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Section 1: Orientation

Baggage claim

The Lost And Found Office is mostly empty, save for the occasional discarded or forgotten luggage.

This is where you first arrive! Yes, it is normal that you're brought in by conveyor belt; they import every being and object that no-clips into Level 36. Endless rows of baggage carousels stretch out in both directions, attached to a wall that is the only known bounded edge of the level.

Each active conveyor belt corresponds to a specific entrance point from a particular level. If you and your companion used the same no-clip point, you'll appear on the same conveyor belt. The numbers denoting each carousel are not correlated with the entrance level number. For example, Level 11 has multiple entrances to the Timeless Airport, which are linked to carousels #9, #28, #147, etc.³

Infinite baggage carousels imply infinite possible entrances, but only a finite number of them are actually active. Despite the constant machine hum and creaking of metal filling the air, most conveyor belts are inactive and immobile. They can become active if a new entrance point is formed; similarly, active carousels can cease to work if the particular entrance they represent is no longer viable.⁴

Head towards the check-in area and don't forget your belongings! Anything that remains on the carousel for 10 rounds will get rerouted and deposited in the Lost and Found office. It is common courtesy to not touch other people's luggage.

Check-in

The check-in desks go on endlessly.

Past the baggage claim area you'll encounter the check-in zone, an infinite row of deserted service counters. The screens directly above these, as well as plenty of similar screens scattered throughout the level, all display the same crucial information: a list of outbound flights, each denoted by a countdown, unique flight number, assigned gate, and status.

Here's how to make sense of it all! When a flight's countdown reaches 1000, it will begin "boarding," in which the indicated gate acts as a threshold to the intermediary Sublevel 36.1, the Airplane. Once the countdown hits 0, the threshold closes and the flight disappears from the list. Now, all passengers who had entered that instance of Sublevel 36.1 get shuttled directly to a specific level.⁵

There are always dozens of flights scheduled and infinite gates, which means connections to virtually anywhere in the Backrooms. But before you go jumping on any random flight you see, be aware: no one knows exactly which level each gate will lead to. The vast majority of flights have yet to be documented, meaning that blindly boarding one might bring you to desolate or life-threatening levels.⁶

Flight Catalogue

Above is an example snapshot of the information on the screens, with annotations and recommendations based on our catalogue. Keep in mind that, as time flows radically faster here than in other levels, this information is not accurate anymore at the time of reading.

Public service announcements can be heard instantaneously across the entire airport. A monotone, androgynous-sounding voice announces whenever flights are updated, delayed, or boarding, and if a gate has changed.

Why is there a simple unitless number tracking each flight's departure, rather than a proper time measurement? This is due to the severe time dilation present throughout the level. Here, temporal notions like seconds, minutes, and hours are rendered meaningless, and the only ticking heartbeat that governs this timeless plane is the constant countdown of the information screens.

We elaborate more down here, but the summary is: don't be in a rush! And if you're ever lost or need help, try to locate a Meeting Place and one of our staff will eventually swing by.

Section 2: Navigation

If the signs are ever void or malfunctioning, go back.

After passing through the check-in lines and defunct security checks, you'll now step into the more topologically inconsistent area of the airport. While the previous zones were orderly and easily crossable, due to being infinite only horizontally, the rest of the level is a non-Euclidian maze.

Although seemingly unnoticeable, the transition can be likened to swimming out from an enclosed pool into the open sea—if the sea contained invisible overlapping currents that pulled you in every possible direction, making it impossible to traverse in an ordinary manner.

This manifests as concourses that connect to themselves from multiple different points, signs that are contradictory depending on where you came from, distances and rotations not adding up linearly, loss of cardinality,⁹ etc. Despite how overwhelming it may appear, this is all manageable by paying close attention to all signs and trusting the directions.

Finally, be aware of the temperature of your surroundings. Different areas of the level have drastically different temperatures, ranging from a chilling cold to stuffy warmth. While navigating through the various hallways, you could easily pass through cold and warm areas in quick succession or stand in overlapping concourses which feel hot and cold at the same time. Due to time dilation, a cold (or other infection) will not pass as quickly as it usually would.

• Light Distortion
• Duty-free Shopping
• Travelators
• The Meeting Place

Light distortion in a hall.

Light behaves strangely the more anomalous a space is, occasionally appearing fractured, distorted, and repetitive. This can happen in corridors that spatially overlap with other hallways or have recursive entrance points.

The result can look like reflections that don't line up, unusually dark or bright areas, or flickering effects. If you see signs or screens flickering, it doesn't necessarily indicate a malfunction, but it could very well be this optical distortion.

Rest assured though, as these are innocuous mirage-like illusions observed mainly in reflective surfaces and glass. Afterimages or hazy shadows of wanderers who recently walked by may also be visible hanging in the air in the distance.

A carpeted shopping hall.

These are large intertwining spaces and concourses designed to walk you through a myriad of shops and businesses. You can find virtually every type of Frontrooms brand and business in these areas; unfortunately, most products are actually worthless.¹⁰ The only useful articles tend to be the clothes, storage equipment, and food products (largely snacks, sweets, and packaged goods).

Rarely, you may find Backrooms-native objects inside relevant stores, such as: Worn Sacks in backpack shops, Almond Water, Lucky O' Milk and ChocoBytes in food aisles, Babel Balm in makeup stores. You're welcome to take any of these, but don't spend too much time scavenging or you might end up straying farther away from your initial position than you expect.

A BTA Travel Group on a travelator!

