How often do you miss flights?
Dec 15, 2009, 12:15 pm
#46
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: CLE, PIT, HNL
Programs: CO Platinum, DL Diamond, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Platinum, IHG Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 218
I missed twice this year. Both out of DTW on NW. Both times I kept my upgrade.
One time I was flying into BWI, I managed to walk 5 gates over and get on a DCA flight. Not only did I fly into a more convenient airport, I also kept my upgrade. Love NW gate agents at DTW!
One time I was flying into BWI, I managed to walk 5 gates over and get on a DCA flight. Not only did I fly into a more convenient airport, I also kept my upgrade. Love NW gate agents at DTW!
Dec 17, 2009, 1:07 am
#47
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: AUH - UAE
Programs: Etihad Guest, AAdvantage, Virgin Atlantic
Posts: 109
I have missed one flight in my life so far, and it was due to my own stupidity.
I was flying NCL-LHR-AUH. I got the NCL-LHR no issues, and then decided to exit at LHR T1 so i could smoke oops! ... for some reason I thought I could re-check in T1 and travel through to T4 airside (I was post op, not that that is an excuse) however my carry on that I had been allowed from NCL was then not allowed through security, so I had to go check it in, went to do so, thats when I realised I was unable to check in at T1 and had to rush to T4!!
Yep you guessed it, by the time I reached T4 the flight had almost closed, I was able to fast bag drop, and was then told i needed to revalidate my ticket, and on top of that, LHR had had a bomb threat the previous day, and all flights from 2pm the day before had been cancelled.
There were around 3000 people trying to get on flights ... So many in fact, they had opened a marquee outside T4 to cope!! So of course I cried like a girl, eventally pulled myself together, and a nice lady from BA told me the BAH flight was empty and I could go on that if I wanted and arrange my onward myself !
Yaaaay I thought ...
However I had managed to check my bags in at T4 for the AUH flight (but they required tkt revalidation before they would let me through security, no time unfortunately) and they would not let me get them back obviously.
So I travelled from LHR-BAH and arranged a connection from BAH-AUH with KLM.
My bags arrived 10 days later!!
All for a cigarette.
Needless to say I have never missed a flight since, as I don't ever want to go through that again!!
I was flying NCL-LHR-AUH. I got the NCL-LHR no issues, and then decided to exit at LHR T1 so i could smoke oops! ... for some reason I thought I could re-check in T1 and travel through to T4 airside (I was post op, not that that is an excuse) however my carry on that I had been allowed from NCL was then not allowed through security, so I had to go check it in, went to do so, thats when I realised I was unable to check in at T1 and had to rush to T4!!
Yep you guessed it, by the time I reached T4 the flight had almost closed, I was able to fast bag drop, and was then told i needed to revalidate my ticket, and on top of that, LHR had had a bomb threat the previous day, and all flights from 2pm the day before had been cancelled.
There were around 3000 people trying to get on flights ... So many in fact, they had opened a marquee outside T4 to cope!! So of course I cried like a girl, eventally pulled myself together, and a nice lady from BA told me the BAH flight was empty and I could go on that if I wanted and arrange my onward myself !
Yaaaay I thought ...
However I had managed to check my bags in at T4 for the AUH flight (but they required tkt revalidation before they would let me through security, no time unfortunately) and they would not let me get them back obviously.
So I travelled from LHR-BAH and arranged a connection from BAH-AUH with KLM.
My bags arrived 10 days later!!
All for a cigarette.
Needless to say I have never missed a flight since, as I don't ever want to go through that again!!
Dec 17, 2009, 10:25 am
#48
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NYC/SFO
Programs: UA 1K*MM, AA PP
Posts: 1,097
I just realized through that I "lied" before - I did miss a flight entirely by not leaving early enough for the airport and I missed it by over four hours!
It was February in Tahoe and we had a 1pm flight out of RNO and we left Squaw around 10am (two days earlier it took us 35 mins to drive in the other direction!)
Well, with a "surprise" snowfall overnight, first it took almost 45 minutes to get the car out of the parking lot, all to then sit for the next few hours in a backlog of cars trying to go a few miles to 80...
We got to the airport close to 5pm! Luckily we got on the later flight which was delayed and had seats (as I imagine some of those pax were sitting in the same snow!)
Dec 17, 2009, 11:08 am
#50
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Alabamastan
Programs: DL-PM
Posts: 114
Once. I was leaving for the airport and I did my last minute check and noticed I didn't have my credit card in my wallet. At the time I only had the one credit card I traveled on, not even a backup or a photocopy. I looked everywhere. Searched the house for an hour before I gave up. I wasn't going to fly without my credit card. I found it about a month later in one of the pockets of my golf bag.
