Airports can be stressful places. They get crowded, they're full of people rushing around, and all too often your flight is delayed. When you're bored, jetlagged, and just want to get to wherever it is you're going, they can be among the worst places to be in the whole world.
Because of all that, we're especially grateful to all the people who make airports a little more enjoyable. Some of them do it on purpose. Others have no idea they're making everybody else laugh. Whether deliberately or accidental, those heroic souls are making the hours we spend there more bearable.
We're celebrating those airport comedians today! Some of them posed for these pictures on purpose, and others had no idea a photograph was being taken. Either way, they've all done their bit to put smiles on the faces of exhausted commuters, and that's a fine thing. Our hats are tipped!
When you're exhausted at an airport, all you want to do is sleep. The problem with that aspiration is that airports don't offer many spaces which are comfortable to catch forty winks in. This woman came up with an ingenious solution.
She's stretched herself out across several seats, and she's used the arms of the chairs to make sure she doesn't accidentally roll off. It looks quite comfortable - although she's lucky the airport wasn't busy! We wonder if she was able to get back out easily?
If you want to sleep on a long-haul flight, you have two options. One of them is to pay for a more expensive ticket, fly business class, and get a mini-bed you can doze off in. The other is to bring a comfortable head and neck pillow.
This woman has gone for the latter option, but you have to look twice to realize what you're looking at. A combination of the flesh-toned pillow, and some unfortunate positioning, have made it look like something more daring is going on here!
Of all the people you'd expect to understand the importance of health and safety regulations on a plane, pilots ought to be the most responsible. This Swedish pilot clearly has a happy-go-lucky attitude. She must have been very sure there was nobody in the place at the time.
This is a fantastic photo, and she's probably got it framed on her wall at home. All it would have taken is a single second for it to go horribly wrong, though.
A common sight in the arrival lounges of airports is people standing with signs, helping their friends and loved ones spot them among the crowd. There's no way this man was going to be missed in his giant romper suit.
We're going to assume that his parents were worried about leaving him home on his own, and so he's decided to come to collect them dressed as a big baby. We're sure they were suitably embarrassed. They probably didn't buy him any cereal.
There are many mini-luxuries to be found in airport departure lounges, from massage chairs to shoe-shine services. We don't think this small shoe-shine business has ever had customers like this before.
Apparently, the two people dressed as Cybermen from 'Doctor Who' were in town for a Comic-Con convention, and thought this would make a great photo opportunity. They were right! If they'd paid a little more, they could probably have got their whole bodies done. At least they didn't 'delete' the workers.
Humans fly on planes because they don't have wings. Birds do have wings, and so they're unlikely air travel passengers. That makes this picture a little surreal. It's 80 falcons getting first-class treatment on a flight in the Middle East.
The story here is that the Saudi Prince wanted his falcons moved between locations within the UAE. They didn't know the route, and so they couldn't fly themselves. That made a private jet the next best choice. The clean-up operation after the flight was over must have been awful!
Large-scale public displays of affection make a lot of people uncomfortable. Nobody likes to be subjected to the sight of strangers kissing for a long period of time. That's why even though the airport in Aalborg, Denmark, got a little bad press for this, we support them.
Planes have to run on schedule. That means that even though it's sad when you have to say goodbye to your significant other, you still have to let them go and catch their flight. Three minutes is enough time to kiss them goodbye!
If you've seen the original 'Star Wars' movies, you'll know that Darth Vader was a bad guy. He ruled through fear as opposed to love, and had no qualms killing people on his own side if they angered him.
Maybe these storm troopers have developed Stockholm Syndrome, because they look pretty pleased to see him. It's a very funny picture, but we have a question. Who allowed someone to walk through airport security dressed as Darth Vader? He really must have the force on his side!
Here's another entry in the 'funny sign' category. You'll see a lot of them in this list! This time, we have a mother coming home from some time away, and her family is waiting to greet her. During her time away, she's apparently been doing time for real.
We like to think that if someone really was coming home from prison, the information probably wouldn't be put on a board like this. We therefore think (or hope) it's a joke!
Getting through an airport and onto your flight is probably the most stressful part of the whole airport experience. Security and boarding procedures take a lot of time. At least we can rest assured that the staff is doing all they can to speed things along - can't we?
Apparently, we can't. This looks like a big queue waiting to board, with their passports in hand, but whoever's manning the station is more interested in playing solitaire. Someone probably got fired for this!
It's easy to panic when your belongings are due to be scanned by airport security. Have you taken all your metal items off? Do you remember which tray you put everything in? Are your liquids in small enough containers to fly? Oh, and where's the baby?
We imagine this mother put her baby down for two seconds to attend to something else, but if she doesn't act quickly, it's going to be getting an unplanned X-Ray. We imagine that might set off an alarm.
