Handlung

Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) arrives at JFK International Airport but finds that he is not allowed to enter the United States. While he was in route to the US, a revolution was started in his home nation of Krakozhia. The United States does not recognize Krakozhia's new government, rendering Viktor's passport invalid and leaving him unable to either enter the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection seize his passport and return ticket, pending resolution of the issue, leaving him stranded at the airport. Viktor instead lives in the terminal, carrying his luggage and a mysterious Planters peanut can.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Field Commissioner of the airport Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) wants Navorski removed from the airport. Frank instructs Viktor to stay in the transit lounge until the issue is resolved but becomes determined to make Viktor someone else's problem. He tries to tempt Viktor to leave illegally by ordering guards away from the exit for five minutes, but it fails. Dixon then tries to persuade Viktor to claim asylum, but Viktor refuses, as he is not afraid of returning to his own country.

Viktor finds a gate under renovation and makes it his home. Dixon, who is being considered for a promotion, becomes increasingly obsessed with getting rid of Viktor. Meanwhile, Viktor begins reading an English version of his New York guidebook, which is in his own language, so that he can learn English.

Navorski collects money for food by retrieving vacant baggage trolleys for the 25-cent reward from the machine, until Dixon prevents this.

He then befriends a catering car driver named Enrique (Diego Luna) who gives him food in exchange for information about a female Customs and Border Protection officer (Zoe Saldana), who Enrique is infatuated with. With Viktor's help, Enrique and Dolores eventually marry each other.

He meets flight attendant Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who asks him out to dinner, but he tries to earn money in order to ask Amelia out instead. He finally gets an off-the-books job as a construction worker at the airport earning $19 an hour.

During a visit from his superiors, Dixon enlists Viktor's help in communicating with a man from a country neighboring Krakozhia. Viktor is asked to interpret for a desperate Russian man with undocumented drugs for his sick father. Dixon is determined to refuse the man because of a paperwork issue. Viktor claims it is "medicine for goat," barring the drug from confiscation and resolving the crisis.

Under pressure and the watchful eye of the Airport Ratings committee, who is evaluating Dixon for an upcoming promotion, Dixon has a falling out with Viktor who threatens Viktor and tells him he will never allow him to enter the United States. This incident is witnessed by Dixon's superiors, who give him a look of contempt before leaving. Though Dixon is advised that sometimes rules must be ignored, he becomes obsessed with getting Viktor ejected from the airport. An airport janitor, Rajan Gupta (Kumar Pallana), exaggerates the "goat" incident to his fellow co-workers and as a result, Viktor earns the respect and admiration of all of the airport staff.

Dixon detains Amelia and interrogates her about Viktor. Amelia, who realizes Viktor has not been entirely truthful, confronts him at his makeshift home. Viktor explains to Amelia that the purpose of his visit to New York is to collect an autograph from the tenor saxophonist Benny Golson. It is revealed that the peanut can Viktor carries with him contains nothing more than an autographed copy of the "Great Day in Harlem" photograph. His late father was a jazz enthusiast who had discovered the famous portrait in a Hungarian newspaper in 1958 and vowed to get an autograph of all the 57 jazz musicians featured on the photograph. He succeeded in obtaining 56, but died before he could finish his collection. After hearing the story, Amelia kisses Viktor.

Nine months later, the war in Krakozhia ends, but Dixon will still not allow Viktor to enter the United States. Amelia reveals that she had asked her 'friend' actually a married government official with whom she had been having an affair to assist Viktor in obtaining permission to travel within the US (a one-day emergency visa so he can fulfill his dream), but Viktor is disappointed to learn she has renewed her relationship with the man during this process.

When he presents the emergency visa at customs, he is told that Dixon needs to sign the form granting Viktor the right to enter the United States, but he refuses. As Viktor's passport is now valid again, Dixon is determined to deport him back to Krakozhia. Dixon instead blackmails Viktor into returning to Krakozhia, or he will have Enrique fired for allowing Viktor into the restricted food preparation area and deport Gupta back to his native India, where he is wanted for assaulting a corrupt police officer. Upon hearing this, Gupta runs in front of Viktor's plane and asks Viktor to go to the city anyway. The plane is delayed, giving Viktor enough time to go into the city and obtain the autograph.

With the blessing of the entire airport staff, Viktor leaves the airport after receiving a uniform coat from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Assistant Port Director and hails a taxi. Dixon orders his officers to stop Viktor at the exit where, disillusioned with Dixon, they let him leave.

Dixon reaches the taxi stand only moments after Viktor has left but has a change of heart and tells his officers to handle the incoming travelers rather than engage in pursuit. As Viktor prepares to take the taxi to a Ramada Inn where Benny Golson is performing, he observes Amelia exiting from a cab, where she gives him a wistful smile. He has a short conversation with the cab driver, telling him how to avoid traffic on the way to the hotel and that he is from Krakozhia. The driver tells Viktor that he is from Albania and arrived earlier that week. He attends the show and collects the autograph, finally completing the collection. Afterwards, Viktor leaves and hails a taxi, telling the driver, "I am going home."