YVRYEGYVR

Recent flight YVR-LHR (or LHR-YYZ I actually forget)
captain announces that everything is ready to go, however 7 pax are missing. If they do not show, their luggage must be removed from the plane.
10 minutes later, announcement that 5 pax are still missing. Now they need to remove their checked bags.

How does this happen? Is it strategic (I understand throw away ticketing if you only have carry-on)? Did pax change plans last minute and not inform the airline, just waiting for their luggage to eventually be taken off? Are they drunk in the lounge and just plan to take a later flight?

This happened a couple years back also on a LHR-YUL flight with AC where 4 pax missing. Where are they?

24left

Depending on the airport and time of day, some are shopping, some are in bars somewhere and some fell asleep at the gate or on the floor. I've seen all of these and had a few of these delays as the captain decided to offload the luggage.

Some people need to pass a skill test in order to fly. Sadly, none exists that I am aware of.

YVRYEGYVR

As simple as that eh?
Just found it hard to believe, and personally only seen this out of LHR on AC, but may be due to my flying bias.

yyznomad

This happens frequently (at least in my own experiences)... during my crazy days, it was about once a week.

Jazzed91

There could be a thousand different reasons why they didn't show up in time to board the flight despite having checked a bag. If you can imagine it, I can pretty much guarantee it's happened...

That being said, connecting passengers forgetting to change their watch/cellphone clock to the airport local time is extremely common.

vernonc

This. Plus fell asleep and duty free shopping seems to be the most common causes.
I know the wheelchair attendants at YYZ scan their passes at various points in the terminal to prove where they were and when they dropped off their wheelchair pax. Apparently some of these wheelchair passengers disappear shopping or elsewhere and when they miss their flight they blame the wheelchair staff for missing their flight !!!

YEG USER

I was almost one of those pax once. Had a long layover (I think YVR) and through checked my bags. Left airport to visit a friend and almost didn't make it back in time for my connection due to traffic, etc.

A friend of my was travelling alone with her kids once and was feeling ill during a connection. Spent her time in the bathroom as she was worried she'd start vomiting so couldn't go talk to anyone at AC that she was having issues, and kids were too young to venture out on their own to tell the GA. She made the plane after what I was told was the 3rd or 4th "final call."

It happens...

CZAMFlyer

Exactly. It's often due to a reasonable circumstance that can happen to even the most experienced and intelligent travellers.

yyznomad

In my legit FOTSG days, I nearly missed my flight at the old HKG... I had thought my flight was 2 hours later than reality... and I only realized my error when I was a duty free shop and looked at my BP... and bolted for the gate... was the last one on as they had paged me many times. I've also missed a flight as SE once... for similar reasons... but I had so many flights booked that I actually was thinking of the wrong day but same airport.

King Chung Huang

Many years ago, I was flying YYC-YVR-PVG the day before Chinese New Year. That morning, I saw on Twitter that the Royal Canadian Mint store in Vancouver was having a coin stamping event for Chinese New Year. So, I decided to hop on an earlier flight to Vancouver to get one of these coins on my way to Shanghai.

I arrived at the store around 8:30 AM to find an absolutely humongous line up for the 9:30 AM opening. Since I had nothing else to do, I stood in line. I had my Zuca with me, which convenient provided something to sit on. I figured as long as I left by 10:45 AM, there wouldn't be any problem making the flight.

10:45 AM rolls along. There's still about 4 people ahead of me. I thought, “Hey, I can still make it to the flight if I hurry at the airport.” I eventually left at 11:10 AM, with a freshly stamped coin in a tiny little red pouch.

Back at the airport, time's getting tight. The plane's at D50 (or maybe 51), so I decided to use the empty domestic security checkpoint to get through. Well, the person checking boarding passes didn't like that one bit. They said they'd have to call in and check if I can go through there. I offered to go to the proper security checkpoint. But, no, I had to stay there. After a gruelling 10 minute wait, I was finally allowed through.

I sprint to the gate. The plane's still there, and with 15 minutes to go until departure time! As I approached the gate, the agent asked, “Are you King Huang?" Breathlessly, I said, “yes!” The gate agent then informed me that they'd been paging me repeatedly, called the lounge, the whole 9 yards. Turns out nobody flies to Shanghai the day before CNY (which is basically already CNY in China), so they finished boarding ages ago, and had just closed the main cabin door.

So, I got to watch the bridge pull back, and the plane depart for Shanghai without me. I went back downtown and got a few more stamped coins.

tl;dr: In stereotypical Chinese fashion, I got distracted by a freebie during a connection. Missed my flight.

Adam Smith

Many good reasons above. Also possible for pax to have issues at security or immigration after checking in, and if those authorities don't inform the airline that they have waylaid the pax, the airline may not know where they are.

RatherBeInYOW

This happens every day in every airport. It is especially prevalent in larger airports, but even at YOW recently a neighbouring WS flight was doing last call before bag removal. You'd think in an area as small as YOW this would not be an issue ... but also recently I was at the customer service desk at YYZ domestic waiting for an agent who was dealing with a woman who was playing on her phone while sitting at the gate and claims she missed the boarding calls and the plane left without her.

Never underestimate what can happen to someone between check-in and the plane ;-)

canopus27

I fell asleep in the SFO lounge, waiting for a redeye to YYZ. Woke up just about departure time, but by the time I got to the gate the flight was closed and they were pulling my bag off the plane.

Bohemian1

The number I've times I've been in LHR at one of the duty free shops and seen airport/airline staff looking for pax ....

5mm

I have had this happen few times on different airlines.