This Major US Airport Set An Unusual Guinness World Record For 2026

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is known as the "City of Brotherly Love" and "The Birthplace of America." It's full of historic buildings, sites from the American Revolutionary War, and lots of secret spots to explore. 

However, if you're into food, or if it's getting close to lunchtime when you read this, you may immediately think of the tasty cheesesteak when you think of all things Philly. Pat's King of Steaks is said to have invented the cheesesteak in 1930, and it remains a staple of Philadelphia cultural symbols to this day. It's made of thinly-sliced beef and cheese on a bun, with or without (pronounced "wit" or "witout") onions, and it's got fans all over the world. 

In March 2026, the Philadelphia International Airport set a new Guinness World Record for the longest line of cheesesteaks in the world. The record was set for the first time on National Cheesesteak Day, which was March 24, 2026, with a whopping 1,291 cheesesteaks laid end-to-end in the airport itself. 

Guinness received over 49,000 applications for world records in 2025, according to the official Guinness World Records website. The company itself started in 1954, and as of the time of this writing, there are 71,571 active record titles. 

The first Guinness World Record for the longest line of cheesesteaks was set between Terminals B and C at Philadelphia International Airport at a length totalling over three football fields. There were an awful lot of ingredients used, with over 990 pounds of shaved ribeye steak for the protein, 225 pounds of cheese sauce, and over 1,200 rolls. Passengers got to see this all take place as they headed towards their gates (above). The record was a joint effort by several members of the PHL Food & Shops, including Amoroso's Baking Company, Cooper Sharp, Philly's Best Steak Company, Chickie's & Pete's, and Pepsi, the official beverage partner for Cheesesteak Week at PHL, as well as the City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation. 

Unfortunately, one fly in the cheese sauce with this Guinness World Record event was the timing. A number of Reddit threads in r/philly, r/Sandwiches, and r/Pennsylvania mention that it took place as TSA employees were working without pay due to the government shutdown. Others, however, point out that it was all in good fun and that it had been planned for some time. The sandwiches were handed out to TSA workers, as well as passengers, guests, and participants. 

Finally, you're probably craving a cheesesteak after reading this. Since the record-setting sandwich line of cheesesteaks isn't at the airport anymore, here are the five best places in Philadelphia to get a cheesesteak, according to reviews.