You know how it sometimes is when you walk out of your house. You need your keys, your phone, your purse or wallet, and your briefcase or bag. It's so easy to forget the little things - for example, your entire outfit for the day!
We can only assume that this man didn't have the time to work out what would and wouldn't be safe to be scanned, and so he's taken all his clothes off for the purposes of efficiency. We wish we had this much body confidence. Nice pants!
Those of you who have been online for a few years will remember the 'planking' craze that went viral a while ago. It was suddenly hilarious to get a picture of you taken laid face down in an unusual location. Nobody knows why.
Planking is still very much alive for this young girl, and we admire her commitment to the meme. We really hope that conveyor belt wasn't moving, though. Given that she isn't looking where she's going, she could easily have found herself stored in cargo with all the luggage.
We've mentioned how tiring airports can be a few times now. Adults are usually able to grit their teeth and push through it. Young children tend not to have as much staying power.
This girl can't cope anymore, but her dad's come up with a solution. His luggage is the perfect shape and size for her to collapse onto, and he can just wheel her around. Don't you miss being able to get to sleep that easily? We sure do!
Here's another experimental soul trying to find a way to catch a nap at an airport. We're not convinced by his method, though. He scores points for thinking outside the box by using his luggage as a pillow, but it just looks so uncomfortable.
There's nothing supporting his upper torso, and so most of his weight is being supported by his neck and his shoulders. He's going to be really sore when he wakes up. His friend behind him doesn't look to be coping too well, either!
If you have children, this scene will look very familiar. When a young toddler reaches the point of exhaustion, they completely shut down. It doesn't matter where they are, or what they're doing. They go out like a light, and that's it.
What worries us about this picture is that there's no sign of a parent anywhere in the shot. We hope someone eventually came back for her; she could get trodden on, and that would make her even grumpier than she probably already is.
You meet people from all walks of life in airports. They're enormous melting pots, where people who would never normally come into contact with each other are forced to spend awkward time in each other's company.
Whoever this person is, they obviously really love the character of Forrest Gump, as played by Tom Hanks. They've gone to great lengths to get the look right, all the way down to the socks. Understandably, everyone appears to be giving him a wide berth.
You can't just hide inside a bag and get flown around the world as cargo anymore. It used to be possible before the invention of scanners, but those days are long gone now. That's why we don't think this picture is real.
Looking at the text of the bag, we think it's a marketing campaign by a low-budget airline. They want to point out that there are cheap flight alternatives that don't involve trying to smuggle yourself. It definitely caught our eye!
This looks like an expensive mishap. A plane is a very heavy vehicle; once it's moving, it takes a while for it to stop. If the pilot misjudges things, it's very bad news for whatever might be in the plane's way.
In this picture, we suspect a combination of too much speed and an icy runway has led to a collision with a hangar. Fortunately, nobody was hurt - other than the bank balance of the insurance company. It must have been scary for those on board!
Well, at least he's providing the security team with fair warning. Those detectors are designed to react to the slightest hint of metal, so we guess he's going to set off the biggest alarm in the history of the airport!
Yes, we know the t-shirt is a reference to the type of music that this gentleman prefers to listen to. It's still a bit of an ironic choice to wear when you're walking through a security gate - and even more so if he really did accidentally set it off.
Every time you see a health and safety sign like this, you just know it's because someone had an accident once, and it made it necessary to erect the sign. You can't be too careful when it comes to lawsuits, and so fair warning has to be given.
You have to question the sanity of whoever gets close to a plane when it's taking off, though. Nobody should need to be told that it's a hazardous place to stand!
An airport is not a Milan catwalk, but that doesn't stop people treating them like they are. It doesn't look like this girl is old enough to dress herself yet. That means her dad has picked his outfit for the day, and then picked one for her to match him.
We're not sure about accessorizing children, but we do have to admit it looks cute. She looks like she's having fun as a baggage passenger, too! As for him, though - sunglasses indoors? Really?
Remember that picture we looked at earlier, where a guy was about to walk through security in nothing but his underwear? We think that process might have been repeated here. We don't see any other way this supposed knight could have made it through the gates.
We imagine this started life as a joke. It probably seemed really funny when he was on his way to the airport. It's probably safe to assume the security staff weren't as amused.
Babies are very cute, and then they grow up to be terrors. Every parent remembers that awkward phase that comes just after their toddler learns to walk, and you no longer have any control over where they're going.
This mother has tried to regain that control by using leashes, but the plan has backfired. Her children are headed in different directions, and she's getting tangled up in the attempt to keep a grip on the situation! This is a lot of stress, and she's not even on the plane yet.
We've already seen a few people jump up onto the security conveyor for the sake of a joke, but normally they get off before things go this far. We can't begin to understand how this person has managed to enter the machine.
