As a former airport employee, I attempted the viral travel hack that allows passengers to successfully get on the plane by showing up 35 minutes before boarding starts
Can you do board a flight in less than an hour?(Image: Getty Images)
Everyone loves a holiday, but going two to three hours early to the airport can lead to you waiting for hours until the departure time – and that’s not fun.
According to Hoppa, airlines advise passengers to show up at the airport at least three hours before their departing time for international flights or two hours before any domestic flights, to ensure a smooth check-in process, such as dropping off your luggage, and avoiding any potential queues in security.
Working at the airport made me realise that there’s no need to show up hours earlier at the airport. As excited as one can get to begin their holidays, the airport isn’t a place to hang out. If I can give you a tip now, it’s to make sure your electronics and liquids are packed accordingly.
But there’s a trick for those who want to skip the long waiting hours, and it’s called the ‘airport theory’ – but there’s a catch.
Earlier this year, a so-called ‘airport theory’ went viral on social media, where passengers showed up to the airport 35 minutes (or even 15 minutes on some occasions) before their flight started boarding. Yes, it works, but there’s a catch that a lot of people miss.
During my holidays in Spain, I showed up at the airport less than an hour before the flight departed. No bags to check in and a digital boarding pass, I went through security in under five minutes. Lucky me, I was familiar with the layout of the airport, and I had minutes to spare to grab a coffee before heading to the departure gate.
The catch is that this only works for those travellers who don’t have to check in any luggage. If you have a big-sized bag to send off, you must show up at the check-in counters before they close, which is usually an hour before the flight departure time.
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It’s also important to note that the waiting times at the airport can vary depending on the time of year. Therefore, it’s worth double-checking the status of your flight, as well as the distance between the security checkpoint and the gate.
Another secret from me is that if you ever show up late to the check-in counter and have a bag to drop, speak to an airline agent. In the majority of cases, the check-in agent will charge you a late drop-off fee to take your bag, which is better than leaving it behind!
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California Secretary of State Shirley Weber on Monday pushed back against a torrent of misinformation on social media sites claiming that mail-in ballots for the state’s Nov. 4 special election are purposefully designed to disclose how people voted.
Weber, the state’s top elections official, refuted claims by some Republicans and far-right partisans that holes on ballot envelopes allow election officials to see how Californians voted on Proposition 50, the ballot measure about redistricting that will be decided in a special election in a little over three weeks.
“The small holes on ballot envelopes are an accessibility feature to allow sight-impaired voters to orient themselves to where they are required to sign the envelope,” Weber said in a statement released Monday.
Weber said voters can insert ballots in return envelopes in a manner that doesn’t reveal how they voted, or could cast ballots at early voting stations that will open soon or in person on Nov. 4.
Weber’s decision to “set the record straight” was prompted by conspiracy theories exploding online alleging that mail ballots received by 23 million Californians in recent days are purposefully designed to reveal the votes of people who opposed the measure.
“If California voters vote ‘NO’ on Gavin Newscum’s redistricting plan, it will show their answer through a hole in the envelope,” Libs of TikTok posted on the social media platform X on Sunday, in a post that has 4.8 million views. “All Democrats do is cheat.”
GOP Texas Sen. Ted Cruz earlier retweeted a similar post that has been viewed more than 840,000 times, and Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, a conservative commentator, called for the November special election to be suspended because of the alleged ballot irregularities.
The allegation about the ballots, which has been raised by Republicans during prior California elections, stems from the holes in mail ballot envelopes that were created to help visually impaired voters and allow election workers to make sure ballots have been removed from envelopes.
The special election was called for by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats in an effort to counter President Trump urging GOP-led states, notably Texas, to redraw their congressional districts before next year’s midterm election to boost GOP ranks in the House and buttress his ability to enact his agenda during his final two years in office.
California Democrats responded by proposing a rare mid-decade redrawing of California’s 52 congressional boundaries to increase Democratic representation in Congress. Congressional districts are typically drawn once a decade by an independent state commission created by voters in 2010.
Nearly 600,000 Californians have already returned mail ballots as of Monday evening, according to a ballot tracker created by Political Data, a voter data firm that is led by Democratic strategist Paul Mitchell, who drew the proposed congressional boundaries on the November ballot.
Republican leaders in California who oppose the ballot measure have expressed concern about the ballot conspiracy theories, fearing the claims may suppress Republicans and others from voting against Proposition 50.
“Please don’t panic people about something that is easily addressed by turning their ballot around,” Roxanne Hoge, the chair of the Los Angeles County Republican Party, posted on X. “We need every no vote and we need them now.”
Jessica Millan Patterson, the former chair of the state GOP who is leading one of the two main committees opposing Proposition 50, compared not voting early to sitting on the sidelines of a football game until the third quarter.
