A viral video taken at San Diego International Airport on Friday evening shows frustrated passengers climbing onto a baggage carousel to manually unclog a pileup of suitcases—an image many online quickly tied to the ongoing government shutdown.
However, airport officials say the incident had nothing to do with federal staffing shortages.
Taylor, 30, from New York, filmed the clip while waiting for her luggage after landing in San Diego on November 7.
“We waited about 40 minutes and then they started unclogging the bags themselves,” Taylor, who did not give a surname, told Newsweek. “No one at the airport was even in sight to help until they saw the girls doing it themselves. I filmed because I was annoyed with the airlines and the government and wanted to share with my group chat what they might be in for when traveling this week.”
The video, with more than 12 million views, showed two travelers perched atop the stopped carousel, reaching into the chute to pull through a jam of suitcases as other passengers watch. The caption over the video read: “What government shutdown?? These local baddies said we’ll do it ourselves.”
A spokesperson for San Diego International Airport told Newsweek: “The events depicted in the video followed a baggage carousel jam and were unrelated to the government shutdown.”
Shutdown Travel Impacts
The viral moment comes amid widespread concern about how the federal government shutdown is affecting travel across the U.S.
The shutdown has strained airport operations nationwide, with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees among those impacted by delayed pay and reduced staffing levels.
On Monday, President Donald Trump ordered all air traffic controllers to “get back to work” and threatened that those who did not would have their pay “substantially” docked.
While the San Diego incident was not connected to those disruptions, travelers across the country have faced longer security lines, delays in air traffic control and reduced federal support services in recent days.
Internet Reacts
As the video gained more than 12 million views on TikTok, viewer reactions were divided.
“Whew am I the only one thinking of the all the dangers of this,” said one commenter.
Another said: “Gotta love women who see a problem and take action. And to think, such a woman could have been our president.”
“Women are literally leaders,” said another. “Eldest daughter core right here,” wrote another viewer on TikTok.
Others questioned the women’s actions. One viewer wrote: “FYI The baggage handlers work for the airline, not the government.”