A Frequent Flyer Noticed Something Unusual at an Airport. One Person Said the Place Should Be Shut Down

I love discovering interesting travel stories and sharing them with you, along with my own travel experiences, discoveries, and tips. And I have quite a collection of stories here on Earth’s Attractions!

From the funny (and sometimes very odd) questions flight attendants have received to the surprising experiences of hotel front desk workers, there are so many things happening in our world that I never would have imagined. I’ve also shared the story of a waiter serving wine in the sea and some disturbing discoveries about what can happen in your hotel room when you’re not there.

Other stories I’ve shared because there’s something useful we can learn from them, even if it’s simply what NOT to do when traveling. Remember the woman making fresh pasta on an airplane? Or the passenger curling her hair mid-flight? There was also a man who climbed into an overhead luggage bin, passengers putting their bare feet on someone else’s armrest, and others clipping their nails or painting them during a flight. And these are just a few examples!

Today, however, we’re going to an airport lounge, a place where we might spend hours during a layover or while waiting for a flight. You might find the story surprising, or perhaps you’ve encountered something similar yourself (I’m sharing my sensitive encounter too). But wait until you read the reactions and the experiences other travelers shared! I certainly didn’t expect some of them! 

ID 33512723 | Airport Lounge © Auremar | Dreamstime.com 

A Frequent Flyer Notices Something in the United Club Lounge

The passenger explained that he flies out of Denver every other week and regularly visits the United Club when he has a few hours before his flight home. During a recent visit, he noticed something moving beneath the couch where he was sitting.

He wasn’t entirely sure what he’d seen, so he pulled out his phone and waited to see whether it would appear again.

It did. The video showed a small rodent moving near the lounge furniture. Sharing the footage in the United Airlines subreddit, the traveler gave his post a humorous title: “I don’t think this guy bought a club pass.”

He also explained how he managed to record the encounter:

“I thought I saw one out of the corner of my eye under the couch I was sitting on and pulled my phone out to see if he’d pop back up.”

When another commenter asked about the location, the original poster confirmed that it was the United lounge in Terminal B at Denver International Airport. The post attracted hundreds of reactions. Many people immediately joked about the unexpected visitor, although others weren’t particularly happy to see a rodent in a lounge that serves food.

People Had Plenty of Jokes About the Unexpected Visitor

Some commenters seemed more interested in figuring out how the little visitor had gained access to the lounge than in the fact that it was running around beneath the furniture.

One person suggested it had a perfectly legitimate reason to be there:

“Nah I gifted him mine, he’s a nice guy. Used to work with him.”

Another apparently recognized him:

“Yeah that’s Jerry”

Others started inventing explanations involving United’s lounge memberships and loyalty benefits.

“He has priority pass, everyone has priority pass”

“He’s my +1”

“He has lifetime access.”

One commenter even claimed the visitor had an impressive credit card spending history:

“He doesn’t need a pass, he has a United Club Visa and spends over $75k/year on it. He can bring his whole family whenever he wants.”

Several people thought the tiny guest deserved a little privacy.

“Why didn’t you blurr his face? Someone may recognize him”

Someone else responded:

“He has a family to support, for Pete’s sake”

And, naturally, there were references to the animated movie Ratatouille.

“That’s the chef. Give him your compliments.”

“His👏🏼name👏🏼is👏🏼Remy👏🏼 Have some RESPECT!!!”

Another commenter offered a particularly practical-sounding suggestion:

“Time to employ some cats.”

It wasn’t the first time that idea had come up in discussions about rodents at Denver’s airport lounges. But I’m getting ahead of myself – though I am recommending you to keep reading, as I still have a few interesting things I am sharing. 

Other Travelers Were More Concerned About Cleanliness

Some travelers were far less amused by the video, especially because the United Club provides food and drinks for its guests. Although the rodent wasn’t shown eating from the buffet in the information shared with us, its presence near the lounge seating was enough to make several people uncomfortable.

“Dude this is disgusting.”

“Yikes!!!!!! I would have left ASAP”

One commenter said they had eaten at the lounge recently and weren’t happy about the discovery.

“Was this today? Because now I’m regretting getting food there earlier…”

Others mentioned food and crumbs around the seating area, suggesting that these could attract unwanted visitors.

“Not surprised given all the stuff on the floor.”

“With that mess on the floor, I’d say the rat is deserved.”

Someone else jokingly warned the little visitor to stay away from the food:

“Don’t let him near the chocolate chip cookies!!! Denver has the best ones!”

Another person made a less appetizing joke about the cookies, but several commenters were discussing the situation more seriously. One suggested reporting it to the authorities, while another questioned whether the lounge’s cleanliness matched what travelers expected from a paid facility.

I’ve actually seen a mouse in a restaurant myself – I mentioned in the beginning that I have my own… sensitive encounter, didn’t I? During a road trip to Germany, we stopped at a fast-food restaurant along the highway and spotted one inside. The staff reacted promptly, trying to locate it and remove it. It happened while we were traveling by car – I’ve shared more about our experiences driving in Germany, including the different situations we’ve encountered along the way.

So I know that mice can sometimes appear in places serving food. In the Denver discussion, though, other travelers began mentioning similar encounters, including several at United Clubs.

Another Traveler Had Filmed a Mouse at a United Club Just Weeks Earlier

The November video wasn’t the first time someone had shared footage of a rodent inside a United Club at Denver International Airport.

On September 28, 2026, another passenger posted a separate video on Reddit, showing a mouse moving around the lounge furniture.

The post carried another joking title, “They just let anyone into the United Clubs now,” but the traveler’s accompanying explanation was more serious. The poster said the mouse had been brought to the attention of lounge employees, who apparently already knew about the situation and did not seem particularly concerned.