“I understand why voters would be concerned when they see holes in their envelopes … because your vote is your business. It’s the bedrock of our system, being able to [vote by] secret ballot,” she said in an interview. “That being said, the worst thing that you could do if you are unhappy with the way things are here in California is not vote, and so I will continue to promote early voting and voting by mail. It’s always been a core principle for me.”
So when the Rams play the 49ers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium, McVay fully expects the usual massive contingent of 49ers fans.
“They obviously have a great fan base,” Sean McVay said Monday during a videoconference with reporters before deadpanning. “I blame my grandpa for that.”
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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in their stunning comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
McVay could also blame former team ownership, which moved the Rams from Los Angeles to St. Louis after the 1994 season. That left Southern California without the Rams for more than two decades before they returned in 2016.
The departure to St. Louis created untold numbers of Southern California NFL fans who embraced the 49ers, the Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers among other teams.
McVay, however, said he was “hopeful and optimistic” that the Rams on Thursday will feel the same vibes they got in their season-opening victory over the Houston Texans and on Sunday in their 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
“I’ve loved the home atmospheres we’ve had this year,” McVay said, adding, “I certainly felt our crowd. I thought it was an advantage and an edge to us. And I’m looking forward to seeing as many Rams fans come out and support us.”
The Rams’ victory over the Colts improved their record to 3-1 heading into the NFC West opener against the 49ers (3-1), who are coming off a 26-21 defeat by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 49ers are in first place in the division, with victories over the Seattle Seahawks (3-1) and the Arizona Cardinals (2-2).
“We got the benefit of them coming to our house,” defensive lineman Braden Fiske said. “We feel good about it. It’s going to be a battle for the division.”
The 49ers started 3-0 despite the absence at times of key players such as quarterback Brock Purdy, star tight end George Kittle and star defensive end Nick Bosa among others.
Purdy, who signed a $182.5-million extension before the season, is dealing with a toe issue and his status for Thursday night’s game will be determined. Kittle remains on injured reserve for at least one more game and Bosa is out for the season.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey carries the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 28.
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
But the 49ers still have running back Christian McCaffrey and linebacker Fred Warner leading the way for coach Kyle Shanahan’s team.
Last season, the Rams defeated the 49ers at SoFi Stadium, 27-24, on a last-second field goal by Joshua Karty.
After the victory over the Colts, Rams edge rusher Jared Verse noted fans’ spirited reaction when the 49ers-Jaguars score flashed on the video screen, with the 49ers trailing.
“That’s just what it means,” Verse said of playing against the 49ers. “It means a little bit more.”
Etc.
The Rams suffered no obvious significant injuries against the Colts, McVay said, but added that players would be evaluated. … McVay said he was “not sure” whether offensive lineman Steve Avila (ankle) would be ready to play Thursday. Avila has been sidelined for three games. Justin Dedich has started in Avila’s place at left guard.
THE dad of a missing schoolboy – who vanished 18 years ago – has revealed how cops initially pointed the finger at him before coming up with a bizarre second theory.
Kevin Gosden claims he was told by investigators Andrew, 14, could have become a jihadi fighter and fled the UK due to some books he’d checked out from the library for a school project.
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Kevin Gosden spoke to The Sun on the 18th anniversary of his son going missingCredit: Andrew McCaren – The Sun
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Andrew Gosden went missing from his home in Doncaster at the age of 14 on September 14 2007Credit: BPM
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Andrew was last seen on CCTV footage at King’s Cross Station in London on the day he vanishedCredit: BPM
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Andrew vanished without a trace after skipping school and taking a train from his hometown of Doncaster to London on September 14 2007.
Weeks later, detectives were able to track down CCTV showing the teenager in King’s Cross station – but from there the trail has run cold.
In December 2021, two men were arrested on suspicion of kidnap and human trafficking, but police confirmed no further action was being taken in September 2023.
Dad Kevin has told The Sun how in the early weeks of the investigation, officers put the family through “traumatising” questioning in which he claims the finger was pointed at him for possible murder.
“They only wanted to get hold of the station CCTV to prove he wasn’t buried in the back garden,” Kevin said.
Asked if cops ever directly accused him of killing Andrew, he added: “That was their assumption. They’re really good at inventing stories.”
At one point Kevin and wife Glenys went to a meeting with investigators in which it was proposed their son may have become a jihadi – which refers to armed militant Islamic movements that seek to establish states based on Islamic principles.
Kevin said: “They came up with some really bizarre ideas.
“He’d taken out some books from the library about Islam and they’d come up with the idea that perhaps he was joining some sort of jihadi group.
“We had this meeting and got back in the car – we looked at each other and said ‘is that the most ridiculous thing you’ve heard in your life?’
Human remains riddle at Loch Lomond as cops probe missing man’s last movements
“He was doing a school project.”
Kevin said the jihadi theory was an example of “this horrible spiral, that was entirely unhelpful and non-productive”.
“They’d come up with something insanely unlikely, that it was laughable,” he explained. “It really wasn’t good in 2007, at the beginning.”
