History Main / AirVentPassageway

* This is a favorite route of the girls in ''TotallySpies!'' for breaking in, clearly thanks to MaleGaze.
* ''KimPossible'' and Ron infiltrated this way in TheMovie. They do it quite a lot during the series.

* ''DannyPhantom'': In the episode "Doctor's Disorders", the only way to save the hero so he can stop the villain is to go ''in'' by the way of an air vent.

* ''JonnyQuest'' episode "Mystery of the Lizard Men". Jonny crawls though an air duct to escape from the title opponents.

* In ''StarWarsTheCloneWars'', there's an episode where Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee escape from mind-controlled Clone Troopers by jumping into the air vents. Later in the episode, Ahsoka uses the same vents to travel to the coolant control room and the bridge while she's running from Barriss.

** Also, the air vents were used by Lomiar to get from one side the stage to the other quickly for her part in the magic act in the middle of her song. They are stated to be large enough for her to walk, albit hunched over and there was staff waiting at either end to help her

On some occasions, because of the fact that a potentially attractive hero or heroin is crawling along a surface and the camera is pointing along [[IsThatWhatTheyreCallingItNow the shaft]], you [[MaleGaze can get an "interesting" view]].

** Mildly subverted in ''DeusExInvisibleWar''; all the vents are comfortably navigable, but inevitably are patrolled by small, spider-like security bots armed with electrical shock-based weapons. According to characters, the bots are to combat any vermin that might enter the vents.

On some occasions, because of the fact that a woman is crawling along a surface and the camera is pointing along [[IsThatWhatTheyreCallingItNow the shaft]], you [[MaleGaze can get an "interesting" view]].

* Subverted in ''{{Casey and Andy}}'': Casey sneaks in through the airvents, but is met by [[EnemyMime the Mime Assassin]] inside the air vents, as the villain had been expecting the plan.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'': Cheetor goes through the ventilation shafts of the Predacon ship after having been accidentally transported to ''The Darksyde'' in ''Equal Measures''.
* TransformersGeneration1: Used in ''The Ultimate Doom'' when Spike and Bumblebee fall into a trap on Cybertron. Brawn joins them and they go through a ventilation shaft that takes them to Decepticon HQ.

* {{Lampshaded}} and subverted in an episode of ''{{Buzz Lightyear of Star Command}}'', when Emperor Zurg chews out the designer of his latest evil lair for making the air ducts big enough for heroes to fit through.

* In ''[[FanNickname SatAM]] Series/{{Sonic the Hedgehog}}'', most episodes that contain Robotropolis have the main characters in an air duct at LEAST once. Robotropolis is perhaps Air Duct Central, essentially one giant factory bathing in its own heated (polluted) air. Lots of cool (polluted) air has to be moved around to keep the place from overheating somehow. By the way, Robotnik hates this trope:

* {{Defied|Trope}} in ''{{Wolverine and the X-Men}}'': Wolverine and Gambit are trying to break into a secret lab to steal back a power inhibitor collar, and Wolverine suggests taking advantage of this trope. Gambit counters with: "Heh, only in the world of cinema. [[ThisIsReality In real life, they never hold]]." It certainly doesn't help that Wolverine's metal skeleton makes him about three times as heavy as a normal person.

* ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', "Truth or Square": after getting [[LockedInAFreezer locked inside the Krusty Krab freezer]], the gang makes their way out through the restaurant's labyrinthian ventilation system.

* In ''TheCloneWars'' series, there's an episode where Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee escape from mind-controlled Clone Troopers by jumping into the air vents. Later in the episode, Ahsoka uses the same vents to travel to the coolant control room and the bridge while she's running from Barriss.

* ''TheAmazingSpiez'' use this technique in episode "Operation Spy-Sitter".

* Zadavia stages one on Deuce's ship during the ''LoonaticsUnleashed'' episode "In Search of Tweetums, Part II".
* Subverted in ''XMenEvolution'', As the vent was only a few incles long, big enough for people to climb into, had a ladder inside, & Blob got stuck, however it also had a large amount of security lids which Cyke was able to close to keep Mystique from escaping.

* ''{{Archer}}'' is fond of this. Somewhat surprisingly, it's always played straight.

* Lampshaded near the start of ''TitanAe'' when Korso tells Cale to head for the vents. Cale responds sarcastically that no one would think to look for them there.

-->'''Groundskeeper Willie:''' Lunchlady Doris... d'ye have any grease?\\

[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]

This is practically a DiscreditedTrope by now, and requires some effort to {{justif|iedTrope}}y if it's to be used seriously. Which is why it's such a shock that [[TruthInTelevision it's actually happened at least once in real life]]. Frank Morris and his accomplices escaped from Alcatraz by breaking out the grills in their cells and climbing through a maintenance corridor, up to the large ventilation duct that led them to the roof. This escape was later reproduced by ''{{Mythbusters}}''. However, on another occasion, ''Mythbusters'' did test more standard metal ducts, such as one would find in most buildings, and found climbing around in them impractical at best, along with being very noisy and certain to attract attention. (At least, if you've got magnets attached to your hands and knees....)

