September 27, 2025 at 4:49 pm

A Traveler Tried Out A Popular Theory That People Don’t Need To Get To The Airport Very Early, So She Tried It Out At The Atlanta Airport. – ‘Plenty of time, plenty of time.’

by Matthew Gilligan

woman at an airport

TikTok/@ladyspinedoc

Do you about the “airport theory?”

It’s been making the rounds on social media for a while and it goes a little something like this: the theory says that people don’t need to get to airports until VERY shortly before their flight takes off.

A TikTokker named Betsy decided to give the theory a shot and see how it worked out for her.

woman talking to tiktok viewers

TikTok/@ladyspinedoc

Betsy grabbed her luggage from her car at the Atlanta airport and said, “It is 12:26 and just getting the bags out of my car. And my flight boards in 30 minutes.”

She told viewers she didn’t mean to test the airport theory on purpose, but she decided to because she was running late.

The airport wasn’t too crowded that day and she said, “Hartsfield is never like this. Today is my lucky day.”

outside of an airport

TikTok/@ladyspinedoc

Betsy’s bags were randomly selected to be searched by TSA agents, but everything seemed to be okay and she said, “Doing pretty good, actually.”

She checked her phone again about 20 minutes later and said, “Plenty of time, plenty of time.”

The video then showed Betsy boarding her plane and her watch read 1:10 p.m.

In total, it took her 44 minutes total to board her flight after parking her car at the airport.

Not bad!

woman on an airplane

TikTok/@ladyspinedoc

Take a look at the video.

@ladyspinedoc

Have you ever tested airport theory? ✈️ #airporttheory #travel

♬ original sound – Ladyspinedoc⚡️

And this is what folks had to say on TikTok.

This person didn’t hold back.

Screenshot 2025 08 23 at 11.36.05 AM A Traveler Tried Out A Popular Theory  That People Dont Need To Get To The Airport Very Early, So She Tried It Out At The Atlanta Airport.   Plenty of time, plenty of time.

Another viewer had a bad experience with this.

Screenshot 2025 08 23 at 11.36.12 AM A Traveler Tried Out A Popular Theory  That People Dont Need To Get To The Airport Very Early, So She Tried It Out At The Atlanta Airport.   Plenty of time, plenty of time.

And one TikTokker doesn’t sound convinced…

Screenshot 2025 08 23 at 11.36.27 AM A Traveler Tried Out A Popular Theory  That People Dont Need To Get To The Airport Very Early, So She Tried It Out At The Atlanta Airport.   Plenty of time, plenty of time.

She was cutting it close!

If you liked that story, check out this one about a 72-year-old woman was told by her life insurance company that her policy was worthless because she’d paid for 40 years. 🙁