What do you do when pax don't show at the gate ?
 

Ms WHBM just travelled from Russia today. Delayed several hours as a pax checked-in with hold luggage, then didn't report for the flight. We've all been there I'm sure. So they were all taken off again, baggage all identified and rechecked, sounds thorough.

But they were also told the Police were setting off to trace the no-show. Wow! Russian Police too :uhoh: . But what goes on in the west in this situation? In my experience their bags are pulled and that's it. But in this case there would seem to be some big trouble ahead for someone who inconvenienced everybody.

Way to go ?

I've always found it quite bizarre how someone could check in and "forget" to show up for a flight. I can't help thinking that questions should be asked even if it is just out of idle curiosity - or if there is something sinister going on, you've got them just from wanting to know purely out of intrigue as to how someone could be so stupid.

Offload the buggers!!:mad: Hate having to search for bags then find them,only to be told pax has turned up,so now we have a game,if bag found b4 pax turns up they are off the flight!! :ok: :rolleyes:


Regards

May I put in my bit

worked in both chkin/gates and on the line as despatch. No shows usually get lost at departure lounge - fall asleep/drinking in the pub gone to the wrong gate even snogging others they have just met does happen!. Some actually go home if they live near enough and then get stuck getting back.. Had some went to the other terminal and then forgot which flight on and sat looking at the wrong boards. Others gone on a jolly on gatwick express to London as thought plane would wait!

Sometimes pax decide that don't want to go fear of flying feeling unwell pax off loaded but not removed from the system so still showing with bags on board !!!!! worst sniario no communication from anyone about these.

No recking on to the flight if name mispelt and not identified. How many more would you like to know about? Basically only way to check is do calls on board have good gate staff talk to checkin box sup/ tell everyone on board and worst for loaders tell them to start looking. Totally agree with off load if not at gate when bags found

Only way to make them believe that the plane is not a bus stop!


Hope not too long and winded
Tall and tasty

WHBM

I think the situation in Russia has much to do with the current security status - after all two a/c were lost a few weeks back due to terrorism. I imagine that they think that if someone is checked-in and fails to board the a/c there is reason to believe it is major security problem.

Had to have bags offloaded on many occassions, this being due to the fact that the punter was still in the bar, Out of his/her Tree.

So says the slug.....

I've only been guilty of inconveniencing an airline once by being late at the gate after checking my luggage in.

After initial check-in, I went to a LH business lounge with plenty of time remaining. Unfortunately though, I mistook the boarding time for the departure time. The boarding pass had the boarding time, whereas the departure screen showed departure time - my cock-up pure and simple having thought the boarding time was the one displayed!

A rush through the endless corridors between the lounge and the gate (this was at FRA) and I arrived breathless, apologetic and sweaty! They were very understanding and at least they hadn't had to offload any bags!

Perhaps if flights actually boarded at the 'boarding time', passengers might respect it rather better? Assuming, that is, that they haven't made a mistake, got plastered in the bar or wandered off shopping?

How many times have you seen 'Boarding Time 2015' on the ticket, turned up at 2005, then sat there until 2025...?? The trouble is that passengers may then expect that they can always be late, knowing that 'boarding times' are rarely accurate.

No-shows should certainly be investigated where possible; I imagine that the Russian police in this instance were making sure that no security risk was being posed.

As an on-time pax I am fed up with being inconvenienced and stessed out by people who can't give a sh1t. E.g. "Will I make the connection at the other end now we've lost 20 minutes?"

Off with their bags I say!

BTW, don't want to change the subject, but with the new RFID technology a tag can be attached to the boarding pass, and can track the pax whereabouts in the terminal. Late pax could even be targeted for automated announcements channeled only thru the tannoy near them "hey that's enough time in the toilet Mr. Jones".

Why doesn't some ruthless SOB like Michael O'Leary fine pax for failing to show at the gate on time? After all he has our credit card details and we click that we agree to about a million lines of terms and conditions...

The attitude of CX many moons ago was what I liked.

The veterans among you will recall that many planes from Kai Tak left from remote ramps and us pax had to be bussed to them.

Not only were a lot of pax late to check in, they were late for the busses. Delays of 30 minutes or more were common so that some feckwit could get a bus on his own to the waiting plane.

Then CX introduced a 'zero-tolerance' policy. Anyone that arrived late for the last bus to the plane was kicked off the flight.

