A couple, keen to not miss their flight ahead of a holiday to Greece, made a drastic decision to beat the gridlocked traffic on their journey to the airport
Determined holidaymakers clambered out of their taxi and took to the motorway on foot after they became stuck in gridlock traffic while travelling to the airport for a trip to Greece.
Worried they wouldn’t make their flight on time, Dean Louca, 37, and his wife Gina, 39, were heading to Luton Airport on August 26 when their taxi was stuck in traffic. The London couple were en route to catch a flight, but after 20 minutes or so of no movement, they took matters into their own hands – which meant ditching their taxi.
They climbed out of the vehicle and began to make their way to the airport on foot, trekking with their suitcases along the hard shoulder of the M1. Footage taken by a driver at the scene captures the moment their desperate need for a holiday got the better of them.
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Dean shared: “We decided the only option was to start walking, as we were concerned we would miss our flight. People were panicking in their cars, saying the same.” It wasn’t long before other disgruntled passengers joined in, as they claimed others ditched their vehicles and joined in with the walk, as other drivers cheered them on from behind the wheel.
When the pair had been walking for a short time, one kind Samaritan pulled over and volunteered to take both Dean and Gina to the airport themselves, meaning they had an entire hour left spare once they arrived. Dean said: “If it wasn’t for him, we may have missed it.”
He continued to say: “On the plane we could see the motorway was still at a standstill three hours later – it was crazy.” The clip of the pair’s desperate trek to their holiday has now amassed over 450,000 views online and gained a fair share of attention as people criticise their judgement.
One user commented: “Walking down the hard shoulder and motorway is illegal; you know that?” While another added: “Putting your lives at risk by walking down the hard shoulder for a holiday?”
Although others were keen to show their support, writing, “Oh my God. So glad you made it.” Someone else added: “I hope you have an amazing holiday after this.”
In the meantime, an online craze, known as the ‘airport theory’, is sweeping social media as travellers set themselves the unusual task of arriving for their flight in the nick of time. TikTok videos show passengers challenging the traditional advice of getting to the airport hours in advance, but a number of them are arriving at the gate to see they’ve missed the flight altogether.
Its concept involves travellers turning up just 15-20 minutes before their scheduled departure time, armed with carry-on luggage for further ease, in an attempt to still make it on the plane.
Some brave travellers have been able to successfully board their flights, hassle-free, while others have been far less lucky with the tight timing. An American TikToker, known as @momlifewithtiff, documented her travels back in February, as she and her husband were close to missing their flight as a result of the challenge.
Her caption read: “Definitely do not recommend trying the airport theory. Will certainly be getting to the airport 2 hours early from now on.”