He felt such lines of enquiry seemed to be distracting from following more obvious leads and when detectives finally did try to track down CCTV, much of the footage had already been wiped.
Investigators questioned both of Andrew’s parents, and older sister Charlotte prior to releasing the station video, a month after the disappearance.
Describing his own interrogation, Kevin said: “I did get the good cop bad cop routine.”
He added: “A couple of officers involved were in our house for five minutes, 10 minutes…
“They turned to us and said ‘how did you discipline him?’
“We said ‘we didn’t, we never had problems with him’.”
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Kevin with Andrew as a newborn babyCredit: Collect
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Kevin with wife and Andrew’s mum Glenys – who remain hopeful of eventually having answersCredit: Alamy
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Andrew in tears as a toddler, aged twoCredit: Collect
Referring to the family’s treatment, he said: “It’s wrong. I still have no idea what they said to Charlotte.
“She came back (from police questioning) really shaken and said ‘just don’t ask because what they asked me was disgusting’, so we can guess.”
He continued: “There were too many statistics and assumptions.
“They traumatised all three of us, but just because I’m a man I got the worst of it.
“It was so off beam and so wrong, that it did end up with a suicide attempt because I just thought we’re never going to find him like this, I just need to be out of the way because clearly they’ve got this idea in their head.
“I know it’s not true but they’re never going to find him if that’s where they’re putting their time and resources.”
Referring to the idea he or anyone else in the family had hurt Andrew, Kevin went on to say: “I said to them more than once, if you find him, you can ask him and he’ll tell you it’s rubbish.
“You’ve asked my daughter and my wife, the neighbours, his teachers, school friends and you’ll have come across no hint that there was ever a problem.”
‘All we can hope is something comes up’
Andrew, if he’s still alive, would be 32 now.
Kevin said: “All we can hope is that something comes up and someone volunteers something and remembers something, anonymously if necessary, and gives us something revolutionary.”
The dad-of-two, 59, is currently refurbishing the family home, including repainting Andrew’s old bedroom, which is adorned with photos of the then-schoolboy.
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A missing person poster with a mock up of what Andrew may look like as an adultCredit: Andrew McCaren – The Sun
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Kevin has never given up on finding his sonCredit: Andrew McCaren – The Sun
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Kevin with Andrew and his daughter Charlotte as small childrenCredit: Collect
Kevin said: “It never gets any damn easier… nightmares and flashbacks overnight. I finally get to sleep and I’m like ‘how have I woken up at one in the afternoon?’”
The refurbishment is addressing “all the stuff I haven’t paid notice to for the last 30 years”, he explained.
Asked if keeping his mind occupied has helped him to process what happened to Andrew, he said: “I don’t know about processing things. It never gets any easier.
“I’ve never made the mental illness stuff a secret.”
Kevin attempted suicide early in the search for Andrew, saying he was tipped over the edge by cops implying he was involved in his son’s disappearance.
It never gets any damn easier… nightmares and flashbacks overnight. I finally get to sleep and I’m like ‘how have I woken up at one in the afternoon?
Kevin GosdenMissing Andrew’s dad
“Sadly, I had reached the conclusion that it isn’t going to get any better.”
He left his job at the NHS after Andrew disappeared and was doing part-time cleaning work before being made redundant.
In November, when he turns 60, Kevin is due a “big payout” from the NHS, having been employed there for 20 years.
He said keeping himself occupied with any little projects is essential.
“I know an awful amount of people retiring, I can’t,” he admitted. “All of this distracts.
“Since Andrew disappeared, my concentration, memory, all that stuff… mood and anxiety in particular, it paralyses your brain.
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There have been very few credible clues as to what happened to AndrewCredit: Collect
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Andrew’s bedroom at home in DoncasterCredit: Andrew McCaren – The Sun
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The schoolboy had skipped school and taken a train to London when he vanished
“All of that has been constant so I struggle to think straight.
“Things like refurbishing, you have to pay enough attention on it to not ruminate on things. I have several little projects on the go.”
He went on to say: “I do most days wake up in a bit of a panic, thinking I need to get this done, I need to get that done.
“My wife goes, ‘you never sit still’. You propel yourself into doing stuff with far too much anxiety behind it and rush it. That tends to be how it goes.
“You get the days when depression will kick in and I just can’t do anything. It’s constantly tough.
“Every day it is a struggle. Partly I just keep doing these things, you have to persevere, or I do, just to keep going. As opposed to giving up.”
Sick trolls posting fake updates
Most recently, Kevin and his family have been forced to consult with police over sick clickbait articles falsely claiming that Andrew has been found, or further CCTV footage has been unearthed, and some include falsified statements from his loved ones.
“That’s been causing me a lot of anxiety,” said Kevin. “What I worry about is, you just don’t want to end up going through the same thing Nicola Bulley’s family went through.”
Nicola Bulley was a mum-of-two young children who vanished aged 45 in January 2023 during a dog walk in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, before her body was found weeks later in the river.