I remember one flight to Tokyo where three pax didn't make the last bus. The pilot (a Brit, judging by his accent) came on and apologised for the delay and noted that he'd missed his slot. 'But don't worry, we'll make good use of the extra time on the ground by offloading the missing passengers' baggage.'

It made me feel a little better.

luggage offload (not mine) happened on 3 out of my last 4 flights....

FRA-CPH on sep 01
PRG-FRA on sep 04
FRA-SIN on sep 12

beyond me how people simply miss thier flights.....

In the good old days at Kai Tak an extra 20-30 minutes valuable drinking time airside could be gained by having baggage checked in rather than hand carried on the basis it was quicker for the airline to locate the passenger/s than off load the baggage.
Less pleasant was the practice,at some airports, in the event of any discrepancy, of making the passengers disembark irrespective of weather conditions,and personally identify their checked in baggage which would be lined up on the tarmac.
Needless to say reconcillliation of passenger and baggage presumes that no one will willingly commit suicide for any cause which is no longer the case.
My present concern is the mixture of freight and passengers on the same airline. Necessary for the bottom line of course but an obvious weakness even in the days when suicide terrorists were not as prevalent as today.
When the flight deck says we will be on our way shortly and we are just loading the last of the freight ( usually followed as if on cue by that noisey shudder that says yes, a container has just been on loaded in the hold ) I sometimes get an uneasy feeling for a few seconds (depending on location) as to what has managed to get aboard in those last few minutes as everyone concentrates on getting the aircraft off the stand on time.

sorry to ask! but what exactly is PAX stand for!:ok:

PAX = passengers plural, PAP = passenger singular
f40

BA783 (ARN - LHR) had the departure time advanced by ten minutes last Friday. You could see this possibly causing a problem - especially as they never announce the departure in the business lounge until the last possible moment. This has led to radeng being the last PAX on board on several occasions!

Not always PAX fault
 

Well, it is not always the PAX fault. In the "we will call you when the flight is boarding" Swissair lounge at LHR a few years back, they did not call us. The flight had never gone to "boarding" (= inbound aircraft has arrived) let alone "last call" (= aircraft will start boarding at about the time it will take to walk out from the lounge) on their screen. "Oops" was the answer. When a colleague and I got to the gate, the flight had been pushed back... SR took responsibility and gave us hotel vouchers. Then called us as the aircraft had gone technical and returned to gate. Left an hour or so later.

Still a mystery how people can check bags then miss the flight first thing in the morning. Perhaps they have checked in bags the previous day, then don't make it to the airport on the morning itself, for whatever reason. Getting sloshed seems unlikely at that time.

Momo

Mr Q re your concerns about frieght. You can rest assured that freight is also subject to security screening.

Most common reason for us to have a "fail to join" is the time it takes to connect from one flight to another. The bags are pretty quick and get loaded and the pax. get stuck in security or just don't have enough time to get across LHR for the flight. Happens ALL THE B****Y TIME and drives me nuts.

Thanks for the reassurance Surely Not. However having witnessed the dismal and unacceptable performance of some of those scanning the hand carry baggage in some locations and while in full view of the public and possibly regulatory/supervisory personnel I have become sceptical of the performance of those who operate out of the public view. Anyway point taken !!!

Mr Q: I saw an 'amusing' sight at LTN last Thursday evening. The woman 'watching' the screen of the bags x-ray was filing her nails and just glancing up at the screen when she felt like it. :mad: I was running for the flight and had no time to locate the supervisor but have a note to write a letter.

The return sector was from Nice and the woman there spent a-g-e-s inspecting the two images of my bag and checking the alternative colour and mono images. She chose not to have the bag inspected but it was much better peice of work.

Only once I have lost track of time in the duty free and been the embarrassed person last on board. That was 20 years ago and I shan't make that mistake again. How people miss the gate? Beyond imagination. On balance, I am rather glad that they do. We don't need doo-lally twits on board. :*

On balance, I am rather glad that they do. We don't need doo-lally twits on board.

Pax Boy. Im hoping that does not include us poor folks who have to travel last class standby due to employment within the Airline Industry. Lately I can never get a seat until the flight closes, then its a mile run to Security. Delay, then run to the gate. So when you see me as a doo-lally twit, just say Hi, glad you made it.........