Some large universities (MIT and Caltech in particular) have longstanding "steam tunnel spelunkers" clubs, who often use air ducts (among other things) for exploring, getting around campus quickly, or pulling off pranks. Readers of this trope should be advised that [[DontTryThisAtHome this is]] '''[[DontTryThisAtHome extremely]]''' [[DontTryThisAtHome dangerous]], not to mention illegal -- steam tunnels are usually hot, cramped places that are frequently criss-crossed by scalding-hot (badly-insulated) piping, and explorers face trespassing charges (and possible academic sanctions) if they're discovered within. (So basically, you could be [[Literature/HarryPotter killed...or worse, expelled]].)

However, air ducts sometimes need to be large -- very large -- so there is truth to this trope. In many underground mines, more tons of air are moved per year than ore, and ventilation systems are massive. The tunnel under the Hudson River was only made possible by the construction of a custom ventilation system on a scale then unprecedented. Underground settings require massive ventilation passages -- including, in mines, entire shafts cut solely for the purpose of providing ventilation (as an extra layer of safety, the vent shafts are designed to double as secondary emergency exits, in the event that the main tunnel is blocked by a cave-in or otherwise inaccessible).

But do remember, even in those structures that actually require massive ductwork systems, by the time the branch ducts reach a spot where one can conveniently access them - such as an office, hallway, storage room or cell - the ducts that actually serve that space are usually too small to serve as a convenient escape or entry.

It's the only move on the part of a villain that's stupider than LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard (or any room with [[BedsheetLadder a bed]]). When heroes find themselves trapped in a room with all doors and windows locked, the quickest exit is always through the ventilation duct. Air vents also work excellently in reverse for breaking ''in'' and infiltrating a facility, as well. Covers require little or no effort to remove, openings are always within reach, they're always able to support the weight of a person even though they were only designed to carry ''air'', they are wide enough in diameter to easily allow a human being to pass comfortably through, there are no internal obstacles like bracing or blowers (except for the occasional menacing giant fan blocking the branching corridors), they are free of normal sheet metal's dangerously sharp edges, they are totally soundproof, and there's never a lack of light or chance of getting lost unless the plot calls for it.

[[caption-width-right:217:Why this trope doesn't work in RealLife.]]

* Parodied and subverted in ''BatmanBeyond'': The protagonist enters a vent large enough to walk in, but the subsequent sections keep getting smaller and smaller.

* ''MirrorsEdge'' features a number of extremly large (and life-saving) air vents.

* While searching an enemy ship in ''FairyTail'' the Exceeds (who are about the size of a cat) are shown crawling through an air vent, wondering about the necessity of it and comlaining about how narrow it is. When they ask why they're in their instead of searching the rooms like a normal person, Happy says [[RuleOfCool "No particular reason"]].

* While searching an enemy ship in ''FairyTail'' the cats are shown crawling through an air vent, wondering about the necessity of it and comlaining about how narrow it is. When they ask why they're in their instead of searching the rooms like a normal person, Happy says "No particular reason"

* ''MsTree'' makes an AirVentEscape as part of her DieHardOnAnX plot in the "New Year's Evil" story.

* Subverted and played with in ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]'': Batman is infiltrating a parallel Earth, disguised as his evil counterpart Owlman. He's allied himself with Red Hood, the heroic counterpart of the Joker, who is being tortured by Silver Cyclone, the evil version of Red Tornado. Batman sneaks through the air vents to free Red Hood and escape after his cover is blown by the evil Atom. This might have worked... EXCEPT Silver Cyclone apparently had a tracking device or something on Batman, because the moment he realizes that Red Hood has been in contact with someone, he remembers that Owlman has been acting strangely and his computer immediately tells him Batman's location, in the air vents, proving that he's a spy. Silver Cyclone then powers up the fan to slice "Owlman" to pieces. Of course, this is the goddamn {{Batman}} we're talking about, so he blows up the fan. But still, the AirVentEscape turned out to be ''not'' the best idea.

* In the ''CodeLyoko'' episode "Canine Conundrum", Yumi and Ulrich escapes from the Gymnasium (besieged by robot dogs) this way. Although there is a joke, previously, about the adult teacher, Jim, being too fat to follow them.

* 1960's ''{{Series/Batman}}'' episode "A Riddle A Day Keeps The Riddler Away". Batman and Robin use air ducts to infiltrate a building where the Riddler is holding a hostage.

* In ''[[LoisAndClark Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman]]'''s DieHardOnAnX episode "Fly Hard", Jimmy Olsen manages to escape unseen into the air vent system when terrorists initially take over the Daily Planet. One he exits the system, however, it doesn't take long before he's found and neutralized.

* Justified in the ''{{The X-Files}}'' episodes "Squeeze" and "Tooms", since the killer -- Eugene Victor Tooms -- is a mutant whose power is to be capable of squeezing through tiny openings.

* ''{{Unnatural History}}'' subverts this hysterically. Jasper tries to think of a creative way out of the room he's trapped in, and the camera focuses on a air vent duct. The next shot show him struggling futily to pry the vent free.

**** Definitely a case of [[YourMileageMayVary]]. In private homes, the distance can be as little as a couple of inches, but in many buildings, the vertical clearance is frequently well over two feet. By spelunking standards, that's huge.

* In ''AxisPowersHetalia'', '''Paint it White!''': Italy, Germany, and Japan pull one of these in order to escape the aliens currently chasing them. May or may not be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] due to the fact that they were in an alien mothership, with air vents about the size of an average person. Not to mention that they DID fall through at one point, and Germany got quite a few scratches to the face.