Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), the Acting Field Commissioner of the airport, sees no other option but to let Viktor stay in the transit lounge until the issue is resolved. Viktor settles in at the terminal with only his luggage and a Planters peanut can. Viktor finds a gate currently under renovation, and makes it his home. He befriends and assists airport employees and travelers. Among them is a flight attendant named Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones), whom he sees periodically and tries to woo, after she mistakes him for a building contractor who is frequently traveling. Dixon, who is being considered for a promotion, becomes more and more obsessed with getting rid of Viktor. Viktor begins reading magazines and newspaper articles to learn English. After he impulsively remodeled a wall at the renovation zone, he is hired by an airport contractor and paid under the table.