However, the search for the mum saw a media frenzy, with TikTokers and other social influencers flooding the scene and some spreading misinformation online.
Kevin has been alerted to countless possible sightings of Andrew over the years, and at one stage the family had age progression images done showing what he might look like now.
“One of my fears is I could walk past him in the street, if he’s alive,” he said.
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Andrew, aged five, opening presents at homeCredit: Collect
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A school photo of Andrew a few years before he disappearedCredit: Collect
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Kevin said one of his biggest fears is that if Andrew is alive he may have come across him without knowingCredit: Andrew McCaren – The Sun
“He might have grown a beard, he would look so different. You worry you could trip over him in the street and have no idea.”
Asked what he believes became of Andrew, Kevin said he, his wife and daughter have “fluctuated on this for years”.
He continued: “None of us can imagine that the Andrew we knew would not have made some kind of contact at some point because we never fell out, we never argued.
“It still boils down to we’re still absolutely clueless, but that makes us think he probably isn’t alive but that makes you think how come we’ve never found remains and no one ever saw him or noticed anything.
“It turns around in your head and you can never come to any definite conclusion, which is the whole problem with ambiguous loss and why the mental health issues never resolved.”
He added: “We try to maintain hope, there’s that little voice in your head that says someone somewhere must know something, surely.”
Kevin said it would be easier, in a sense, if it could be proven either way what happened to his son.
“If we had a bag of bones or something that would be incredibly tough, and obviously would raise a whole lot of other questions as to how we’ve ended up with that,” he said.
“It’s a double-edged sword, it’s the answer you just don’t want to know. But on the other hand, it feels like knowing would be better than not knowing.”
Andrew went missing at a time before the smart phones craze, the first iPhone was released the same year as his disappearance, and he didn’t even have a mobile.
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Andrew in Woolwich Arsenal area of London during a trip to the capital
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Another mock up of what Andrew may have looked like in the years after he disappearedCredit: PA:Press Association
Kevin said: “You are going back to the days of a lot less social media and internet. People weren’t carrying around a computer in their pocket the whole time.”
However, he said the fact that it appeared to go “pear-shaped” when trying to retrieve further CCTV at one of Europe’s most heavily surveillanced areas, “is still rather upsetting”.
Kevin said he and his family told investigators, after witnesses came forward, that King’s Cross was unlikely to be Andrew’s final destination as it’s a “transport exchange with links to everywhere”.
But he said the sluggish start meant the golden window of collecting evidence within the first 48 hours was missed.
Kevin said: “It’s worth saying that policing is still inconsistent when looking for a missing person, but it is very much improved.
“I’m pretty sure every police force has a dedicated team for missing persons now. Things are done a lot better now.”
Andrew’s disappearance
Looking back to the time Andrew disappeared, Kevin said it was a Friday and they weren’t certain he’d gone missing until the Monday morning.
The family spoke to train station staff, including a woman who said she’d sold the schoolboy a one-way ticket.
They then trekked down to London and began putting up posters in any places they thought Andrew might have been.
You’re Not Alone
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It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
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They have relatives in the capital and he had been on trips there before.
“A couple of commuters saw posters we put up and said ‘we sat on the same carriage’ and we established he got to King’s Cross,” Kevin said.
The dad had also rung around Andrew’s friends and local hospitals, and even considered his son may have gone to Whitby, another place he liked.
“Our gut instinct was right,” he continued. “We were saying to police ‘we know he went to King’s Cross, most likely he got a train because he was most familiar with that transport’.
“The point is, it took them 27 days or something to get the CCTV of him walking out of King’s Cross station, which is what we were saying he would probably do from the start.”
But Kevin said he doesn’t believe cops at the time wanted to believe Andrew had simply gone missing, and rather the attention turned to something more sinister involving the family.
He said: “There were potential sightings that sounded quite plausible but the police weren’t following those up.
“They weren’t liaising with the Met and then it’s six weeks later and they’re saying ‘the CCTV’s been overwritten’, that was frustrating at the time.”
Kevin and Andrew’s other loved ones still have no idea why the schoolboy even decided to skip school and head down south.
“This is why it was a complete shock to us,” Kevin said. “It never occurred to us that he would go missing at all.
“The whole thing was awful and I can’t remember how many days, weeks it was and when certain events occurred.
“It was such a blur. You’re in such a state of panic. We were all three of us very traumatised by the fact of the matter that Andrew had disappeared and we had no clue why.”
At the time, there were theories Andrew had perhaps travelled down for a gig or to meet up with friends, and would suddenly turn up.
“He was going to do something that he knew we wouldn’t want him to do – just doing whatever it was,” said Kevin.
“He maybe thought ‘I can always get to my grandparents or my uncle’s and I’ll face the music later on and they’ll have a chance to calm down.’
“We thought he’d show up somewhere and say ‘I’ve done something foolish and I need a bit of help’. It just never happened,” said Kevin.
