Getting on the wrong plane

[pudoc]

How often does this happen?

My friend was booked to fly to Africa but got on a flight to Eastern Europe. None of the staff noticed, even when checking the boarding card. The card clearly stated an African city but it wasn't until the announcement was made by the crew that their flight time to Poland was ahead of schedule that they realised WOOPS.

Question of curiosity rather than being a 'check's need to be tightened moaner'.

[BOAC]

Not very amusing! Three basic errors which have happened a few times before:-

1) Gate boarding staff either asleep or incompetent
2) Friend - if not mentally impaired, well.............:ugh:
3) Cabin crew failure to do proper checks.

Security implications are minimal since no self-respecting terrorist could rely on 1 and 3.

Who paid for the repatriation etc? Dep airport and carrier?

[The SSK]

A long time ago, I was flying Budapest-Brussels with my two daughters. We noted that there was a final security check (the last of many) at the exit from the gate lounge, also signs warning that local currency could not be taken out of the country. So I checked the last of my cash and decided there was just enough for a drink each from the lady with the trolley. Just then they called the flight. Not wishing to waste anything, I told the girls to take their time – there was no hurry.

Eventually we left the lounge, the last by some little time. Down the jetway and onto the aircraft, found our seats and settled in. Crew were walking up and down the aisle, paying us a fair bit of attention. Eventually one of them asked ‘are you going to Zurich?’

The jetway divided into two and served two stands. Evidently someone had the job of sending the Brussels passengers down the correct corridor but had gone before we arrived, so we just followed our noses. The aircraft (Malev Tu-134) was the same for both flights.

No harm done, they switched us back onto the right aircraft. It amused me though that even with massive bureaucracy and security (this was back in Communist days) it was possible to get on the wrong aircraft.

[pudoc]

The aircraft didn't leave the departure airport, who knows what would have happend otherwise.

My friend might have been sleep deprived, I've done something similar before. The airline I, and my friend, were flying with was Ryanair and they all look the same at 6am. I queued up for a flight to Dublin rather than Stansted when the gates were right next to each other. Easily done with little sleep!

Maybe being rushed on a turn around led to the problem with my friend?

[Delight]

I was once on an Icelandair flight to Glasgow and when the CC did their welcome announcement a woman came charging down the aisle shouting "Nien Nien Nien!!!". I guess when connecting after a overnight flight (which most passengers were) mistakes can be made. I'm sure the CC would have picked up on it during the headcount.

[DaveReidUK]

I love the announcements that you often hear on US domestic flights as they close the doors:

"Welcome aboard Flight 123 to Charlotte, with continuing service to Miami. If neither of those cities figure in your travel plans, now would be a good time to deplane". :)

[chevvron]

Many years ago, travelling to Cyprus from Luton. In the departure lounge, I noted 2 flights of the same airline and with similar callsigns ('540 and '542) were departing to Cyprus about 15 min apart.
When we got on board al seated, the cabin crew did repeated head counts. It then transpired 4 passengers (2x2 not known to each other) from the other flight had been allowed to board our flight.

It can work the other way though. Departing Heathrow for Geneva and being 'bussed' to the aircraft, the attendant at the gate called for 'passengers to Zurich'. No-one answered until someone said we were trying to get to Geneva.

[Tableview]

I got onto a DUR bound 'plane instead of a JNB at CPT, along with several other passengers. Both flights boarded from adjacent gates at the same time, crossing the tarmac, and the two streams of passengers had to cross each other instead of going parallel. Utterly, utterly, stupid of SAA and/or DCA.

[marcoalza]

This happened to me once with either an EasyJet or Ryanair flight. Long time ago and virtually the whole departure lounge boarded a flight that was going to Dublin instead of somewhere in Spain.

Not sure what would have happened had we not overheard conversation between passengers but you can imagine the chaos that ensued.

I remember the Aircraft was was British Racing Green and in Jaguar livery.

