information on aa.com and sure enough, he was boarding out of B9 (we were at B13 headed to Cincinnati).
I pointed out that it was the wrong gate but his correct gate was not too far (maybe 200 feet)
Doing A Good Turn
He stands up and it becomes clear that there is no way that he is going to be able to make it over there on his own. I asked if I could take his bag for him and he said that would be great. But then I see he’s also going to need help walking over there. So I give him my arm and we are shuffling (sloooooowly) over there.
I asked him what time his flight was supposed to leave and he said 2:37. I didn’t realize quite what time it actually was at this point, but we get around the corner and I spot this at his B9 gate.
Flight Closed!
After I saw the “Flight Closed” sign, I checked the time and it was 2:30 (so a few minutes before the scheduled departure time). I figured that they had called his name over the intercom, but because we were across the concourse, he probably didn’t hear.
(SEE ALSO: Did British Airways Really ABANDON A 14 Year Old Girl In France?)
I saw that there were still two gate agents there, so I started trying to hustle over there, but like I said, this guy wasn’t a “hustler” 🙂
Finally we get close enough to the gate that I’m able to yell out “Sir” and catch the attention of the gate agent. He looks up and I tell him that this gentleman had been dropped off at the wrong gate. He immediately runs back down the jet bridge and yells that there is one more passenger. Thankfully, we were close enough in time that they hadn’t completely closed the flight. The gate agent was able to take the gentleman’s arm and bags and help him down the jet bridge. He also tried to take MY suitcase but then I told him that was mine.
I was grateful that we had made it – but this was a matter of only a minute or two until it would have been too late and then I don’t know what would have happened.
The Bottom Line
I am not exactly sure what happened here – I don’t know how long he had been waiting there but probably there was a gate change and he either didn’t hear or had no way to know for sure what to do. On our LOOONG, SLOOOOW 🙂 200 foot walk, he said that he had flown in from Charlotte and was on his way to Costa Rica. I can only imagine the madness that would have happened if he hadn’t been able to get on this flight to Miami.
Got any good or similar airport stories? Share them in the comments below
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at
Thank you for helping this traveler and sharing the story, which reminds me of my elderly father who now essentially does not leave the city/county if he leaves home at all. Mobility issues, advanced age, and gate changes make travel so difficult. Our last family trip was to Costa Rica, and at the national parks, he just wanted to sit down after getting through the entrance. He missed the capuchin monkeys due to not walking to the beach, but did see howler monkeys near the cabin where we stayed, and a sloth, and an iguana and eyelash viper that happened to be near the entrances.
Karma is a real and good thing. There are so many people who know nothing about the ins and outs of traveling, so helping someone always feels good.
I had a similar experience years ago in Houston. I overheard a couple speaking German and looking confused at the gate. I used my basic German to ask them if they needed help. Long story short, their gate was changed (BP still showed old gate where we were) and I walked them over to their new gate which was about 400′ away. They were extremely appreciative. Little things like that make a big difference and can completely change how people view Americans.
I was once trying to get on an intercity bus in Tel Aviv. There were no clear signs where the bus stop was located. There were many bus stops in the vicinity. A few people didn’t want to help. There was a teenage girl and her younger, teenage brother on crutches. The boy knew where to go but the girl didn’t want to help.
The boy said “it’s hard to find, follow me”. The girl rolled her eyes. The boy was in no shape to walk. He walked about 1.5 city blocks to the bus stop that I needed. OK, he walked until we were about 75 ft. away then he pointed to it. Thank you!
There was a small sign but it was hard to spot. The boy was the least able to help but he still helped. He is a grown man now (not an old man). Hope he is still alive and not dead.
Nice story to start off my day.
I usually end up helping a handful of people in Japan at the airport or train station as I’m fluent in both English and Japanese. I know they’re trying their best but I’ve seen some staff get overwhelmed so I lend a hand with translating if it will help.
Pretty sure I’ve surprised people while I’m ethnically Japanese and speak Hokkaidoben, I also speak English with a Brooklyn/Long Island accent due to my upbringing in New York.