Other theories suggested Andrew had been groomed online and had headed down to London where he was trafficked.
Kevin said: “There’s no evidence, not one shred of evidence.”
Instead, he believes it was as simple as Andrew skipped school to do something in London he knew his parents otherwise wouldn’t be happy about, and he came across the wrong people.
“That’s what my gut has always said, really,” Kevin admitted. “We brought both kids up to think for themselves and be independent and they were both extremely capable, more than.
“Andrew was exceptionally gifted academically, so he could be lost in deep thought.
“He was insanely intelligent, but you wouldn’t have put him in the hanging round street corners and being streetwise category.”
He added: “One day, we hope that we’ll find out what happened.”
DCI Andy Knowles, of South Yorkshire Police, who has led the investigation in recent years, told The Sun: “I’m in regular contact with the Gosden family and I’m incredibly grateful for their support as we work together to answer the questions which have remained unanswered for so long.
“We carefully consider any information received ensuring it is recorded, catalogued and, where there are reasonable lines of enquiry, it is pursued.”
Missing People charity
Since Andrew’s disappearance, his family has been supported by charity Missing People.
According to the organisation’s website: “Going missing is a matter of life or death for tens of thousands of people each year.
“Missing People was founded in the early 1990s by sisters Janet Newman OBE and Mary Asprey OBE, inspired by the tragic disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh in 1986.
“Initially starting a Helpline from their home, they quickly became a beacon of hope for families of the missing.
“For over 30 years, we’ve been there for children and adults who are at risk of danger or harm, and those who love them.
LUKE LITTLER has revealed he has failed his driving theory test once again – and it is frustrating the hell out of him.
The Nuke is the best darts player on the planet but he is not yet ready to get on the roads by himself.
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Littler is the World Champion and has a car ready to drive when he does finally pass his theory and practical testsCredit: SHUTTERSTOCK
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The 18-year-old described his latest effort as “a bad one” having shared his fifth failure (pictured) in the summerCredit: Instagram @lukethenukelittler
Having turned 18 last January, he is desperate to enjoy the freedom of being able to drive himself to tournaments and to see pals on his own terms.
Yet the theory test has so far proved extremely difficult for him to master – it has taken him SIX attempts and counting.
On the multiple choice part, he scored 41 out of 50 – the pass mark is 43 – and he got 44 out of 75 for the hazard perception part, which is barely passable.
He got questions wrong back then in relation to hazard awareness, alertness, safety, motorway rules and road and traffic signs.
*World-leading darts manufacturer Target Darts opened the UK’s ultimate darting pop-up experience in Manchester to celebrate their biggest-ever product launch. For more details on the lastest darts products, please visit:www.target-darts.co.uk
Katharina Bost tested the so-called ‘airport theory’ London Stansted Airport, where she got to the airport just 45 minutes before her flight was due to take off to see if it was enough time
She wanted to check whether she could get on the plane in 45 minutes (Stock Image)(Image: LordHenriVoton via Getty Images)
Going to the airport can be a stressful experience for some people, but others find it a breeze. You’re either a last-minute dasher, trusting in the cosmos that you’ll whizz through security without a hitch. Or, alternatively, you’re the type who prefers to arrive well ahead of the recommended two hours (or three during peak times like school holidays). If your travel companion wouldn’t object, you might even fancy arriving four hours early, indulging in a manicure, treating yourself to a matcha (or something stronger), and perusing the bookshop.
However, thanks to the ‘airport theory’ circulating on TikTok, which many experts advise against trying, more individuals are attempting to emulate the former category, aiming to reach the airport with just enough time to spare.
Katharina Bost tested this theory at London Stansted Airport, claiming she arrived at 6.45 pm for a flight scheduled to depart at 7.30 pm. This gave her a mere 45 minutes to complete all necessary tasks, including navigating the dreaded security queue.
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By 6:48pm, Katharina found herself in the bustling airport security line. However, passengers must have been swift as by 6:50pm, she was ready to explore the fragrances and cosmetics in duty-free.
She took full advantage of the perfume testers available, spritzing herself generously before boarding her flight.
At 7.04pm, she expressed her craving for a “needed a matcha,” leading her to pop into Joe and the Juice for her favourite brew.
By 7.09pm, she had her matcha in hand, sipping it as she strolled towards the airport gate.
She reached the gate at 7.14pm, and by 7.22pm, she was strapped in and ready for take-off, looking quite chuffed with herself.
However, some commenters questioned the authenticity of the timestamps provided in her video, wondering how she managed such a seamless airport experience, something they’d never encountered before.
One person commented: “There’s no way security took 15 minutes unless you got fast-track”. A fast-track pass allows you to bypass most of the queue and rejoin further down the line.
A woman retorted: “The longest time I’ve ever spent in an airport security queue is about 15 minutes tbh”.
“You went through fast-track security, and then your plane was delayed,” another accused her.
