A Couple Missed Their Flight to Santorini – What They Did Next Was So Extreme Airport Police Had to Step In

Do you know the saying Desperate times call for desperate measures?

Well… the story I’m about to share could fall into that category. But it’s also a good example of giving in to an impulse and refusing to accept that sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to. Problems appear, plans fall apart, and we have to adjust.

Missing a flight is expensive and frustrating, especially when the aircraft is still somewhere beyond the glass. I can understand the impulse to ask one more employee, check whether the gate can be reopened, or hope that someone might still let you board. And yes, I know exactly how awful missing a flight can be – my husband missed one, and it was for a work trip, not a vacation. He couldn’t find another flight that day and had to wait until the next one, which meant paying for a hotel, buying a new ticket, and losing an entire day.

But a husband and wife heading to Santorini didn’t stop at asking. They didn’t accept the situation, either.

Their solution – if we can call it that – had major consequences, including financial ones. The incident also shows how quickly a desperate decision can make an already bad situation much worse. And while this story would be strange enough on its own, I’m also including two other incidents that went even further (one led to an even bigger consequence than the incident I am presenting now below).

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Boarding Had Already Closed for the Santorini Flight

The couple arrived at Venice Marco Polo Airport too late to board their flight to Santorini, according to reports published in Italy on August 28 and 29.

At that stage, their options were unpleasant but uncomplicated: accept that the flight had been missed, speak with the airline, and find out what it would cost to reach the Greek island another way.

They chose a fourth option. This is one that for me (and I think for many other people) doesn’t exist! 

According to Corriere del Veneto, the couple opened an airport exit bordering the runway and started running toward the aircraft after boarding had already closed. La Nuova Venezia, which published the earliest report I found, described it more specifically as an alarmed emergency exit.

The Border Police stopped them before they reached the aircraft.

Some of the headlines covering the incident say that the couple “forced the gate.” The reports themselves describe an airport exit or emergency exit rather than the boarding gate where passengers normally present their documents. They also don’t identify the airline, the flight number, the couple’s nationality, or the exact date on which the incident occurred.

They Still Missed the Flight – and Received a €4,128 Fine

Running toward the aircraft didn’t persuade anyone to reopen its doors. I mean… did they even think they could influence the flight schedule, procedures…? The couple still missed the flight they’d been trying so hard to catch.

Then came the part that made an already expensive mistake considerably worse: each traveler received an administrative fine of €2,064.

That brought their combined penalty to €4,128. The reports don’t say what happened to their Santorini plans afterward or how much more they had to pay, if anything, to continue the trip.

The plane left without them – and instead of only having lost the money for the tickets, they had a lot more to lose – not to mention the entire experience (encounter with the police…). 

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The Plane Was Still There. Boarding Was Still Over – Important Airport Rules

From inside an airport terminal, a plane that hasn’t yet taken off can look frustratingly reachable for those who miss the flight. You can see it through the window, the stairs or jet bridge may still be nearby, and the scheduled departure time may not have passed.

But the departure time printed on a ticket isn’t the deadline for arriving at the gate. Airlines close boarding before departure so they can account for remaining passengers and baggage and complete departure procedures.

The exact deadline depends on the airline. For example, easyJet states that its gates close promptly 30 minutes before departure – remember the airport theory and how many people missed their flights like that? While we don’t know which airline operated the couple’s Santorini flight – the carrier wasn’t identified (and, frankly, it doesn’t even matter) -, it shows why seeing an aircraft outside doesn’t mean boarding is still open.

Venice Marco Polo Airport advises passengers to arrive three hours before departure for flights requiring passport control and at least two hours before other flights. Travelers must also follow any earlier or more specific instructions supplied by their airline.

Once a gate has closed, the available route to the aircraft is no longer through the gate. It’s certainly not through an alarmed emergency exit.

Opening the Exit Triggered More Than a Door Alarm

Corriere del Veneto reported that forced doors activated alarms and fire sirens. These incidents also diverted police officers from other duties while they restored order and secured the affected part of the airport.

European aviation occurrence-reporting rules include an unauthorized person on an apron and unlawful entry into an airport’s restricted area. Airport employees can’t look at someone running toward an aircraft, decide that they’re probably only late, and allow them to continue.

Once they opened the exit, the couple’s attempt stopped being a problem about missed boarding. It became an unauthorized entry into an operational airport area.

The €63,000 Total Wasn’t Only About Passenger Behavior

The Santorini incident appeared in a much broader summary of enforcement at Venice Marco Polo Airport from the beginning of June through late August.

During that period, authorities issued 27 administrative penalties worth approximately €63,000. Corriere del Veneto reported that roughly half concerned travelers and the other half concerned airlines.

Some carriers were sanctioned after failing to complete the required document checks properly. Border Police reportedly encountered passengers carrying expired passports or identity cards that weren’t valid for their journeys.

The problem became more complicated on flights arriving from outside the Schengen Area. Police said that some passengers landed without the visas required to enter Italy and couldn’t leave the airport after arrival.

There were also cases in which airlines allegedly failed to communicate the requirements involving special baggage or registered weapons. These items must be declared and handled according to specific procedures before the journey.