The traveler also replied to a commenter who suggested that the mouse was simply looking for something to eat:

“Oh I did. Fivel was scooting underneath all chairs.”

When another person asked whether the traveler had warned someone sitting near the mouse, the original poster replied:

“Sure did. He didn’t give a damn.”

Just like in the newer discussion, people immediately began joking about how the animal had been allowed into the lounge.

“He told me he has a united club membership.”

“He got United Club mixed up with Mickey Mouse Club.”

“This is why they limit day passes.”

Another person thought the mouse had earned a very different kind of status:

“That mouse has gold status and don’t u forget it”

The idea of having cats in airport lounges came up again – I told you above that the suggestion is not new 🙂 .

“They need a lounge cat or two.”

Someone replied that Denver already has therapy dogs and wondered why there couldn’t be a few cats, too.

Several Travelers Said They’d Seen Mice at Denver Airport Before

Beyond the jokes, the September discussion included comments from people who claimed to have encountered mice at Denver’s United Clubs on other occasions.

One traveler said they’d noticed mice near Gate B44 and had previously alerted employees:

“I’ve pointed it out to staff before, they don’t care.”

The same commenter described seeing mice on the lounge’s third floor near Gate B44, raising concerns about how long they might have been present.

Another person claimed to have seen a mouse running around in the same area ten days earlier:

“A-terminal? If so, he’s been there for at least 10 days. I was there back on the 18th and he was running around. Looks like the same location we were sitting. Guy’s a survivor….”

That commenter asked about the location, but the available discussion doesn’t establish whether the two sightings involved the same lounge or animal.

A different traveler referred to another Reddit video:

“On the Denver sub someone recently posted a video of mice carousing in the gate area of B concourse. It’s an airport-wide thing.”

The broader claim about the airport wasn’t independently established, but the comment showed that travelers were also discussing sightings outside the lounges.

Several people were concerned about the food service areas.

“I shudder to think about that open buffet … or the kitchen … nibble nibble”

Others reacted more sympathetically to the little visitor.

“Poor little mouse.”

The original poster answered:

“Living it’s best life with all the crumbs on the ground.”

And one commenter admitted that their own reaction would have been much more intense:

“Oh HELL NO”

Travelers Were Discussing Similar Sightings Back in 2024

The older reports go back further than September 2026.

On August 28, 2024, someone posted in the United Airlines subreddit about mice reportedly running around the Denver United Club near Gate B44.

The person said they mentioned the situation to lounge management and that the response suggested staff already knew about the issue.

In the comments, another traveler reported seeing a mouse in the Terminal A lounge several months earlier, while someone else said they had noticed rodent traps at different airport lounges, including Denver’s B44 location.

Others discussed how difficult it can be to keep small animals out of airports, where large openings, passenger traffic, luggage operations, surrounding outdoor areas, and food can create opportunities for animals to enter.

One commenter pointed out that airports have large doors for aircraft and luggage operations, with open fields nearby. Another traveler noted that food can sometimes attract unwanted animals, even in otherwise well-maintained locations.

Once again, the jokes about finding a feline solution appeared. One commenter proposed a lounge cat, while another said they would happily pay for the benefits of having one around.

These older comments add context to the November video, but the accounts are separate reports made over more than two years. They don’t prove a continuous problem or confirm the current conditions in any particular lounge.

Other Airports Were Mentioned in the Discussions, Too

Some participants also shared stories about animal encounters at airports outside Denver.

In the September discussion, a traveler claimed mice caused a commotion at Boston Logan International Airport early in the morning. According to the comment, one mouse ran under the person’s bag while travelers reacted.

The same person said they’d heard a story about a cat that had escaped and spent months inside the terminal catching mice. The commenter presented that account as something they’d been told, and the discussion offered no independent confirmation.

Another contributor shared an account involving a coworker who supposedly encountered a mouse on an aircraft before departure. According to that story, the flight attendants declined to board until somebody caught the animal.

The commenter imagined how an airline might explain such a delay to passengers.

Other contributors mentioned mice at Newark and sightings in different airport lounges, although the details varied and the incidents weren’t independently verified.

These comments show why the Denver videos sparked so much conversation: frequent travelers shared their own stories, and not all of them involved airports in the same city.

Would You Stay in the Lounge After Seeing Something Like This?

For some travelers, a lounge is an opportunity to escape the crowds, eat something, and spend a few hours without the usual airport stress. Others pay for membership because they fly frequently and use these facilities year-round.

The videos from Denver attracted very different reactions. Some people found the mice adorable, others joked about memberships and lounge cats, and several travelers said they would leave or report what they’d seen.

I’ve seen how quickly restaurant employees can react when a mouse appears, but I also understand why passengers would be uncomfortable finding one near the furniture in a lounge where food is served.

What would you do if you spotted a mouse or rat while waiting for your flight? Would you notify the staff, move somewhere else, or leave the lounge?

And have you ever encountered an unexpected animal at an airport, hotel, or restaurant?

Note: The accounts describe individual experiences and concerns. They don’t establish that all sightings involved the same location or that commenters independently verified the conditions described. I decided to share these, though, because I admit I don’t usually look under things in lounges. But it seems like we should be paying more attention to what happens near us – as I said, I saw a rat in a fast food restaurant on a highway from Romania to Germany… (and before you ask me if I still ate the food, I saw the rat when we had finished the food, we were just drinking some water before heading out on the road again.)

Sources

• November 2026: Original United Club video and discussion
• September 28, 2026: Earlier United Club video and discussion
• August 28, 2024: Discussion of mice at Denver United Club