If the scanner was unattended it would be one thing, but there's a member of staff stood right there! Maybe the gate was out of order, and this was the only way to scan people? There must be a reason!
This photographer was stood in the perfect spot to catch this optical illusion! We have a tall woman walking through the airport, and a younger guy behind her, checking her out. What he doesn't know is that he's rocking a new look.
Thanks to the joys of glass and reflections, the woman's legs have been reflected back at the glass divider directly into the space where his legs should be. He's oblivious to it, but everyone else gets a laugh.
In most countries, there isn't a dress code at the airport. You can wear what you want so long as it's compliant with whatever security need from you. That means a onesie probably isn't breaking the rules - but you're probably inviting the security team to stop and search you.
What even is the onesie, anyway? Is he supposed to be an alligator? A crocodile? Some kind of dinosaur? We can't work it out! At least he seems to be happy with it.
On modern flights, you'll see a lot of people wearing noise-canceling headphones. It allows them to focus on the in-flight entertainment better, and also blocks out the sound from the world around them. That includes children.
We're hoping that this fatigued dad is just wearing the headphones for the purpose of taking a funny picture, because those kids might genuinely need his attention. They look forlorn! We have to salute his ingenuity though; everyone needs a break from the screaming occasionally.
Look, as long as what you're putting in your own body doesn't affect us in any way, we're cool with whatever you want to do with your life. We probably wouldn't recommend this, though. There are some fluids which should be kept separate at all times.
On closer inspection, the pictures on the sign make it clear that it's talking about two different things. You'd have thought someone would have thought twice about how it read before they went to the trouble of getting it printed, all the same.
Most people don't need instructions about what they're supposed to do in a restroom. We were all potty trained as infants. We can handle our own affairs in that department.
If we did need instructions, though, we don't think this sign would help. We've read it multiple times. We still have no idea what it means. What goes back toward our behinds? Do we go into the bathroom backward? Is this a wiping instruction? We're lost! Maybe we'll just wait until we're on the plane.
There's a process that should be followed when a plane is ready to be boarded. You go through security, get your passport out, head through the check-in desk with your boarding passes, and then get on board.
Every step in that chain seems to have been followed here, but there's one thing missing. Quite a big thing, actually. Where's the plane disappeared to? Do these people intend to stay there until the plane lands, inches away from them? If so, that's a very bold move!
We're back in the domain of unconventional airport sleepers here, and this guy has got it made. He's not only using his luggage as a footrest, but he's also commandeered an airport trolley to elevate it to the perfect height to rest his feet on. He looks very comfortable!
He's taken it one step further than all of our other airport sleepers so far. He must have been missing his duvet, so he's taken his newspaper apart and used it to make himself nice and snug. Let's hope he didn't miss his flight.
There are two possibilities here. The first one is that this woman has so much body confidence that she's walking around the airport half undressed. If so, we don't blame her. She looks fantastic.
The second possibility is that the TSA who's scanning her has decided she might have been hiding something dangerous under what looks like a very thin cardigan. That would be significantly less cool. It also might explain the unimpressed look on the young woman's face.
This is all kinds of adorable. By this point, we're well aware that airports are uncomfortable places to sleep. There's nothing worse than having a partner who can overcome that and drift off, while you're left bored and wide awake. This couple was determined not to let that happen to them.
By working together, they've made a sort of human cocoon which provides comfort to both of them at once. Our only concern is that it looks precarious. One slip and they'll both be on the floor.
People who are very devout religiously often have a style of dress that goes with their role. You wouldn't ask a monk to take his robes off if he was going through an airport, and nor should you expect a nun to remove her habit. They do still need to be thoroughly investigated, though.
A habit is big enough to hide anything inside it, and so the only option is for someone to get right in there and take a closer look. We hope she was wearing more clothes underneath the habit.
When children start to grow up, they stop believing in Santa. One of the reasons why is that they slowly realize that it would be impossible for one man to fly all over the world on one night to drop presents off, using magic reindeer. This picture offers parents the perfect response.
Santa doesn't use the reindeer anymore. The animal rights activists got to him. Instead, he flies first class on the fastest jet available, and uses international time zones to make sure he gets everywhere covered in the space of the same evening.
If you owned an airline, how would you want the public to perceive it? You'd probably want them to imagine it was glamorous, and luxurious, and efficient. Your marketing would feature photos and videos of your shiny new planes, soaring high in the sky. In short, you wouldn't do this.
We don't know which advertising salesman convinced Turkish Airlines that this would be a great idea, but they must have the best persuasion skills in the world. It looks like the plane is nosediving into the ground.
This woman thinks laying down on the conveyor belt is for losers. That's the passive way to go about getting a great airport photo - it requires minimal effort! She's taking a much more active approach to getting a funny picture to show her friends.
