How can this happen?
 

'Woman offered air miles for flight snafu'
Toronto Star Article

Greetings:
I don't fly all that much, so please forgive my ignorance with this, but doesn't someone actually check to ensure those who should have left the plane on a stopover actually have vacated the aeroplane?

Cordially,
Claire

There is a procedure called a headcount whereby the number of occupied seats is tallied against the manifest (passenger list). From previous discussions here, some airlines do this others do not. Can't speak for AC, either they do and someone forgot or they just don't bother.

There's a story from many years ago in which a first-time flyer on one of the US regionals failed to deplane at her destination and a number of other intermediate stops, eventually ending up where she started several hours later (I'll see if I can locate it).

She prolly was waiting for the nice conductor to come around and tell her when her stop came up.

Uhmmmm .....
Do you mean she was asleep over cleanings/refullings/caterings/crew changes/security checks/emergency equip. checks/God knows how many head countings? ... and no one ever noticed her??
To me, honestly, it smells fishy :eek:

This is not really relevant but it reminds me of an occassion where I was flying from Frankfurt to Leeds with (then) British Midland.

First sector was to LHR where we were put on a domestic stand at T1, bussed to international arrivals, went through all the usual processes, walked all the way (a long way!) back to domestic departures to find myself back on the very same plane in the very same seat I had left about 3/4 hour earlier!

I wished I'd been allowed to fall asleep and stay put that day!

Headcounts
 

Two systems operate here the ticket coupon reconciliation i.e. the number of coupons checked in at the gate should amount to the same number as the headcount perfomed by crew or groundstaff. However, I have witnessed different totals on aircraft with only 29 seats so what hope with 400 plus.

Prior to departure of a transit flight a print out of the seats occupied by transiting passengers is generated for the aircraft dispatcher / co-ordinator to confirm and sign legal documentation to the accuracy of the figure and for a futher count of the total (including joining pax) on the departing flight.

UK aviation law makes it a criminal offence for a UK registered plane to depart without an accurate reconciliation from within the UK and also whan a UK registered a/c departs outside the UK.

This applies to aircraft over 15 tonnes only.

... anybody can get on a smaller one ....:)