Where do people who check in, check bags, and then not board their flights go?
I was on UA449 today, which was delayed over an hour on departure as the ramp crew opened up the luggage hold three times to remove bags for three separate pax who didn't board the flight. Because it was an international flight, there had to be a 100% match between passengars and bags, we were told.
This kind of delay happens to me about once per year. I wonder where do these people disappear to once they've checked in and checked their bags?
They could be in the bar drinking and missed the flight.
They could be sleeping.
They could have had a right connection and bags made it but they did not.
They could have had a right connection and bags made it but they did not.
Tight connection. I vote for this one, as few people voluntarily risk missing an international flight, where the ticket or award was likely costly, and at a time of year when a convenient replacement flight/seat may be hard to find.
Another possibility is getting hung up at the security checkpoint, either through long queues or "Do you want to fly today?" shenanigans.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mre5765
Bags making a tight connection and not the people? Unlikely.
Bags can be moved much quicker than people through many airports. And if bags are loaded properly, the closest connections are in the pit closest to the door.
You will see TOB carts that run connection bags specifically in the hubs. In some airports such as ORD and DEN you will see tugs and carts with "Hot" on the front. Hot bags have the tightest connections.
Throw in some slower walkers or passengers distracted by bathrooms and food along the way, and that's how people miss flights but their bags make it.
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Duty free shops. Nothing worse than a passenger coming in on 1 concourse, having a tight intl connection on another concorse and having duty free goods (the shop in the concourse they arrived at called the shop in te departing concorse to deliver the goods.) They stopped to save a few dollars on a bottle of booze, but missed their flight...tragic priorities!
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Bags making a tight connection and not the people? Unlikely.
If the bags went on an earlier flight than the passengers did to get there it's very likely, as it would be if the passengers had to clear security to get from their incoming flight and were delayed there.
I would say
missed connection
security delays
lost track of time in a bar or shopping or pulling slots in some airports
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Well.... when the fourth segment of your itin suddenly posts a 3.5 hour delay (which, a little research shows you, could well have been known and publicized hours before), and you can rent a car for $36 and drive that fourth segment in 70 minutes, then it becomes a no-brainer (unless one is desperate for segments) to drive and pick up the bags the next morning that flew 210 minutes late while you were already in bed.
I was on UA449 today, which was delayed over an hour on departure as the ramp crew opened up the luggage hold three times to remove bags for three separate pax who didn't board the flight. Because it was an international flight, there had to be a 100% match between passengars and bags, we were told.
This kind of delay happens to me about once per year. I wonder where do these people disappear to once they've checked in and checked their bags?
Anyone out there know, or feel like speculating?
Hidden city ticketing by those too clueless not to check bags?
Is the flight number correct? I checked the "flight status" on it, and it shows as a domestic flight from BWI to DEN. Does it have an international continuation which isn't showing up for some reason?
It may not apply to this particular case, but at EWR, is it possible to change from one terminal to another without going through security? If not, it might easily be possible for the bags to make it and the passenger not, if a connection is across terminals.