[None of the above]

Britons fly to 'wrong' Sydney. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2172858.stm)

An internet booking mix-up has left a young English couple holidaying in chilly Sydney, Nova Scotia, instead of on the sun-kissed beaches of the Australian city of the same name. Emma Nunn, of Sidcup, Kent, and Raoul Christian, of Charlton, south east London, both 19, bought their tickets from an online travel agent for £740 each.
But after a six-hour flight from London's Heathrow Airport, their flight landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Realising they were in eastern Canada, the couple assumed they were "going the long way" because they had booked at the last minute and would soon be arriving in Sydney, Australia.

Mr Christian described the experience as "really, really confusing". "We thought 'OK, we are going to wait here and a big plane is going to turn up and take us to Australia'. "But it did not quite happen that way."

The passengers were asked to board a 25-seater plane. And after just more than an hour they landed in sleepy Sydney, Cape Breton Island, off the north eastern coast of Canada.

The former-mining town has a population of just 26,083 and one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada. Airline officials are arranging for the couple to return to London. But, in true British fashion, the pair are not ready to write off their summer holiday just yet.
"Obviously it is a big disappointment," Ms Nunn conceded. "But after it sank in we both said 'let's make the most of what we've got around us'."

They said they were enjoying looking at the pick-up trucks, and eating the local lobster. Airport officials said they had sometimes received luggage destined for Sydney, Australia before - but never people. Andrea Batten, an employee of Air Canada in Sydney, Nova Scotia, told the Reuters news agency she was dropping off a friend at the airport when a colleague asked: "Can somebody go to the counter and help these people? They think they're in Sydney, Australia."

"They were obviously very surprised," said Ms Batten, who said she had never heard of such an incident in her 13 years of working there. They decided they might as well stay for a few days, having come all this way. "It's going to be a trip to remember."

[FlyingEagle21]

I heard of a family of 7 flying from LHR to Kingston, Ontario via Toronto instead of Kingston Jamaica.

When I worked ramp at LHR the ramp supervisor loaded up the wrong 777 once. Cargo and Bags. easily done though.

[Tableview]

One of my agency clerks tried to send a man to Lisbon by mistake, he had a very broad Northen Ireland accent and actually was enquiring about getting to Lisburn.

Another clerk carelessly put 'LOS' instead of 'LAX' in the fare construction part of a handwritten ticket (remember those!) and I arranged for one of my mates to call her pretending to be from BOAC as it was then, and that the passenger had ended up in Lagos instead of Los Angeles (not sure which of the two places is worse!)

[TiPwEiGhT]

Kristiansand and Kristiansund is favorite amongst my brothers offshore company, and he often ends up in the wrong one.

[paulc]

Mid 90's in the USA sat on a US Airways Fokker 100 at Charlotte (I think)- passenger boards with a small trolley with a computer on it (not a laptop) which he eventually manages to stow, sits down and relax. Usual cabin crew announcement "welcome to US airways flight xyz to abc - if your travel plans do not involve flying to abc please let a crew member know" At which point pax with computer, goes pale, gets up and rather hurridly exits the aircraft - opps.

[Curious Pax]

Did a stint as a dispatcher (turnround coordinator) in the mid 80s for a summer. I was doing a JAT 727 to Pula (or similar) at the end of Pier B at MAN while a colleague was doing a Britannia 737 to Spain on the adjacent gate. Unfortunately the 2 gates used the same exit out of the pier (think it was gates 14 and 15 before it got changed to accomodate the 380), and although we positioned someone between the 2 aircraft to try and steer people to the right aircraft, I still ended up with 2 Britannia pax sitting on my 727. This came to light fairly easily as the correct occupants of the seats showed up and wanted to know why someone was already sitting there!

We had been under the impression that those 2 gates weren't normally allocated for flights departing at similar times, but obviously that had been forgotten on this occasion.

Going off at a tangent, the mention of JAT reminds me that at that time east European crews were notorious for getting off as early as they could get away with so that they could nip to the shops in the terminal for such things as chocolate which were scarce back behind the Iron Curtain.

Normally they left the most junior crew member behind to "supervise", but would usually come back before most outbound pax had boarded. On one occasion however I had a JAT 727 full and ready to go, but with no flightdeck crew and just a young stewardess down the back. The loaders insisted on removing the front steps as they had to go to another job, so when the missing crew returned 5 minutes after scheduled departure time they were forced to board at the rear stairs, and do a 'walk of shame' to the front!

