MISSED YOUR FLIGHT! NOW WHAT TO DO?

Have you ever missed a flight? If not then there are just two options – either you have not travelled enough or you are obsessive compulsive about everything in life. Fly often enough and chances are you're going to miss your flight one day. And the reason of your unfortunate predicament may not be in your hands.

Airlines do not and should not care about why you were late. What airlines do care about is on-time performance. Getting that aircraft away on time means they are reaching their immediate destination in time and subsequent flight schedules don't get messed up and everyone's happy.

Why do people miss flights?

Now, this is important. Your reason could have some bearing on your airline's response to your plight. But, beware, the check-in staffs have heard every excuse in the book and really, they don't care. But re-booking you on another flight is not out of the question, and a good reason for your late arrival will help your case. The reasons which are most sympathetically accepted are:

1.      A passport that you forgot at home until you were halfway to the airport

2.      A child inadvertently left under the same circumstances

3.      A medical emergency

Some other common reasons of missing flights are:

1.      Confusing AM and PM

2.      Working on the wrong time-zone

3.      Caught up in a traffic jam

4.      Showing up at the wrong airport

5.      Turning up on the wrong day

6.      Not hearing boarding announcement because you were grooving to your noise-cancelling headphones

7.      Silent airports, no announcements made!

How do you manage the crisis?

So now that you have missed the flight, what do you do? Try to understand well in time that your chances of catching the flight are bleak. And instead of approaching the impending disaster, go to the disaster recovery mode! What the circumstances really require is logical problem solving, a frame of mind best achieved when you’re calm and can direct all of your bright brain cells towards fixing the situation.

1.      Don’t panic. Quickly you work through the seven stages of grief. Because the quicker you pass through shock, disbelief, denial, guilt and anger and land on acceptance, the sooner you can begin the ultimate task of rectification, known to science as "pulling the fat from the fire".

2.      Inform the Airlines Customer Service.

(a)    If you're en route to the airport, as soon as you realize you're not going to make your flight, contact your airline's customer service. If you call before the gate closes on your flight, there is a much higher chance that you will be able to switch to another flight without too much fuss. Be nice and briefly explain your circumstances. By contacting them before your plane has left, there’s a decent probability that you’ll be able to change to a different flight that day. Beware, however, that change fees are steep. Politely ask if the fee can be waived or reduced, as many gate agents do have that power. 

(b)   If you're at the airport, checked in and passed through security and still miss your flight, that's more serious. Since you're in a secure, restricted area you will have to exit that zone. Find an airport information desk or, failing that, your airline's ground staff. If you have checked in baggage, that will have been offloaded and you'll need to reclaim it.

(c)    If you've passed through immigration you have officially exited the country. Since you're now seeking to re-enter, you're going to have to pass through immigration all over again. Now if you have a single entry visa, this will need a bit of persuasion and pleading.

3.      Time for a reality check…..are you really doomed? This is the time to nicely ask the ground staff for your options as well as to browse the net on your phone and look for even more options.

(a)    If you are an elite level flyer (Privilege Card / Gold Card) with the airline in question mention that fact, because any small detail you can use to tilt the hand of fate in your favor is going to count.

(b)   Your full fare ticket will be respected a lot more than your budget fare one. The higher the price you paid for your airline ticket, the more likely it is the airline will cut you some slack. With low-cost airlines, there is little to no likelihood of you being able to transfer your ticket. By all means, ask, just don’t be alarmed when they laugh out loud at your request.

(c)    It also depends on who you bought the ticket from. If it was the airline you have a better chance of a favourable outcome than if it was purchased from an online travel agent.

(d)   Two Hour Rule or the Flat Tire Rule: This is a little-known rule in the airline industry of US Airways and Southwest as well as several other airlines, but it isn’t publicized. What it says is if there are circumstances beyond your control, like a huge accident on the highway en route to the airport, you may get a little extra help. The two-hour rule states that if a passenger arrives within two hours of their missed flight, the airline employee can put you on the next flight with the same airline on standby at no charge. If you miss the last flight of the day, you’ll be standby on the first flight the next day.

4.      Find a Wi-Fi. Roaming data in a foreign country is invariably expensive. Switch to the Airport Wi-Fi, even if it is slightly faster than a snail and now look for all your options in the net.  It can also be time-consuming dashing from airline counter to counter seeking quotes. That’s when the Internet proves to be your true travel emergency friend.

5.      See it as an opportunity - When you suddenly find yourself in a country with no flight-out, it can induce panic, but the reality is that you suddenly have more options than you did when you thought you were going to catch your scheduled flight. Booking a new flight, a train, car-hire, a hotel, an adventure somewhere completely unrelated sprawl out before you. Once we were were flying from Kathmandu to Lhasa and the flight could not land and took us straight to Chengdu in China. Our Sichuan Airlines first available flight to Lhasa was at 6 PM the next day so we made the best use of the detour and saw the world famous Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding!

6.      Search for new flight or route or hotel – While leaving the same day may be costly, you may come across a budget ticket for a flight leaving at the middle of the night or the next day. While cancelling out the option of a higher priced ticket of that day, do not forget to add the cost of the hotel room if you are leaving the next day!

7.      Travel Insurance – While no travel insurance company pays for tardiness and stupidity, if you missed your flight due to circumstances beyond your control – traffic, tempest, a tree fell over your driveway – a travel insurer might come to your aid if your airline will not. Financial compensation will happen only some time after they have verified your reason. In the meantime, it's up to you to negotiate a solution at least possible cost to them.

8.      Connecting flight - If you don't make your first flight, it's standard airline practice that any connecting flights you have on the same booking are also cancelled. In that case you also need to notify the airline operating the connecting flight that you're not on board. However, if you are still making it in time for your connecting flight you must inform the airlines. If you’re coming in from another flight, even if it is from another airline, most of the time the airline will take care of booking you through to your final destination. If you have missed your connection, take heart that you will likely be placed on the next available flight on standby. If you’re in this situation, call ahead to the airline to be sure you can pick up your bags. They will arrive before you, so simply letting the baggage claim agent know will help expedite the process.

9.      Taking the flight – do everything early, reach the airport well in time, print your own boarding pass from the kiosk, check in your baggage early and give instructions for the connecting flight. Go straight to your gate, seat in direct view of the departure screens, stay awake and don’t miss the boarding call.

10.  Relax! Mistakes happen; do not let one error cloud the rest of your day. What is done is done. Do not to beat yourself up about missing a flight. It happens to even the most punctual, seasoned traveler. Going with the flow, being flexible and being kind even when you’re stressed out is part of travel and part of life. Take a deep breath and relax. Appreciate the fact that you have managed the crisis admirably!