Travelators are useful for rapidly and smoothly crossing large distances. They often directly connect concourses and terminals, for example, bringing you from the check-in to concourse W in a few minutes.

One thing to keep in mind is that they are often one-way, and even if it took you one travelator to go in one direction, it might take several different travelators to get back to the same place.

It is recommended to avoid malfunctioning travelators that stutter or aren't moving at all.

The enigmatic Meeting Place.

The Meeting Place is an anomalous location that can be found in at least 47 distinct positions throughout the Timeless Airport, but they are all actually one singular place. It is impossible to map and seems to disappear and reappear arbitrarily, on account of contradictory reports of its locations.

For those lost or in need of assistance, it is a good idea to seek The Meeting Place for a higher chance of meeting other wanderers. BTA staff routinely pass through here, ready to give a helping hand.

Section 3: Anticipation

Terminals

Breaking free of the labyrinth of concourses, you'll finally reach the terminals!

There are 26, labeled from A to Z, containing infinitely numbered gates. Each gate consists of waiting areas with accessible bathrooms, water fountains, and rows upon rows of seats and tables, some of which contain power outlets and USB ports, which come in handy for powering devices. There is Wi-Fi everywhere, but it is prone to disconnecting every hour.¹¹

A deserted gate.

Lounges can be regularly found among the terminals. They are highly sought out for their luxurious lounging areas and facilities, such as:

• Entertainment in the form of books, magazines, video games;
• Comfortable, clean bathrooms and showers;
• High-quality catering such as buffets and fully stocked fridges;
• Rarely, gyms and treadmills.

Seeing that you might have to be waiting here for a while, feel free to make yourself comfortable!

Time Dilation

Compared to the rest of the Backrooms, time runs extremely fast here, yet its perception feels dreadfully slow. Any timekeeping devices brought into the level instantly freeze and will not work until they are brought back out. Combined with all the clocks showing random times (or missing the hands altogether) and no discernible day/night cycle, the illusion of time shatters and all temporal notions lose meaning.

It can be estimated that spending one week here is equivalent to one second passing in Level 11. For yet unknown reasons, your biological body won't age,¹² but your mind will perceive an excruciatingly slow passage of time.

An unfortunate side effect of this is that afflictions of the physical body (colds, infections, headaches, bruises, injuries, etc.) will also appear to heal extremely slowly. This applies to both complications that you suffered before entering Level 36 and those aquired within this level. There is no increased risk, as this is purely a mental perception, but you may find that they linger on for an uncomfortably long time.

Disclaimer: mental aging is a real phenomenon, and long-term stay in the level can cause a jarring disparity between your physical and mental age. This may produce the following undesirable effects, which might continue to affect you even after exiting: disorientation, restlessness, anxiety, derealization. Despite how useful it might appear to be able to "save time" on this level, the psychological pressure and confusing relationship with deters most groups from forming permanent bases here.

Bases, Outposts, and Communities

+ Gate C32 Support Group

- Gate C32 Support Group

To an ear so accustomed to buzzing silence and resounding echoes, the sounds of amicable chitter-chatter are a harmonious relief, and by following the noise you will find its source to be the largest known community in the Timeless Airport: the Gate 32 Support Group.

The famous Gate C32.

Spread all around gate C32 is a large gathering of wanderers, huddled on the seats and lying in circles on the carpeted floor, using their bags as pillows or footrests. They are waiting for flight 1784XBA8JLP, directed to Level 186, the Infinite Valley. Their flight details occupy the very last row on the display screens, with a countdown that shows 94612753.

They have been waiting for a long time, and will be waiting for even longer.

The Support Group acts as a solidary lighthouse of life in a barren ocean of timeless artificiality. They establish their own day/night schedule, organize times for meals, and plan group activities and events to pass time, such as visiting luxurious lounges and shops, passing by The Meeting Place, or accompanying other wanderers to their gates. Approximately 150 people of the group are actual passengers intent on boarding their plane, but other meandering wanderers come to hang out with them as well.

The group is composed of wanderers with wildly different backgrounds and goals, yet they are all united in the simple act of waiting for a flight that will change their lives. An easy ride to a safe level is a tempting offer, even if the wait is interminable.

Many wanderers have gotten discouraged and left, while new ones take their place with renewed perseverance. Some see it as a solemn test of patience, or a hopeless last resort.

"At one point the screen showed the status "delayed" for so long, it felt like hours. I swear I almost lost my mind, praying for that absurd number to return. But it did. And I keep on waiting."

"Leave? and then what, go back to roughing it out in some dingy level? This is, like, the most surefire way to the valley (laughs) I've been waiting for, what, five months? I'm not gonna give up now."

"They're a bit delusional—they think it's an easy ticket to paradise. Personally, I couldn't stand to just wait around helplessly, so I left."

"I have 3 children with me. I cannot simply…hike through the Backrooms with them. We got separated from my husband Matthew back in those halls, and our end goal has always been to settle down in a beautiful valley. For our family to be whole again…I would wait as long as it takes."

For many, the wait is too long. But for others, it's the only thing worth waiting for.

Common Entrances

• Following signs with an airplane symbol on them in Level 11, Level 9 and Level 159.
• Apartment doors in Level 11.2.
• Transport-related levels such as the Train Station, the Metro, the Backway.
• Jumping off your vehicle in Level 864 when it passes by airport runway fields.
• Following a piece of luggage in Level 902.
• Climbing into a jet in Level 103.
• An exit door in Level 20's electric area.

Exit

Every gate door leads to an instance of Sublevel 36.1.