The woman who has lived in Palma's airport for 10 years...

More than 20 million travellers pass through Palma de Mallorca's airport each year and at first glance Bettina could be just another tourist waiting for a flight home. But she never checks in. 

The 48-year-old German has been living at the airport - known as Son Sant Joan - for 10 years, pushing her three suitcases, a blanket, a pile of books and her white cat, Mumu, around with her. Referred to in the airport simply as "the woman with the cat", Bettina has become as much a part of the airport as the planes and runways.

Her story recalls the Tom Hanks film The Terminal, which was reportedly inspired by the story of man who lived at Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris for 18 years after his documents were stolen. 

Bettina, who refuses to disclose her full name, is from a small town in southern Germany. She arrived in Mallorca more than 10 years ago for a new start after a relationship ended and she lost her office job. She landed odd jobs working as a waitress then helping in a kitchen, but the dream of living in the sun turned sour. "Suddenly there was no work because they only give jobs to Spaniards," she told the local Diario de Mallorca newspaper. "I wanted to work in Mallorca but I got stranded here." More...

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