Dec 17, 2009, 11:32 am
#51
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: Lifetime (for now) Gold MM, HH Gold, Giving Tootsie Pops to UA employees, & a retired hockey goalie
Posts: 28,889
never missed a flight in over 30 years of flying. came close (n.b. close ) once due to oversleeping but still made the flight
) once due to oversleeping but still made the flight
Dec 17, 2009, 11:38 am
#52
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA PLT PRO, AGR, Strawberry (Nordic Choice), Marriott Bonvoy
Posts: 4,272
I once missed an AA codeshare BA flight BRU-LHR that I'd bought as part of a BRU-LHR-JFK itinerary. Just a bit late for the checkin cut off: they wouldn't check me in, and there was no space on later flights, even if I paid the change fee (which I had to do).
This was an expensive mistake: $250 + r/t Eurostar ticket + a hotel night in Brussels: since I had actually travelled from London by Eurostar to BRU to fly from there (needed an M fare for 1 QP/mile), I had to go back to London, and then back to BRU several days later, and had to pay for a hotel since the Belgian call centre mistakenly booked me on the direct BRU-JFK instead of the connection, which left too early for the first Eurostar from London to make it in time.
This was an expensive mistake: $250 + r/t Eurostar ticket + a hotel night in Brussels: since I had actually travelled from London by Eurostar to BRU to fly from there (needed an M fare for 1 QP/mile), I had to go back to London, and then back to BRU several days later, and had to pay for a hotel since the Belgian call centre mistakenly booked me on the direct BRU-JFK instead of the connection, which left too early for the first Eurostar from London to make it in time.
Dec 17, 2009, 3:28 pm
#53
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: 1K, Southwest, American Airlines, Alaskan Airlines
Posts: 2
Incredibly have never missed one where it was my fault, but here is one of my best efforts to miss a flight !
Had a 7.50am out of London to Beijing and got to the airport at 7.30am...and the flight wasn't delayed ! Thanks to being UA Global Services 1K they had 2 people waiting at check in, one to take my luggage directly to the plane and one to take me. I was sat in Biz class with glass of champagne at 7.42, 12 minutes after entering the airport. Phew.
Had a 7.50am out of London to Beijing and got to the airport at 7.30am...and the flight wasn't delayed ! Thanks to being UA Global Services 1K they had 2 people waiting at check in, one to take my luggage directly to the plane and one to take me. I was sat in Biz class with glass of champagne at 7.42, 12 minutes after entering the airport. Phew.
Dec 17, 2009, 3:37 pm
#54
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: PA
Programs: AA WN DL Hilton Marriott
Posts: 31
Almost once. Missed, never
In 40 years of flying I've never missed a flight other than missing a connection due to a late arrival. The closest I ever cam was when I was flying home for Independence Day in the early 80's. I took a cab to DCA and about 1/2 mile from the airport traffic came to a complete stand still. I paid the driver, got out, grabbed my seabag, hoisted it up on my shoulder and humped across to the entrance. Made it through security and got to the gate just as they were announcing final call.
Dec 17, 2009, 3:53 pm
#56
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Never thought this would happen: NE Florida
Posts: 290
Chalk me up for about 1%. about 3 of the last 300.
The first was in DFW waiting for a connecting flight to LFT. I was already checked in and was wandering around the airport killing time...a little too much time. By the time I got back to the gate I saw the plane taxing down the alley.
It is hard to top the next two though as they were two segment of the same flight, JFK-LAX-HNL, and both my fault. I guessed the wrong day that I had booked the flight so I missed the JFK-LAX segment. Kindly, I was told I could fly standby, but I wouldn't be able to fly to HNL until the following morning at 8:30. No problem, I called up some of my buddies in LA and went out for the night...a big night. I woke up at 11 the following morning. I made my way to LAX and was told that they had to charge me a $100 change fee. Fair enough, I was just that irresponsible...twice...for the same flight.
The first was in DFW waiting for a connecting flight to LFT. I was already checked in and was wandering around the airport killing time...a little too much time. By the time I got back to the gate I saw the plane taxing down the alley.
It is hard to top the next two though as they were two segment of the same flight, JFK-LAX-HNL, and both my fault. I guessed the wrong day that I had booked the flight so I missed the JFK-LAX segment. Kindly, I was told I could fly standby, but I wouldn't be able to fly to HNL until the following morning at 8:30. No problem, I called up some of my buddies in LA and went out for the night...a big night. I woke up at 11 the following morning. I made my way to LAX and was told that they had to charge me a $100 change fee. Fair enough, I was just that irresponsible...twice...for the same flight.