A TikTok user confessed: “I’d be having a panic attack cutting it this fine,” while another admitted: “I’d literally be running”.
“It took me an hour to get through security at Stansted a few weeks ago, on a random Saturday afternoon,” someone grumbled.
Stansted Airport advises: “Always follow your airline’s guidance on how early you need to be at the airport before your flight.
“As a general guide, you will need to have checked in and be ready to go through security at least 2 hours before your flight departure time.”
With President Trump continuing to bulldoze through American politics, Democrats are forced to confront a fundamental question: Do voters even want what they’ve been offering?
The meteoric rise of Zohran Mamdani, a fiery young Democratic Socialist who recently claimed a shocking New York mayoral primary win, points to a grim answer.
It’s presumptuous to extrapolate too much from one state or local race. (Remember how Scott Brown’s special election win in Massachusetts was supposed to signal the end of liberalism? Exactly.) But underestimating moments like this is also dangerous because tectonic rumbles often precede a political earthquake.
Even if Mamdani isn’t the solution — and he likely isn’t — his stunning victory suggests a sobering possibility: The very thing Democrats have been running from is precisely what voters are chasing.
For a decade now, there have been basically two prevailing theories about how to beat Trump.
The first is simple: Be whatever he isn’t. If Trump is vulgar, be decent. If Trump is chaotic, be stable. If Trump breaks things, fix them. This theory is comforting, but it also assumes that voters will respond to decency and logic. An assumption that, as it turns out, is dubious.
The second theory, while cynical, may be more accurate: Fight fire with fire. If you can’t beat him, join him. Not on policy — that would be insane — but on vibe. If Trump is a spectacle, Democrats should find one of their own.
Trump understood the importance of dominating the public’s attention from the start. Apparently, so does Mamdani. And so do a handful of other left-wing firebrands (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, et al.) who make the party’s establishment look like buttoned-up accountants.
There are different ways to break through in the modern era. You can be young and hip. You can be weird and magnetic. You can master the art of long-form podcast appearances and creating viral social media videos. But above all, you must eschew the trite pablum of scripted politicians.
In this regard, it’s difficult to divorce style from substance. It’s no coincidence that today’s most attention-grabbing pols tend to promote the most radical proposals that also happen to excite previously underserved portions of the electorate.
“Build the wall.” “Lock her up.” “Defund the police.” “Medicare for all.” These slogans are all, to varying degrees, unworkable — and previously unthinkable. But they all sound unorthodox and decisive, which in the contemporary political ecosystem is more effective than being wise or correct. Case in point: Trump can shift an entire news cycle by suggesting we should invade Canada or Greenland.
Could a mainstream Democrat, if he or she were charismatic and talented enough, cut through that noise? In theory, yes. But the problem with moderates is that they tend to be moderate. Even in how they talk and how they dress.
It’s not just their policies that feel safe — it’s their entire aesthetic. And in the attention economy, that’s a real handicap.
This is why Mamdani’s radical take on politics is so resonant. Like Trump before him, he proposes ideas that have been wildly outside the political mainstream, and he actually seems to believe what he’s saying.
This last part is key. Younger voters, especially, don’t merely want revolutionary policy positions; they want existential authenticity.
So what is his radical take on politics? Mamdani wants to freeze rents and make buses and childcare free. He doesn’t think billionaires should exist. He has floated the idea of government-run grocery stores. He’s openly anti-Zionist. He refuses to condemn the incendiary phrase “globalize the intifada.” He’s confrontational. He’s shocking. He’s newsworthy. He’s … a complete turnoff to middle-aged, conservative commentators like me — which is proof he’s succeeding!
It might be horrible for America to have not one, but two extremist parties; but after years of trying to sell candidates who won’t scare the suburban normies (with Kamala Harris being an earnest yet flawed attempt at this), you could forgive Democrats for wondering if what they really need is a Trump of their own. Someone who is fiery, meme-ready and authentically combative (albeit in a younger and entirely different package than Trump).
It’s way too soon to say if this will be their trajectory. But it’s worth noting that, outside of Mamdani’s victory, the only Democratic moments this year that have evoked any real excitement or virality came during AOC and Bernie rallies.
Still, nothing is guaranteed. If Democrats decide to go this route (say, with an AOC candidacy in 2028), they risk alienating otherwise “gettable” swing voters and dragging down the entire ticket.
Indeed, some of Trump’s most potent 2024 ads involved pointing out Harris’ previous dalliances with “woke” politics. And that was with a candidate going out of her way to appear moderate.
What energizes the base can just as easily terrify the middle. And it could hand fresh ammunition to a suddenly rudderless Republican Party, which without Trump on the ballot in 2028 could be quite vulnerable to losing to a standard-issue “vanilla” Democrat.
Nevertheless, there’s an increasing sense that Democrats have no choice but to crawl into the carnival tent Trump built and become louder, flashier and fringier than he was. Not just because trying to be the respectable (read “boring”) party of institutions failed, but because our modern media milieu all but demands it.
