Ever missed your flight?

[Anansis]

I frequently travel short haul in Europe and South East Asia. I'm not a fan of waiting around at airports so I usually check in online and arrive at the airport as late as I dare leave it. I'm usually okay but I have come unstuck a few times. My question is this. What do different airlines do if you miss your departure? I know easyjet will allow you to fly on the next available flight if you pay a flat fee of £43 but what about the rest? Loco and legacy, long haul and short haul?

The reason I ask is because recently I missed a ryanair flight from BHX-PRA by five minutes (ironically after leaving plenty of time to get to the airport!). The ground staff told me that if I wanted to travel to Prague the next day I would have to pay the full price fare. Apparently this has something to do with the introduction of online check in- once you have checked in there's nothing they can do. Is this true? If so why?

I fly with lots of different airlines so if anyone knows the policies of different airlines regarding late passengers I would really appreciate hearing from you. I would also be interested to hear any stories you might have regarding turning up late for flights.

If I may offer one of my own stories, a few years ago I was traveling HKG-BKK with Orient Thai. The ticket agent in Bangkok wrote the wrong departure time on my ticket and upon turning up at the airport for the return leg, I discovered that the flight was due to depart in twenty minutes! In the end the ground staff escorted me through security with ALL of my baggage (liquids and all ) and I had to carry my 'checked' baggage with me in the cabin. Shocking I know, but it did make for a quick exit after immigration in Bangkok! I doubt they would have been so accommodating if it was my fault though...

[stepwilk]

Back in the old days (the early '70s), my secretary told me I was on SAS Flight 600 at 9 p.m., JFK to Stockholm, first class. She actually told me I was on Flight 900 at 6 p.m., but I mis-heard her.

Missed the flight, of course, since I got to Kennedy at about 7:30, but it turned out there actually was a 9 p.m. SAS to Stockholm. Everybody at JFK who'd arrived early to board it was put onto the 6 p.m. flight, since a hurricane was approaching and SAS predicted that the 9 p.m. flight would never get off the ground. SAS of course put me on the later flight.

Well, it did take off, and I was the sole passenger in first class. Got a lightning strike on climb-out that blew a small hole in the 747's radome (which of course was about four feet in front of me), but I spent the entire trip being waited on hand and foot by eight or nine beautiful Nordics and all the food and drink they could ply me with. I do remember a side of smoked salmon about the size of a tuna, but as I say, it was The Old Days.

[BOAC4ME]

This might sound obvious but it is what it boils down to, it very much depends on the 'quality' of the carrier, and by that I mean service.

Some low-cost carriers will charge you a missed departure fee, and the difference in fare between your original flight and the one which you are transfering to (usually more expensive due to being last minute), however some low costs charge full fare even if you just miss check in.

Charter Airlines / Tour Operators will usually reprotect you onto their next flight for approx £100 per seat, or onto another charter airline that is in the 'mutual aid' agreement for around the same price.

With full service scheduled Airlines there are 22 (at my last count) different ticket classes (some which are basically the same) and those fares have different rules as to what you can and cant do with them. For instance J class would usually allow you to transfer onto the next flight FOC, and to make changes FOC in advance. Q class would be the equivalent of a low cost ticket, and no changes are permitted and is not transferable.

Basically, with a few exceptions it boils down to like pretty much everything in life, you get what you pay for. Low cost is great but by the very virtue of the business model you will not get anything for nothing if you pay £10 return, however if you purchase a Singapore Airlines Biz class ticket for £2500 return, then you will.

[tezzer]

I'm afraid that I am at the opposite end of the spectrum. If check in opens at -2hrs then I am there at -2hrs and 5 mins if at all possible. I usually check in on line, but it makes no difference, I am alaways there WELL ahead of time. Drives my wife mad, so thats a bonus.

However in 15 years of doinf probably 100+ sectors / year, I haven;t missed one.

I have however spent an eternity sitting in airports, but thats another story.

[Coquelet]

From Ryanair "Travel questions" :

Passengers arriving late at the boarding gate will not be accepted for travel. For travel on a later flight, you will be required to purchase a new ticket at the applicable fare

[Gassy]

Tezzer, Im the same as you. And havent missed a flight yet.

Although, Im quite happy to spend an hour sat in a bar having a drink and breakfast/lunch/dinner whatever.

But it helps that I only fly about 14-20 sectors a year. If i flew more than that, as most of you on here do.......I expect I would be trying to cut down my airport time.

I agree with the comments above about what you pay is what you get in this situation. Look at it like buying a car.........Buy a 1 year old BMW from a BMW dealer, expect full help when the exhaust falls off a week later. Buy it from a private seller for 5k less out the classifieds......expect a different service. Bit of a strange comparison I know.

[HandyAndy]

Travelling independently, I usually get to the airport with at least an hour to spare. Last Monday travelling HKG-CEB on CX, we arrived at the airport -40mins

I took the family (wife + 4 kids) plus a neighbour and child to HKG for 4 days whilst I was working there. The thought of all that checked in luggage makes me break out in a sweat remembering it .

Cheapest Y fare and we were moved to the head of check-in and rushed through. We were lucky the queue at security was not too long and the gate wasn't miles away and we got on board -10mins.

We were billeted at an airport hotel and I begged 'er indoors not to go to TST and Central at midday (bearing in mind our flight was at 1600hrs), it was just too tight. She wouldn't hear of it and off she went with the friend and 5 kids. They had to get a taxi back to the airport where I met them with steam coming from my ears .

Cathay were nothing short of terrific. I think it just boils down to the quality of the carrier and staff and airline loyalty. I admit I do have a gold card with CX and that will have helped. 12 hours after arriving home, I was on the next flight out of CEB to HKG again with a connection to SFO (which was more than in my mind whilst waiting for the troops at the airport the day before.