Dec 17, 2009, 3:53 pm
#57
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K,SPG Plat,
Posts: 1,091
One time it was my fault.
Got to SFO with plenty of time to spare. Went to the Red Carpet Club for a coffee, then out to the food court for breakfast. I honestly read my watch wrong, thinking it was 7:30 instead of 8:30. Halfway through breakfast, I looked at my watch again, realized I was up a creek and ran to the gate.
I was SFO-ORD-CLE that day, so I got on the next flight to ORD, but from ORD-CLE, I ended up waiting for about 5 hours for an open seat, really not that bad, considering). Got to CLE at midnight, rather than the 3pm I was supposed to.
Got to SFO with plenty of time to spare. Went to the Red Carpet Club for a coffee, then out to the food court for breakfast. I honestly read my watch wrong, thinking it was 7:30 instead of 8:30. Halfway through breakfast, I looked at my watch again, realized I was up a creek and ran to the gate.
I was SFO-ORD-CLE that day, so I got on the next flight to ORD, but from ORD-CLE, I ended up waiting for about 5 hours for an open seat, really not that bad, considering). Got to CLE at midnight, rather than the 3pm I was supposed to.
Dec 17, 2009, 4:00 pm
#58
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: SEA
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 307
0% other than misconnects.
I came very close at MDW once - Monday morning, security line backed up to the parking garage. I sprinted from the checkpoint to the gate, where they were holding the door. They had made me start up my laptop at the checkpoint, and it didn't go back to sleep before I started running; the hard drive got trashed in the dash to the gate. I'm glad to have hard drives with accelerometers now.
I came very close at MDW once - Monday morning, security line backed up to the parking garage. I sprinted from the checkpoint to the gate, where they were holding the door. They had made me start up my laptop at the checkpoint, and it didn't go back to sleep before I started running; the hard drive got trashed in the dash to the gate. I'm glad to have hard drives with accelerometers now.
Dec 17, 2009, 4:03 pm
#59
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 255
As far as I can remember right now: zero. There were two flights I was not able to use due to changed circumstances, but that is not really missing.
I almost missed a flight from LAX, I think, once. I went to a pizza store in the terminal and asked which pizza would be ready to go. I then ordered this ready-to-go-pizza, which was then, of course, not ready to go. After waiting for 15 minutes I was finnaly ready to go and got on the plane as one of the last person.
I almost missed a flight from LAX, I think, once. I went to a pizza store in the terminal and asked which pizza would be ready to go. I then ordered this ready-to-go-pizza, which was then, of course, not ready to go. After waiting for 15 minutes I was finnaly ready to go and got on the plane as one of the last person.
Dec 17, 2009, 5:04 pm
#60
Join Date: Jul 2008
Programs: Aeroplan, Flying Blue, BA Executive Club, Emirates Skywards
Posts: 4
Dromomania
I write this in support of those who do sometimes miss flights in among the 0%s....we are all human.
I can hardly admit to this but many years ago flying DAC (Dhaka) to LHR on BA I checked my departure time in the afternoon and mistook 2000 to be 10 p.m. I arrived at the airport 2.5 hours ahead but the BA flight had already pulled back. I was put on Biman flight later that night to LHR. This Biman flight stopped in Rome for maintenance check (contract with KLM there) which took 7 hours on the ground and no one was allowed off the plane because of immigration hassles. Yuk......
Then 12 years later - will I ever learn - I was leaving Dhaka again on Emirates to Dubai, and yes, I made exactly the same mistake and arrived 15 minutes before scheduled take off. This time the flight was delayed 30 minutes so they escorted me to the plane. I have missed no other flights during years of travel in and around all sorts of odd corners of Asia and Africa. Now whenever I see 24 hours clock I count out the time past 1200 on my fingers!
I can hardly admit to this but many years ago flying DAC (Dhaka) to LHR on BA I checked my departure time in the afternoon and mistook 2000 to be 10 p.m. I arrived at the airport 2.5 hours ahead but the BA flight had already pulled back. I was put on Biman flight later that night to LHR. This Biman flight stopped in Rome for maintenance check (contract with KLM there) which took 7 hours on the ground and no one was allowed off the plane because of immigration hassles. Yuk......
Then 12 years later - will I ever learn - I was leaving Dhaka again on Emirates to Dubai, and yes, I made exactly the same mistake and arrived 15 minutes before scheduled take off. This time the flight was delayed 30 minutes so they escorted me to the plane. I have missed no other flights during years of travel in and around all sorts of odd corners of Asia and Africa. Now whenever I see 24 hours clock I count out the time past 1200 on my fingers!