The Big Bang Theory fans are set to be reintroduced to some characters in the upcoming spin-off Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which will be released by HBO Max
Details about a spin-off to the Big Bang Theory have been announced this week(Image: The New Day/Channel 4)
Writers are said to be putting a “completely fresh twist” on the Big Bang Theory for a spin-off. Details about the show have been announced this week, including its title and whether fans can expect to see their favourite characters.
It was previously reported that a spin-off of the CBS sitcom, which ran for twelve seasons from 2007 to 2019, was in the works. HBO Max has now announced that it has given a series order to the show, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.
The show will see Kevin Sussman reprise his role as comic book store owner Stuart Bloom. The character was first introduced in the second season of the Big Bang Theory and made numerous appearances prior to its final episode.
The Big Bang Theory, which starred (from left to right) Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Melissa Rauch, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik and Simon Helberg, is getting a new spin-off (Image: Getty Images North America)
Stuart won’t be the only returning character. He will be joined on a “quest” by his partner Denise (played by Lauren Lapkus), geologist Bert Kibbler (Brian Posehn) and quantum physicist Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie) in the new show.
It’s yet to be revealed whether any other former cast members will reprise their roles in the upcoming spin-off. It’s been confirmed that “alternate-universe versions” of some characters from the Big Bang Theory will feature in it though.
A synopsis for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe teases that the title character is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki). He’s said to accidentally bring about a multiverse Armageddon as a result.
He’s aided by Denise, Bert and Barry in his quest. According to HBO Max, along the way, the group meet “alternate-universe versions of characters we’ve come to know and love” from the original show. It adds: “As the title implies, things don’t go well.”
The comedy series is being executive produced by Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Prady. Chuck said in a statement: “I wanted to do something radical that would take me out of my comfort zone. Something the characters on The Big Bang Theory would have loved, hated, and argued about.”
Bill added: “The process of writing this show with Chuck and Zak has been damn fun, and I’m certain that joy will come through the screen. Putting characters we loved from The Big Bang Theory into a complex science fiction story with the kind of mythology that those characters love while maintaining the comedic elements is incredibly satisfying.”
Zak said: “I was on a vision quest in the most remote parts of the Amazon Rainforest when a carrier pigeon arrived with a note from Chuck Lorre asking if I wanted to help make a show that the characters from Big Bang Theory would watch. I couldn’t resist that idea, so I packed up my yurt and hailed the next dirigible out.
“At the same time, Chuck sent an expedition to locate Bill Prady, who had been frozen with his shield across his chest in a block of arctic ice. The team assembled, we set out to make this insane show, which lives in a universe created by Chuck and Bill. I couldn’t be more honored to be working with these amazing people.”
Channing Dungey, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group and WBD US Networks, said: “Chuck and Bill have given us one of the most enduring comedies of our time with The Big Bang Theory, and we can’t wait to see the universe continue with this new series. With the help of Zak – a masterful storyteller – this next iteration promises to capture the essence of what fans loved about the original series, but with a completely fresh twist. We thank our partners HBO Max for joining us on this next adventure.”
Alongside Sheldon and Leonard, the Big Bang Theory focused on Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) and Penny Hofstadter (Kaley Cuoco) among other characters. It has already been followed by prequel series Young Sheldon, which launched back in 2017.
WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Epstein did not maintain a “client list,” the Justice Department acknowledged Monday as it said no more files related to the wealthy financier’s sex trafficking investigation would be made public despite promises from Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi that had raised the expectations of conservative influencers and conspiracy theorists.
The acknowledgment that the well-connected Epstein did not have a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked represents a public walk-back of a theory that the Trump administration had helped promote, with Bondi suggesting in a Fox News interview earlier this year that such a document was “sitting on my desk” in preparation for release.
Even as it released video from inside a New York jail meant to definitively prove that Epstein died by suicide, the department also said in a memo that it was refusing to release other evidence investigators had collected. Bondi for weeks had suggested that more material was going to be revealed — “It’s a new administration and everything is going to come out to the public,” she said at one point — after a first document dump she had hyped angered President Trump’s base by failing to deliver revelations.
That episode, in which conservative internet personalities were invited to the White House in February and provided with binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified” that contained documents that had largely already been in the public domain, has spurred far-right influencers to lambast and deride Bondi.
After the first release fell flat, Bondi said officials were pouring over a “truckload” of previously withheld evidence she said had been handed over by the FBI. In a March TV interview, she claimed the Biden administration “sat on these documents, no one did anything with them,” adding: “Sadly these people don’t believe in transparency, but I think more unfortunately, I think a lot of them don’t believe in honesty.”
But after a months-long review of evidence in the government’s possession, the Justice Department determined that no “further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,” the memo says. The department noted that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and “only a fraction” of it “would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial.”
The two-page memo bore the logos of the Justice Department and the FBI but was not signed by any individual official.
