My craziest missed flight experience: ORD to IAD, on a Sunday. I was visiting family a few years ago, and didn't realize how long it would take to get to the airport. (Those driving me, who did know, never spoke up. Ah, family...) I got to the checkout counter only to be told it was past the cutoff time, but I could try for standby.

Since going back to my folks was not an option - no one to drive me back to ORD the next day - I tried for standby but all the flights that day were seriously overbooked. As I trudged from gate to gate with no luck, I kept running into the same group of people, also trying to get home. After about 8 hours, 5 of us (who had never met before) pooled together, rented a car, and drove to D.C. Our bags flew, and we had to go to the airport to pick them up.

I miss flights all the time. Normally early morning ones after a long night out before.

Last time I was out in SIN for very late and then had some fun in the hotel. Left the hotel about an hour before scheduled departure time and checked in about 30 minutes before. No problem at all. I was flying in paid SQ F though. Had time even to check out emails before departure.

I probably miss one flight a year, and it sgenerally due to a traffic accident - either the car I am in or more often some accident which slows down or shuts down a road) and I NEVER EVER shoot to arrive at the airport more than 1:15 before any flight (I actually shoot for an hour). I average 120 flights a year, every year for going on two decades now, this is all about percentages........... If I showed up an hour earlier to each flight I would LOSE 120 hours a year. That is five days out of my life. Similarly I rarely check baggage, and I figure that this saves me at least a half hour on arrival, another TWO DAYS of my life. So between the two that is ONE WHOLE WEEK of my life saved. Therefore if by cutting it close I miss a plane less than 1% of the time, even if I am rebooked the next day (and more likely only a few hours later) I am way ahead of the game!

You and my husband! When we fly with our adult children, they beg me to tell Dad the flight is an hour before it actually is.

If you never have missed a flight before, then there's NO WAY you could have flown that much...

Roughly, 2654 segments in the 22 years. Probably missed around 30-40 flights easily )-:

Elite Status Is Not a Matter of Life & Death, It Is Much More Important Than That!

Back in the 80s, I was flying People Express DFW-EWR. I misjudged my drive time to the AP, plus transit time from remote parking to terminal, etc. Plus, I didn't know where in the terminal the People Express gate was (I was a young fledgling flyer then). Got off in the middle of the terminal, then had to sprint back to the lower numbers. The door at the gate was closed, but they let me on anyhow. My foot hurt so bad afterwards, I was limping for a week. I could hardly walk in NYC.

In the early 90s I was flying PIT-DTW-CDG on an award ticket. While having lunch at PIT, my watch stopped. I kept looking at my watch and reading the paper. Then I heard a "final call" announcement. I sprinted to the gate. Once again, they opened the door, AND knocked on the door of the plane, which had been closed already. Just as I entered, panting, the zipper on my backpack gave out and half the contents of my bag spilled out into the aisle. What a disaster. I got there, though.

I don't think I've ever actually missed a flight all on my own, however. (Knock on wood.)

I have another story of missed flights but it doesn't involve me. I was sitting at the gate on my first ever MR. Was handed my upgrade for the trip home in advance so was happy. I was there early enough to see a previous flight boarding to leave. The GAs were calling a party of three numerous times. After about the 7th time they decided to close the door. I was thinking to myself that either the missing party was in the airport bar or they were inexperienced enough that they didn't know to show up enough in advance.

Sure enought the family of three (parents + baby) showed up at the gate. The GA said "we called you 7 times, you were not here, the flight is closed. You will need to be booked on the next flight".

Now the dad gets angry. He says "We were in the President's Club. I travel ALL THE TIME and never heard a gate announcement. How dare you shut the door on us!!" Now, I (as poster) can't say I've ever been in the SEA PC, but I can say in every other PC I've been to, they never announce domestic departures. But even if they did (which may be the case in SEA?), as a seasoned traveler, I never rely on announcements, I rely on the time the flight was supposed to leave and base my decisions on that (i.e. I get to the gate before boarding time). I still at that family today. Especially daddy-o. They did manage to make it on the next departing flight.

Once missed a flight HKG-FRA on LH. Ended up flying to MUC on QR connecting in DOH.

First missed flight ever was at MDT with a planned AC direct non-stop flight on a BEH back to YYZ. This was sometime in the summer of 2002. No big deal as I got on the next flight.

I haven't missed a flight...yet! Well, OK, just one, but not entirely my fault.

I was doing a SC run on QF in New Zealand, shuttling between AKL and WLG all day (started in WLG and onto AKL, then AKL-WLG-AKL, then again, and again.) Got to AKL in the morning fine, but when there was an announcement that one QF plane had been stranded in ZQN I should have smelt all the trouble right away. FYI for those that don't often travel in NZ, weather does awful things to the domestic schedule (especially QF whose 733s aren't equipped as well as their rival NZ A320s or 737s), and schedule delays can be unpredictable. Well, that was my undoing. I unwisely did nothing and went AKL-WLG-AKL, with my first AKL-WLG delayed. When I arrived back to AKL, even though I was in row 1 and I sprinted up the aerobridge into the terminal, my next AKL-WLG had already pushed back and taxiing for take-off.

