A traveler walked through the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport looking for her gate. Then she noticed gate “infinity” with unusual destinations on the flight tracker.
In a video with over 193,000 views, TikToker Joyce Torres (@_joycetorres_) walks up to the mysterious gate. The departure board lists fairytale destinations like Neo Tokyo, Pern, Arrakis, Candy Land, and Velaris.
On one end of the gate, a double door is ajar with white light pouring through. On-screen text reads, “It’s a portal to another world.”
Several groups of travelers sit on seats within the strange gate, seemingly waiting for their flights.
The caption reads, “Velaris here I come.”
In an email to BroBible, Torres says she wishes more airports would feature similar exhibits for travelers to stop by during their layovers.
“The whole experience felt really immersive and playful, definitely not something you expect to come across in an airport,” she writes. “I thought the gate was super creative and a really fun way to turn a routine airport moment into something memorable.”
How Do Austin Airport’s ‘Imaginary’ Flights Work?
The magical gate infinity, which is located in between the real 12 and 14 gates at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, is actually an art installation. The artist, Janet Zweig, designed the gate to mimic a real airline gate with the added element of “interimaginary” destinations from popular story books, games, movies, and mythology.
No real flights leave from the gate, but travelers who are waiting for their actual flights are welcome to use the seating within the art installation. They may notice other strange elements, like a trashcan fused into the wall and a fancy ottoman added to one of the airport chairs.
Travelers who visit the permanent art installation can print out fake boarding passes for the imaginary destinations, too.
Travelers React To The Air Installation
Travelers passing through Austin Airport reacted to the installation, with many saying they wish they could actually visit the destinations on the board.
“I went to Austin for the first time this past weekend and all i could think about in the airport was how many doodads it has and this takes it to a whole other level,” one wrote.
“I think it gave me a place to somewhere in the Harry Potter universe,” another said.
A third said the installation has grown in popularity, making it hard to visit during peak times. They wrote, “Usually it’s so packed and crowded there’s no way to enjoy the art exhibit. People pile up around it like it’s just another terminal.”
Others said they plan to look for gate infinity next time they fly through the airport.
A viewer commented, “Wait I live in Austin and fly out every few months. I never knew this.”
A second wrote, “I fly from austin to seattle in may. i’ll have to find this.”
“Flew 2 times in the last 2 months and forgot to check this out. thanks for the reminder,” another said.
@_joycetorres_ I know I would! Velaris here I come ✨✈️👀 #interimaginarydepartures #austintexasthings #austinairport #imaginary #booktok
♬ Magical Fantasy – Celestial Aeon Project & Tales From The Dream World
BroBible reached out to Torres via email and TikTok direct message and to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport via email. We will update the story when they reply.