“One of our highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims,” the memo says. Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.”
Conservatives who have sought proof of a government cover-up of Epstein’s activities and death expressed outrage Monday over the department’s position. Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec posted: “We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn’t have to be.”
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones wrote that “next the DOJ will say ‘Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed,’ calling it “over the top sickening.” Elon Musk shared a series of photos of a clown applying makeup appearing to mock Bondi for saying the client list doesn’t exist after suggesting months ago that it was on her desk.
Among the evidence that the Justice Department says it has in its possession are photographs and more than 10,000 videos and images that officials said depicted child sex abuse material or “other pornography.” Bondi had earlier suggested that part of the reason for the delay in releasing additional Epstein materials was because the FBI needed to review “tens of thousands” of recordings that she said showed Epstein “with children or child porn.”
The Associated Press published an article last week about the unanswered questions surrounding those videos.
Multiple people who participated in the criminal cases of Epstein and former British socialite girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell told AP that they had not seen and did not know of a trove of recordings along the lines of what Bondi had referenced. Indictments and detention memos also don’t allege the existence of video recordings and neither Epstein nor Maxwell were charged with possession of child sex abuse material even though that would have been easier for prosecutors to prove than the sex trafficking counts they faced.
The AP did find reference in a filing in a civil lawsuit to the discovery by the Epstein estate of videos and pictures that could constitute child sex abuse material, but lawyers involved in that case said a protective order prevents them from discovering the specifics of that evidence.
The Justice Department did not respond to a detailed list of questions from AP about the videos Bondi was referencing.
Monday’s memo does not explain when or where they were located, what they depict and whether they were newly found as investigators scoured their collection of evidence or were known for some time to have been in the government’s possession.
Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on sex trafficking charges, in a suicide that foreclosed the possibility of a trial.
The department’s disclosure that Epstein took his own life is hardly a revelation even though conspiracy theorists have continued to challenge that conclusion.
In 2019, for instance, then-Atty. Gen. William Barr told the AP in an interview that he had personally reviewed security video that revealed that no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died and Barr had concluded that Epstein’s suicide was the result of “a perfect storm of screw-ups.”
More recently, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have insisted in television and podcast interviews that the evidence was clear that Epstein had killed himself.
When one man saw film crews working their magic in Benidorm, he and other desperate fans all jumped to the same sitcom-related conclusion – but some disputed it
12:03, 23 Jun 2025Updated 12:07, 23 Jun 2025
Film crews have been spotted in Benidorm (Stock Image)
Rumours are circulating in Benidorm that something exciting is happening – and it’s all about the TV show of the same name. The last series of Benidorm aired in the UK in 2018. For those not in the know, Benidorm is a sitcom that focuses on the adventures of a group of British holidaymakers staying at the Solana holiday resort in Spain.
Back in April, fans started speculating that the show would be making a comeback, despite the fact that the creator, Derren Litten, confirmed in 2019 that the tenth series would be the last. But when a TikToker spotted a film crew in Benidorm, he jumped to the conclusion that they must be filming the elusive 11th series.
Harry, a Brit in Benidorm who posts on TikTok as @harrytokky, wrote over the top of a video of a film crew on the strip: “Breaking news. Film crews are filming right now in Benidorm outside the Red Lion”.
At the bottom of the video, he penned: “Wait… are they filming Benidorm series 11 right now?! What do you think?”
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He showed the camera crew filming, as he gushed: “Holy moly, this is unbelievable”. In the short clip, someone in the background could be heard saying they thought it was Benidorm series 11.
However, in the comments, people were sceptical, and one woman even put the rumour to bed with the information she’d managed to get from film crews.
“I doubt they’d film in peak season,” a sceptic wrote, but someone shared: “Another 4 weeks until peak season. They film in the ‘Solana’ with people on holiday there. They just close off one end of the pool”.
“They use the tourists as extras in Benidorm, it’s well known,” another man alleged.
Others shared that it couldn’t be Benidorm, because none of the beloved actors could be seen in the video. One fumed: “Not hard to tell if it’s Benidorm or not.”
And another penned: “Not to be a Debbie Downer, but Benidorm hasn’t officially been commissioned, so unless this is for an announcement ad (which I highly doubt), it’s not Benidorm unfortunately”.
But someone argued, saying: “Makes sense it would be Benidorm though, cause Darren and all the main cast have been cryptic as f*** lately online trying to hint to the fans about a season 11 coming, wouldn’t talk about it if there was no chance and now this. I’d say it’s likely I can’t lie”.
However, others said they’d seen the crew themselves and stopped to ask more questions. One tourist claimed: “We were walking down before and my dad asked the light crew. They said they can’t say what it is but it’s a Spanish program!!!!!”
Meanwhile, someone else alleged: “They’re making a film, not Benidorm. I asked them last night.”
Do you think season 11 of Benidorm will ever happen? Let us know in the comments…
