cblaisd

Well, the airlines (or at least UA) tend to train us to not really believe the announcements:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ighlight=final

skylady

Out of curiosity, who are "this and that"?

Thongy

Missed 1 flight BKK-SIN, via Tiger Airways. Will not book me on another flight. So with budget airlines be on time and don't miss the flight. Had to buy another ticket back to SIN.

yad

I've missed dozens of flights, and never paid a dime for just getting on the next one to my destination (including many examples in the years before I was elite, though this was also before 9/11).

Last time it happened was when I was sitting at my connecting gate and just fell asleep and missed the connection. In my defense I hadn't slept for about 72 hours at that point. No problem just getting on the next one, though.

onlyairfare

I've missed my share of flights; two of the more memorable:

Family vacation in the Colorado mountains, and we left in plenty of time to get to DEN 2 hours before departure. Except that there was a car fire on I-70 eastbound and traffic was at a halt for miles. We were among the many that UA accommodated with later flights.

Another time, I was on a business trip in Carson City, NV, and the negotiations went long, causing me to miss my UA flight to SFO for my redeye back east (something important the next day, as I usually avoid the redeye). So I took the next plane to the Bay area, which was to OAK. Friday night, last minute - no car service and no taxi would take me to SFO. I rented a car, drove across the bay to SFO, turned in the car and made the flight home, upgrade intact.

SirJman

I've missed a CX HKG-ICN. They rebooked me for the flight leaving 3 hours later, so I had a nice time sitting in the CI lounge.

My girlfriend and I missed a DTW-EWR flight because we were was stuck at the Windsor-Detroit border. This was just days after Koreans could enter the US on visa waiver, but she still had a valid US visa, the border guard wanted us to go into secondary to get the visa waiver, but because her current visa was still valid, he wasn't sure if he had to pull us in or not, we missed check in by 3 minutes...

stupidhead

My perspective on this is: I'm the ....ing paying customer. I'm NEVER in the wrong as long as there's a hole in my butt and I'm a customer.

Exiled in Express

The one encounter I had was the first business trip I took, I place full blame on my employer for not letting me book the flights and giving me a 38 minute Monday morning connection in ORD. It gives me an interesting story so I hold no grudges.

I was on a CRJ flight in and the had to circle for about 20 minutes. I managed to get to the gate just in time to see the door closing so I yelled "is this still Milwaukee?" Got an odd look from the GA as the plane, and my intended destination were Minneapolis. GA's response was that this gate was never Milwakuee but Minneapolis. My earliy morning response "Whatever, the cold place I need to go" GA then confirmed it was my flight but I had lost my seat, it was ORD-MSP so I was airborne 90 minutes later.

amanwalksintoabar...

I've only really missed one flight due purely to my own errors - but it was quite the comedy of errors. I was transiting DXB awaiting my connection to LHR. This was quite soon after the clocks (in the UK) had gone back, for which I'd adjusted my watch. However, having only flown out the previous day, I hadn't bothered setting anything to the local time, instead merely reading the time off my watch and adding the right number of hours. Of course, in my exhausted state, I neglected to consider that DXB doesn't have daylight savings time, so I should now have been adding one extra hour.

The woman doing the PAs was pretty incomprehensible that day, so I must have missed the boarding announcement. I did look at the departure screens in the lounge, which normally flick between English and Arabic, but that day they were for some reason stuck on Arabic. My Arabic comprehension being limited to the numerals for 0 and 1, I waited for the status for what I was pretty sure was EK003 to LHR to flash red, which would indicate final call and time to leave the lounge. Unfortunately, I was actually looking at EK009 to LGW, to depart 45 minutes later.

When that began to flash red (albeit somewhat earlier than expected!), I inquired at the front what gate to go to, only to be met with blank stares, and then informed that my plane had left. Fortunately - yes, a happy end - I was saved by the scale of EK's operations to London (and the fact that they can - when they want - take care of their gold card holders), and was (with mild admonishment) put on EK005, arriving LHR (complete with baggage) merely 90 minutes late.

N830MH

I remember where I missed the flight for mostly the time. I remember where we are supposed to be on 767-400ER for ATL-FLL but, we were struck in ORD due to ATC delayed for hours. So I remember where we flying to FLL but, we are missed 2 flights out of ATL-FLL. Because our aircraft has been delayed due to mechanical problems in PHX. The flight is supposedly to be leave around 11am but, we left from PHX around noon.

