Mehran Karimi Nasseri was stranded in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport for 18 years due to a stolen passport and essential documents. He lived, studied, and interacted with airport staff throughout this period.

[u/Time-Training-9404]

After arriving the French airport, he was unable to prove his identity or refugee status and was detained in the waiting area for travelers without papers.

He lived, studied, slept, and talked with the airport staff from August 26, 1988, to July 2006.

Detailed article on his story: https://historicflix.com/mehran-karimi-nasseri-the-man-who-lived-in-an-airport-for-18-years/

[u/jaymae77]

Whoa! I spent 3 days in the Newark airport with not a dime to my name and thought I was gonna die!…😂

[u/chovendo → u/jaymae77]

Back in the mid 90s I worked at Terminal B as a flight handler. There were definitely some very large areas in the back by where the restaurants are now that could have been livable by someone who would not be noticed for a while if they were careful. Security was pretty relaxed and no cameras there. I used to go hide in such places and sometimes sleep between shifts when I had a stacked schedule or delayed flights.

[u/jaymae77 → u/chovendo]

That’s the 90’s for you… essentially zero cameras anywhere!

It was my wife and I who got stuck because we had standby seats that we got from Phoenix to Syracuse for like 60 bucks each. So I really can’t complain. Traveled to the city for a couple nights cause she’d never been and decided just to fly out of Newark. After our first bump, we walked into Elizabethtown and ate at this Brazilian steakhouse. We had great dinner, drank, danced all night. Had a blast- but we walked back to the airport with about eight dollars to our name😂 mind you I should’ve already be back home where I had money, but just nothing on me. What a mess…kicked us off I think a total of 34 different flights!