[greggx101]

Missed a Virgin flight from LAX to LHR once due to LA traffic.

They simply put me on standby for later flight the same day - no charge, no problem.

[jethrobee]

I am usually anal about getting there early, why not enjoy the lounge and relax a bit.

I have never missed a flight, although the closest I have come is 3 times in Frankfurt airport. Mainly due to local guys I work with underestimating the traffic to the airport on a Friday afternoon.

One of these times I was actually able to get to the gate as they were giving my seat to a standby passenger... fortunately they let me go.

[ex-XL-in-exile]

I think I've posted this before, but two friends of mine were away on a lads' break to Tenerife with MON from Manchester. One of my friend's passports was deemed (quite rightly, it was a real dog's dinner) to be unacceptable and they were refused.

However, a top effort from MON to accomodate them. They sent my pals packing off to Liverpool for a new passport and kept in regular phone contact about flight options later in the day.

My pals eventually got sorted, returned to Manchester and were sent up and away on the 6pm-ish flight. No charge.

A corking story which always makes me feel that Monarch are up there with the very best British carriers. And no, I don't work for them.

[Eboy]

I arrive at the airport way early and go to the lounge. Not to relax, but to work. Fewer disturbances than at the office or home for finishing reports or other writing projects.

[anotherglassofwine]

missed 4 so far this year. Don't have the luxury of time
Most recent was LGW - had to fork out 300 euro for a ticket back to Dub with BA 2 hours later

[1DC]

Arrived late into LAX from Oz one day with a connection to Houston.Lady at the transfer desk refused to check us in and said we had to get ourselves and our bags to the departure terminal. We managed it and were told we were too late to board, by 2 minutes. I then noticed the flight was due to depart 10 minutes earlier than was stated on our tickets when this was pointed out Continental fast tracked us and we and our bags caught the flight..

[racedo]

A few LCC ones but one T/A I was very close.

Flying PHX-DFW-LON and booked the 1st sector to give me a couple of hours in DFW, course the 1st sector flight was delayed by couple of hours so ended up running like hell through Terminal, staff had already finished all checks and door had just been shut. They looked and asked me are you X and which poiint in time produced ticket and passport, door open and got on board, crew already standing to do safety briefings.

Someone had pinched allocated seat and F/A was asking him to move but as I saw flight was half full with lots of seats I told guy to stay where he was as he looked comfortable and I will find another seat.

F/A on final checks stopped and said thanks for not making an issue as pax in my allocated seat had been difficult earlier and he would have started again, did get looked after well on the flight though.

[PAXboy]

One afternoon in the late 80s, I was doing a taxi dash to LCY with my American boss to go to the Paris office. LCY was new and traffic from the City was total. I was fretting about missing the flight and he said: "Sod's Law is in operation. Since there is no urgency to catch this flight [the meeting was the next morning and there were alternative flights] we will make it. If the meeting was this evening and we had no flexibility - then we would miss it."

He was right! We made the flight.

[G-BPED]

During the last 12 years of flying on business I have had 2 occasions of possibly missing my flight.

1) July 2009. Arrived at LHR T5 -25mins (accident on M25) for CDG flight. No luggage but, fell foul of the "conformance" criteria. BA put me on the next flight, no fee due to flexible ticket.

2) October 2009. Mis-read flight times and arrived for Air Malta flight MLA-FCO (luggage to check-in) at -15mins. Given boarding pass and advised to "walk fast" I made the flight and, so did my bags. Thanks KM.

I generally try to arrive in plenty of time but, on these 2 occasions I dropped the "ball" but, with differing results.

[Tinwacker]

Missed it once!

How do we do it.....

Wife and I arrived early for our afternoon flight from HKG to LHR on CX.
I know where the gate is plenty of time to sit and have the extra coffee.
Strolled to the gate indicator to find gate at the other end of the terminal and required to use the train. Panic now setting in and on arriving at the gate with lots of nice people holding placards for silly pax found our bags were being offloaded...

CX were very good in the circumstances with no fuss and immediately rebooked us onto the next flight that evening. Very good as it was my fault and did I get an ear bashing from HER..

TW

[Capot]

40 years of catching flights about once every 14 days, on average, has taught me that to be in a traffic jam in a car, bus or taxi, or on a delayed connecting flight, or in a delayed train with an hour in hand is totally stress-free. So I always leave for the airport with an hour or early, if I haven't stayed overnight within a mile or so of it.

It's Risk Assessment time:-

Leaving without allowing for delays - risk is total loss of flight, return home, buy new ticket perhaps, lose money, trip and meetings disrupted.

Leaving with allowance for delays - risk is 60 minutes extra in departure lounge and cost of extra coffee. Possible risk of additional shopping cost with Mrs C if she has come too, but not if one obtains her card and hides it........... "Oh dear, did you leave it behind?".

It's a no-brainer. But she still hates it and invariably complains if we arrive too early. This is not changed but exacerbated by me reminding her that travelling on her own she has missed several flights.

[FN-GM]

I have never missed a flight, i am always keen to be there before checkin open just in case.

My Parents have only missed one flight that happened to be Quants Flight 72 - Good job they missed it.

[IRRenewal]

anotherglassofwine wrote:

missed 4 so far this year. Don't have the luxury of time

All depends what price you put on your own time.

Most recent was LGW - had to fork out 300 euro for a ticket back to Dub with BA 2 hours later

Few of us would put THAT kind of price on our own time. For the sake of being maybe 15 minutes earlier you could have saved 300 euro. That equates to 1200 euro an hour for 'not having the luxury of time'. Luckily you seem to have the luxury of excess money.