We suspect she's done this before. That pose looks practiced to us. Maybe she's had martial arts training, or she does parkour. Either way, she's not someone we'd want to take on in hand to hand combat.
This picture is like the one we saw of the guy with the woman's legs reflected onto his own, but it's been taken to the next level. There are no reflections in play this time; those legs have been deliberately put there for the exact purpose of making pictures like this possible.
It would be a funny picture no matter who was stood there, but the fact that it's two older gentlemen in traditional religious garb makes it all the funnier. We strongly suspect that this isn't kosher.
There are a hundred reasons as to why a flight might be delayed or canceled, from mechanical issues to congestion issues at the airport. We suspect that this is quite a unique one, though. Do airports even have an official code for 'there's a polar bear on the runway?' If they didn't before, we bet they do now.
To be fair, this isn't likely to occur at most airports. This photo was taken at the Wiley Post - Will Rogers Memorial Airport at Alaska, where polar bears are a reasonably common sight.
On a busy flight, the luggage carousel in the arrivals lounge can be the final straw. You've endured the flight, and now you have to wait for your bag to turn up. Worse still, your bag might look identical to someone else's, and so you have to keep a close watch at all times!
Whoever this group of people is, they've done it right. We can be reasonably confident that nobody else turned up at the airport with luggage that looks like giant sushi.
We don't know how people coped with waiting hours for a flight at airports in the past. There was almost nothing to do. These days, you can usually find a computer and log into it to check out all your social media feeds. Jasmine did that at Newcastle International Airport - but then forgot to log back out again.
Leaving yourself logged into a public computer is never a good idea, but fortunately for Jasmine, it seems like airport security noticed before anybody else did.
Pokémon has been a huge deal to two successive generations now. They first emerged and took the world by storm during the 1990s, with a series of cartoons and video games. They then came back a few years ago, when the 'Pokémon Go' augmented reality game saw people almost walk into traffic while trying to catch the lovable critters using their phones.
Japan's Nippon Airways recently decided to celebrate Pokémon with a range of specially-decorated plans. They also did the same thing for Hello Kitty.
We all know the rules about not carrying liquids onto a flight with you. That rule extends to alcohol. You might be able to get a drink from the staff once you're onboard a plane, but you can't bring it on with you!
That was all too much for an Australian man who turned up to an airport with a beer. He wasn't prepared to let go of his beloved can, and so he paid to have it tagged and shipped along with him.
Earlier on, we saw a picture of a family who appeared to be welcoming their mother home from prison. This picture seems to have come from the same school of humor. We're sure people's grandparents do occasionally go to rehab, but they don't tend to get welcomed home from it with an over-the-top airport sign.
The only thing that makes us wonder whether this might be real is the little bit of detail on the bottom right, which suggests grandma has been sober for seventeen days. That seems oddly specific.
There's just something about conveyors which brings out the clown in people. We've seen lots of people jumping on board the security conveyors already. Now here's someone taking advantage of the people-conveyors - the brilliant devices which mean we don't have to walk long distances between locations inside the airport.
All you have to do is stand still on them, and they'll take you where you need to go. This girl found that too boring an idea - so she stood on her hands the whole way!
If you're concerned about someone else picking up your luggage at an airport, there are a few things you could do about it. A lot of people put stickers or ribbons on their suitcases. Others will choose an unusual design from the store, and hope nobody else has the same one.
Some people are just extra, though, like this guy. He's got his own face printed on the side of his luggage, and he'll never have to second guess whether he's picking up the right case for the rest of his life.
Penguins, contrary to popular belief, don't just live in the coldest parts of the world. There are millions of them in Antarctica, but you'll also find some in South Africa, and the Galapagos Islands. They can adapt to warm weather, and they don't have to stay close to snow and ice. They just like it that way.
With that in mind, perhaps these little penguins were on their way to see some relatives who'd moved to South Africa - or perhaps they were heading to Antarctica? Either way, they don't seem to have boarding passes!
Keeping yourself entertained at an airport isn't always easy. Keeping children entertained is even harder. It looks like this poor dad's tired himself out trying to keep his daughters amused - but it turned out that passing out was the best thing he could do!
With dad asleep, the girls have turned him into a human canvas. We can't even count how many tiny stickers he has attached to his arms. Sadly, we don't have an 'after' photo, so we don't know how he felt about his temporary tattoos when he woke up.
We'd love to know the story here, but the only information we have about this picture is that it came from a pair of well-known pranksters. We don't think 'pranksters' is any way to describe them, though. The upper body strength required to pull off a stunt like this is incredible.
Imagine making your way to an airport departure lounge and seeing this. You'd instantly assume you'd walked in on the filming of a television show. When did these two men even find out they were strong enough to pull this off?
