Airport Life Chronicle

Author: Alfred Mahlan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Sir Alfred has been living in the departure level of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris for 17 years. He sleeps on a red bench, showers in the airport restrooms daily, and eats at McDonald's. Alfred arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport on August 8, 1988, intending to transfer to a flight to London—puzzlingly, 17 years later, he is still waiting for his flight. Without legal identification documents, he quickly found himself trapped in the nightmare of bureaucratic "Catch-22." Fearing he would be arrested as an illegal immigrant if he left the airport, he waited in the terminal for over a decade for his identity papers, while lawyers and government officials had debated his case for years. Alfred's unusual situation attracted global media attention. Numerous newspapers, magazines, and television stations reported his story, with three documentaries detailing his plight. Inspired by his experiences, renowned Hollywood director Steven Spielberg directed the Hollywood blockbuster "The Terminal," starring Tom Hanks. Alfred has now become the world's most famous homeless person. Political refugee, prisoner, exile, rebel, gentleman, world citizen, focal point, missed-flight traveler—In "The Terminal Dwellers," Sir Alfred tells his incredible and peculiar life story in his own words.