Also, I remember that I flew alone to FLL visit my friends' who is retired from BCAD but, he work for public information officer. I remember that I was missed the flight out of ATL-FLL. DL is put me on next flight for ATL-FLL around 10:40pm and will be arrived in FLL around 12:15am. This is reason why my entire aircraft is delayed due to cargo hold doesn't movable out of the holds. We are wait for 30 minutes to leave from PHX around 3:30pm. That's why I was such hurried to catch next flight out of ATL-FLL. That's why DL is rebooked for my next flight out ATL-FLL. This is reason why the flight is delays for mostly the time.

SirJman

I was leaving CUN after the hurricane a few years back. I had not slept at all the night before, and a terrible night before that on my friends aunts floor...(our flat was evacuated).

I was flying CUN-MEM and I had a little bit of a sleep deprived brain moment as I completely forgot that my plane was to DEPART at the time listed on the ticket...not board.

milski

I was connecting in CPH to CPH-SEA. There are passport control booths at the beginning of the international concourse there and since the line was rather long and I had almost two hours until departure I decided to hang around for a while at some cafe hoping that the line will dissipate. And indeed, an hour later (or about an hour before departure) there were only a couple of people there - I went through and to my surprise not only was the boarding area almost empty but they were already being boarded. So I went in the already full aircraft, found my seat and about 1/2 minute later they announced that the doors are closed. Turns out that SAS was printing on the boarding pass both the departure and arrival time, so for CPH-SEA it was something like departing 3:40 pm, arriving 4:20 pm and I had been planning based on the arrival time.

grizu

Yesterday I missed my KUL-REP flight. I just showed up one hour late at the airport. I still do not why I did this. Costed my a lot of money to book a KUL-PNH-REP ticket but I eventually arrived at REP.

Helvknight

I've missed a few

I was travelling from my then home in Catford, South East London to LHR for a flight to Stockholm for a course. The taxi driver decided to take the M25, also known as the London Orbital Car Park.

Needless to say, something happened on the road and we found ourselves in a 10 mile tailback. Get to LHR and the BA check in agent says 'sorry sir, the flights closed. It's just pushing back now'

She rebooked me onto SK via CPH.

My most recent one was a flight from BHM to ZRH via ORD. I get to the gate in good time (too good, having enhanced the coffers of the State of Mississippi on the way) and the plane is there. But so is The Van. The one with the gas bottles on the back. The one containing a mechanic. The one that screams "this plane is tech" Turns out there is a problem with the flaps. Having seen a few weeks before at MAD what happens when a plane tries to take off without flaps I resigned myself to sitting there. After all I had about 1H40 at ORD.

The delay goes on and on with no info (the flight was operated by Mesa) and we eventually get on board. Off we go, by this time I am looking at my watch and getting concerned. Eventually the lights of Chicago hove into view abd we start the descent. Then head out in a huge loop over the lake. Holding pattern. Finally touch down taxi to near the stand and wait. Our stand is occupied. Finally get to the stand. C1. My connection is from M14 in the International terminal. There are gates further away from M14 than C1 but they are at MDW. Get to the gate to see the Jetway coming off.

LX staff were pretty good, they tried to get me onto SK, nothing doing, then they got me onto BA via LHR.

I think the funniest one was where I connected when really I shouldn't have. I had an early flight from MEX to VHS (Villahermosa) and stayed at the hotel in the airport (the older one not the Hilton) I get accross to the terminal in very good time and a scene of pandemonium greets me. The computer system has gone down. I join the queue and wait. And wait. Everything is being done manually. After about two hours I get to the desk (after fending off a challenge from a woman who tried to push in ahead of me) and get everything processed. All by hand. My bag disappears behind and I'm pretty sure I'll never see it again. The check in agent hands me my pass and utters one word. "Run."

I ran, got through security, and got to the gate. Nobody around. I'm about to trudge disconsolately back to rebook when the agent comes out the jetway, sees me and says "pase". I thunder down the jetway and am confronted with a closed A320 door. I actually had to knock on the door, the FA opened it and let me on board. Five minutes later we are on our way.

We get to VHS and, miracle of miracles what do I see? My bag. That was probably the biggest surprise of the lot, nice one Aeromexico.

AdrianS

The only time I missed a flight (I would rather sit in the lounge for an hour than have to run to the gate!), I was connecting (return) Athens to Johannesburg via LHR on a Virgin ticket. Except VS did not advise me that the leg on BA would land at LGW, not LHR (the outward leg had been from LHR to ATH). Of course, the connecting limo could not beat the M25 traffic jam, so I made the desk 3 mins after the flight had closed. I had been in constant phone contact with them throughout the journey...

VS shrugged their collective shoulders and re-booked me on the following night's flight but refused to allow me another limo service to take me to my overnight accommodation "as the connection from LGW was my allocation for the trip".