Sometimes life isn’t completely fair. You should get at least two things from this experience:
1. A lesson learned/ teachable moment
2. Sympathy (which you’re getting from other FT readers)
Neither of which has much value.
The best you can hope for now is to somehow convert the sympathy into something positive.
Whe the carrier says “be at the gate at (whatever time)”it’s implied that you’re ready to actually board then. We ARE adults after all. Even if you checked in early, dropped off bags, got your passes, and got to the gate on time, the last piece of the puzzle is to get on the plane. Yes, the airline gave your seats to someone else because you didn’t board when you should.
Hopefully, you learned something (#1 above) and you have my sympathy (#2).
Decide what it is that you want, and from whom. At this date the airline can’t bring the plane back, so they won’t help. They can’t take the standbys off and you can’t blame the other passengers for taking the seats. Maybe it’s the guy who was on his phone and clogged the line ahead of you. Good luck with that.
the airline went out of their way to help after the fact, and it looks like you eventually made it home. So, get on with what’s good with your life.
sometimes life isn’t fair.