The dumbest travel-related mistake you ever made?
#1486
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,088
1. Got to the airport. No record of my flight. I pulled up the confirmation number. Turned out it was for that date... the NEXT month! That was an expensive last minute walkup fare to get home.
2. I had back to back trips where I'd fly into Memphis but have ground transportation to Nashville, then fly home from BNA. For two consecutive trips, I booked round trip to/from Memphis. I found this out the afternoon before I was to fly home from Nashville. I called UA and explained what happened. The agent was very nice. Changed the flight to one out of Nashville. The fare difference was insignificant. She even waived the change fee of $150 ( in those days.) I thanked her heartily, then said..."and by the way... I did the exact same thing for my trip NEXT week." Silence.... then she said "I'll rebook you but I can't waive the change fee again." Fair enough.
3. Departing Cancun several years ago. I was browsing the Duty Free shop for quite a while. Finally meandered to my gate. No one there! It was then that I discovered that my watch had stopped. On this flight, they were busing pax to a remote stand. An agent radioed the shuttle bus and he came to get me. I stepped on the plane and they hit my butt with the door. That was really cutting it close.
2. I had back to back trips where I'd fly into Memphis but have ground transportation to Nashville, then fly home from BNA. For two consecutive trips, I booked round trip to/from Memphis. I found this out the afternoon before I was to fly home from Nashville. I called UA and explained what happened. The agent was very nice. Changed the flight to one out of Nashville. The fare difference was insignificant. She even waived the change fee of $150 ( in those days.) I thanked her heartily, then said..."and by the way... I did the exact same thing for my trip NEXT week." Silence.... then she said "I'll rebook you but I can't waive the change fee again." Fair enough.
3. Departing Cancun several years ago. I was browsing the Duty Free shop for quite a while. Finally meandered to my gate. No one there! It was then that I discovered that my watch had stopped. On this flight, they were busing pax to a remote stand. An agent radioed the shuttle bus and he came to get me. I stepped on the plane and they hit my butt with the door. That was really cutting it close.
#1487
Join Date: Jul 2023
Posts: 85
- For my first ever US bound flight from Canada, I was not aware I had to go through US border control in Canada and did not account for this into airport arrival time. Ended up missing the flight but thankfully, I was put on a flight to an alternative airport an hour later without extra charge. A friend who was picking me up from EWR drove all the way to LGA.
- Purchased entrance tickets online to Galleria dell'Accademia for 2 weeks later thinking it was for the same-day. Only found it out when picking them up at a ticket office. Tickets for the day were sold out and the clerk said nothing could be done. As I was walking away from the office with a disappointed face, the supervisor took a pity on me, called me back and gave me the tickets.
#1488
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: PDX, OGG or between the two
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 2,868
This is a story a past co-worker told me when we were traveling to conference: He was sitting right in the middle of the seats at the gate waiting for his plane and fell asleep... woke up, gate empty, plane gone!! I can't believe not one person or the GA would nudge him!! On the one hand, I'm envious of those that can sleep anywhere when traveling, but, I suppose the other side of the coin has its perks, too.
#1489
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
This is a story a past co-worker told me when we were traveling to conference: He was sitting right in the middle of the seats at the gate waiting for his plane and fell asleep... woke up, gate empty, plane gone!! I can't believe not one person or the GA would nudge him!! On the one hand, I'm envious of those that can sleep anywhere when traveling, but, I suppose the other side of the coin has its perks, too.
#1491
Join Date: Jul 2023
Posts: 85
There was only one time when I fell asleep at the gate in decades of flight travel. It was the day of the great northeast blackout in 2003. Upon arriving in YVR after a long TPAC flight, I had missed my connecting flight along with many other travellers. I was moved to a flight many hours later (as earlier flights were all full). After hours of anxiety filled time queueing in lines at an unusually overcrowded airport on top of jetlag, I could not help myself but to doze off at the gate.
Miraculously, my eyelids opened themselves without anybody waking me up when boarding was already in progress for my flight. I did not miss that flight, luckily.
Miraculously, my eyelids opened themselves without anybody waking me up when boarding was already in progress for my flight. I did not miss that flight, luckily.
#1492
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: ARN
Programs: AC, SK, Marriott
Posts: 1,150
Fell asleep in the airport in MGA waiting for security to open, woke up just in time to sprint to the gate and make it aboard. Also fell asleep in a YVR lounge and missed by connection to YYJ, thankfully I was able to board the next flight.
#1493
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,314
So we pick up a rental in Sweden recently. .......s gave us a car with some scratches on the back.
We take photos, we send them in, they reply back its acknowledged.
Couple days later, run finger over said scratches, turns out it was just dirt that rubbed off....
We take photos, we send them in, they reply back its acknowledged.
Couple days later, run finger over said scratches, turns out it was just dirt that rubbed off....
#1494
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Jupiter, FL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Silver
Posts: 29,857
Back in the day, my flight was delayed, so I wandered over to the bar. Cute bartender commiserated and gave me a free second drink. Yep, plane left while I was at the bar. Thankfully, back then, it was the age of green marker on tickets, so they put me on the next flight. May have boarded a bit tipsy, as I went back to the bar waiting for the second flight.
#1495
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Francisco
Programs: GM on VX, UA, AA, HA, AS, SY; Budget Fastbreak
Posts: 27,628
Back in the day, my flight was delayed, so I wandered over to the bar. Cute bartender commiserated and gave me a free second drink. Yep, plane left while I was at the bar. Thankfully, back then, it was the age of green marker on tickets, so they put me on the next flight. May have boarded a bit tipsy, as I went back to the bar waiting for the second flight.