I didn't get much love - I had to forgo one AKL-WLG-AKL that day and my missed AKL-WLG was rebooked without charge. When I talked about my AKL-WLG-AKL that I had to forgo, I was told that I'd have to pay fare difference but they'd waive the change fee. I ended up cancelling it (and losing a decent sum in the process). But lesson learnt.

Near misses? I've had a few....

I had one during OzFest #5 in HBA. I was supposed to be going in a group taxi with 3 other people on the first HBA-MEL service of the morning, which leaves 0605h; HBA city to airport is about 20 minutes. So we all agree to meet at 0440h to catch the taxi (I was in a separate hotel to the others). Woke up at 0230h first and dozed off. But when I woke up, it was...you guessed it...0440h! I called the taxi company and this is the first time I realised that there aren't many taxis in HBA at this time of the morning. They first said that it was either I go now or never, but I ran around my room throwing all my things into my bag, then I called back at 0452h and they said they have a taxi available - thank goodness! Got to the airport, made the bag drop cutoff and sheepishly met my other taxi buddies.

Another one more recently was that I was driving to the airport with my dad; normally it would take about 22 minutes to drive from where we were to the airport. But it was afternoon rush and p*****g down rain. It was 1620h and I needed to be at the check-in desk by 1705h. Long story short, we found a lucky detour and I got to the check-in desk right on 1705h to drop my bag before being told that the "technical" cut-off for bag drop is 30 minutes before departure, not 45. To add to the irony, my flight ended up being delayed for 1 hour.

Great stories! I work in TV and miss flights regularly, either due to my own stupidity or my customer needing more time. Here's my best one.

I was at our office in Mason OH (NE Cincy) and had a flight out of CMH. The guy I was working with leaves like CLOCKWORK every day at 4:30. He lives in Indiana so he has quite the drive. So I get the gear I was working on shipped and breath a sigh of relief and start packing up. Wayne comes out of his office "Wow I'm leaving late today." "uh, what time is it?" "5:15." @#$%!!!!

I race for the airport in the Infiniti rental I had... Was going to make it until the highway patrol merges on 5 miles out.

AC flight operated by UA ground staff, no OLCI, flight closed 3 minutes ago. "Sorry sir the information has already been sent to AC's computers" blah blah blah.

I scramble for ANY other flight. Not happening. Did I mention I had a YYZ-LHR the following afternoon? Down to the rental desk, shout "Anyone have a one-way to Toronto?" All laughed but Hertz. Trailblazer with GPS. Drove 8hrs all night to get home. Started laundry and crashed out. Woke up with plenty of time to return rental to YYZ, collect my car, drive it home, and grab a cab back to the airport.

3 minutes from home in my (brand new) car. Moron 2 cars up does a brake stand and a right turn on a ramp. I stop. Mr Infiniti SUV chatting to passenger behind me did not. CRUNCH.

@#$%. @#$%! @#$%! @#$%!

Cops take forever to show up. Glance at time. Missed flight #2. Reward flight to boot.

I show up at the ticket counter and tell my story. Was supposed to connect through YHZ. Agent types and gives me BP, "Here's a J on the direct sir. No charge. We will alert the station at LHR to hand-carry you to arrivals lounge if necessary. Have a nice flight."

An agent met me on the jetway at LHR as promised. Misery was erased hours later with copious amounts of British ale in the pubs.

-Adam

I once thought I'd missed a connecting flight. I was flying US Air PHX-CLT-HPN. The last leg was scheduled to depart at 9:15 but the first leg was delayed and didn't land until 9:00. I ran like a madman through the airport and reached the gate at 9:10 and the guy was shutting the door. I said "Wait for me!" So he looks up and says "Don't worry, I'm just closing is because it's cold" and lets me on. Turns out a bunch of other connecting flights were late too and they didn't pull back until 9:45 because they were waiting for so many connectors.

Was to fly SEA-SFO-ORD. Missed my flight, so I was very nice with the GA and she put me on the SEA-ORD flight leaving 15min later. In E+ with a empty row. We were given priority as we had kidneys on bored for a transplant (Call sign United 1210 Lifeguard) so I got into ORD several hours early. Took the rest of the afternoon off and had a great night out in ORD.

I've only missed one flight and it was completly embarassing and all my fault. My younger brother was staying with me in Phoenix and we had decided to fly to SNA early to catch an Angels came. Our flight was to leave at 7:30 AM and I dutifully set my alarm for 6 AM. Sadly, because of being tired from a long week at work I didn't wake up until 7:35 AM. I even said "well we're on USAirways maybe the flight got delayed!" Of course, it left early so we had to head to the airport and get put on standby for the next flight. Luckily, we only missed the Top of the 1st inning.

My most recent missed flight was yesterday. I tend to do the same route and the same flights. Yesterday was a Friday before a bank holiday and I guess I must have booked an earlier flight than usual. However, I turned up at the gate for the normal flight and when my boarding pass was scanned, the machine made a horrid noise and a red light showed. The gate attendant looked at my BP and told me that it was for the previous flight, which had already left. She sounded slightly horrified. I suggested I might be changed onto the flight that was boarding. Still sounding horrified, the gate attendant said that I should have got a new boarding pass and it seemed to trouble her that I didn't appear to care very much. The net result, after a couple of minutes of typing, was that my BP was changed by biro and I was on the flight that I had expected to get all along.