[Midland 331]

In the days of coaching to the "November" stands at LHR T1, Teesside and Leeds passengers sometimes got boarded on the wrong aircraft.

Very often, it was prudent to yell up the steps to the cabin crew "Is this for Teesside?" in the style of passengers at a 1960s bus station.

And then there were the cases of passengers having to step over the tug's bar which had been left at the bottom of the front stairs....

[Cymmon]

I remember the Aircraft was was British Racing Green and in Jaguar livery.

Ryanair Boeing 737-200!

[Reverserbucket]

Midland331

In the days of coaching to the "November" stands at LHR T1

Had similar on the Bravos at T1 - long-stop 737 on bridge but boarding one parked next to it on a split stand with airstairs (so passengers pass through the gate then enter the head of the airbridge but normally are directed down a staircase to the apron). Short staffed at the gate, about twenty passengers turned the wrong way at the intersection of the stairs to the apron and the airbridge, pulling a no-entry tape aside they boarded the long-stop aircraft, put their gear in the overhead lockers, took their seats and strapped in! Power off by the way so no lights (it was daytime though). A lesson learnt that day :O

[Lurking_SLF]

I had something similar happen at Beauvais years ago - there were two planes on the tarmac when our (Dublin) boarding call was announced.
Myself and the wife walked out with a group who all headed to the nearest aircraft.
Luckily for me the "little voice" in the back of my head was wondering, so when I got to the top of the stairs I asked was this the Dublin plane???
Err no... that one is...
Cue a PA announcement and a hasty exit of about 20 pax who just thought they had got the plum seats!!! :)

BTW the first and only time the wife was glad I was a bit of an anorak!!

[dog in park]

Years ago Jersy European had aircraft in AF colours going BHD - BHX. PAX would board the JY aircraft in AF colours and get off and walk across the active stand on the eastern apron and get on a SD360 as it said Jersy European

[washingtondave]

It has happened to me. Back in 1985 I was booked on a Saudia flight from Riyadh to London Heathrow. It was a a particularly busy time of year so an additional flight was put on to supplement the scheduled one. I can't remember which of the two I was allocated to now, but I seem to remember the flight numbers were very similar, either differing by 1 digit or a suffix letter. Anyway, departure times for such flights were scheduled for on or soon after midnight. Due to a sandstorm all flights were delayed leading to some confusion, and when the flight(s) were announced, I duly boarded what I believed was my flight. It was only when I was challenged by another boarding passenger, who claimed I was occupying their seat, that it transpired I was on the wrong flight. So as well as my carelessness, the ground staff and cabin crew had failed to prevent me boarding the right aircraft. Thankfully all was resolved and I eventually reached London, albeit a few hours later than scheduled.

[Herod]

Years ago, when AirUK had the F27, several aircraft would be parked on the same bit of pier (no airbridges). I was operating the flight to Leeds and when all the pax were aboard it transpired that that we had the pax and bags for Teeside and vice versa. The easiest solution was to swap the flight deck and cabin crews around, which is what we did.

[Airbanda]

Circa 1985 Mrs A to be and I were flying LUT - AGP with Monarch. There was also a Britannia flight doing same route at same time.

Boarded the 757 and was idly watching a (Virgin?) Viscount being started on next stand when it became apparent that CC were having a 'flap'. Repeated trips up and down cabin counting heads, comparing notes and conversing with dispatcher. Eventually there was a request to check tickets etc and a young woman down the back was deboarded and went back through the terminal to board the BY737 further down the apron.

[srobarts]

This is on the beeb today - not sure if it is recent or not...
BBC News - Passenger put on the wrong plane to the wrong country (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18622415)

[PAXboy]

The report is listed today and has this text:
A 19-year-old surfer who wanted to travel to the south of France ended up in Sweden after he caught the wrong flight at Stansted Airport.
Toby Donachie said that his ticket was inspected twice before he boarded, and Ryanair have promised to look into the incident to ensure it does not happen again.The pax gives a lucid story of what happened. He sounds very laid back and reasonable about it no mention was made of his having to pay for the error and the question was not asked. Sounds like it was sorted out well.