These carrier violations didn’t produce the same dramatic image as two passengers running toward a plane, but they could leave travelers stranded at the border because the necessary checks hadn’t been completed before departure.

On the passenger side, eight people were reportedly fined for forcing open alarmed emergency exits. Each opened door could activate alarms and fire sirens and require police officers to secure the affected area.

Another report said that authorities also issued two removal orders to people who had no authorization to remain inside the airport.

Eight travelers forcing emergency exits in less than three months is already difficult to process. The reason behind another case in the same roundup doesn’t make it easier.

Another Passenger Forced a Door So She Could Vape on the Apron

A passenger arriving from Greece was waiting at baggage claim when she reportedly forced open an internal door and entered the airport apron so she could use an electronic cigarette.

She was already at her destination and waiting for her checked luggage. According to the report, the reason she passed through the internal door and entered the restricted area was that she wanted to vape.

Smoking and vaping outside the designated areas were among the most frequent violations recorded at the airport during the summer checks.

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If You Miss Boarding, It Isn’t the Same as Being Denied Boarding

There’s an important difference between an airline refusing to let a passenger board despite that person arriving on time and a passenger reaching the gate after boarding has closed.

European passenger protections can provide compensation, assistance, or rebooking when a traveler is involuntarily denied boarding because a flight is overbooked or for another operational reason. Read here how you can get compensation for a delayed or canceled flight, even older ones. Those protections depend on the passenger arriving on time with a valid reservation and the required travel documents.

Official EU guidance also says that compensation isn’t owed when a traveler misses a connecting flight because they failed to respect the required boarding time.

When someone reaches the gate too late, the first step is to contact the airline – through its airport desk, app, or customer-service number – and ask about the next available flight. Some airlines offer a same-day transfer or rescue fare, while others require the passenger to purchase a new ticket. The options depend on the airline, fare, and circumstances.

Travelers with additional flights on the same reservation should also ask whether the missed departure affects the rest of the itinerary. They shouldn’t simply buy another ticket and presume that every later segment remains active. In a British Airways case reported in May 2026, three passengers took a train from Glasgow to Heathrow instead of boarding the first flight on their reservation. When they reached Heathrow, they discovered that their connecting flight to Mexico City and their return flights had been invalidated. They paid another £9,000 for new tickets.

The situation may be different when a traveler misses a connection because an earlier flight on the same reservation was delayed. The reports from Venice don’t say that the couple had a connection, that another flight caused their lateness, or that the airline was responsible for their arrival after boarding closed.

Travel insurance may cover a missed departure in certain circumstances, but arriving late by itself isn’t a covered event (as far as I know, you need to check with the insurance company and provide your reason). The cause of the delay and the exact policy terms determine whether a claim can be made.

What Would You Have Said After Seeing Them Run?

I can understand the panic that made them want one more chance to catch the flight. What I can’t understand is the moment when they decided that an alarmed airport exit was now an acceptable route to the plane. Some people may see this mainly as a desperate mistake made under pressure, while others will focus on the alarms, the police response, and the fact that they entered a restricted area where airport operations were continuing around them.

If you’d been at the gate – or waiting for another flight while police responded – which part would have surprised you more: that the couple tried it, or that eight people had forced emergency exits at the same airport during one summer?

Other Passengers Have Tried to Reach Planes After Boarding Closed

I told you in the beginning that this incident is not the only one I saw. In fact, two other cases are just as unbelievable and the second one has even bigger consequences! 

Two Men Ran After a Wizz Air Plane That Had Already Left the Gate

In November 2025, two men arrived too late for a Wizz Air flight from Cologne/Bonn Airport to Bucharest. The Airbus A321 had already pushed back and was preparing to taxi.

Video from the airport showed the men on the apron, waving toward the aircraft as though the pilot might see them and stop. German police said they’d broken the glass covering an emergency control, used it to open the door, and entered the restricted area.

An airport employee intercepted them, and police opened a trespassing case. The full Wizz Air incident included one detail the Venice reports didn’t: a video of the two late passengers trying to flag down the plane.

One Passenger Got Onto a KLM Aircraft Without a Valid Ticket

Another passenger did get farther, although he wasn’t chasing an aircraft across the apron.

At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, a man without a valid ticket for the flight jumped over a glass barrier, bypassed the ticket check, and walked onto a KLM aircraft through the jet bridge.

After he was discovered and removed, everyone else had to leave the aircraft so it could undergo a complete security check. The passengers were screened again, and the flight was heavily delayed.

The court imposed a fine and a suspended community-service sentence. KLM gave him a 30-year ban.

It wasn’t his first. He’d previously received a five-year KLM ban after assaulting an employee at a check-in counter.

Violeta Loredana

Violeta-Loredana Pascal is a communications expert, business mentor, and the founder of Earth’s Attractions and PRwave INTERNATIONAL. A pioneer in the Romanian digital PR landscape since 2005, she holds a degree in Communication and Social Sciences from SNSPA Bucharest. Violeta is a senior trainer at AcademiadeAfaceri.ro, where she leverages over 20 years of experience to teach professional courses in PR strategy and workplace productivity. By blending high-level business consulting with a passion for holistic travel and wellness, she empowers solopreneurs to overcome procrastination, build profitable brands, and design a life of purposeful adventure.