Why did you miss your flight?

[unknownn]

Sitting at the British Embassy having missed my flight (due to no fault of my own ) .. wondering if anyone else has had any awful 'missing their flight experiences' to make me feel any better Also how long did it take you to get your emergency documents? Would like to know how long i could possibly have to be waiting to get another flight home. And also whether you had to pay for your new flight home if you missed your scheduled one due to losing your passport? Please be honest too hehe, thanks.

Airports now seem to be moving towards no announcements

This was what the gate staff said when I asked them about it. Except there were no signs at this airport and it is one which I have been using many times a year for a decade... Now I know, I have adapted accordingly.

No it hasnt got a fake picture or anyting. It had completely empty pages, just the outside looked identical to a normal british passport, obvs when i got it out to open it i were like wtf

No chance of missing a flight here as I always insist we leave a gazillion hours too early, much to the bemusement (and weary resignation) of my teenage children

What? You think there was someone with a replica of your passport, photo and all, hanging around in security waiting to swap it?

What a load of rubbish. And now you're at the embassy? Hmmm

Ok, cross post. Empty pages? Where is your brother?

I missed a flight from Geneva back to London because of heavy snow. The train to Geneva from where I was staying was cancelled. I got to the airport in time for the flight but not the bag drop (missed it by literally 5 minutes), so had to rebook with wonderful EasyJet.

I was incredibly cold, tired and stressed out and had spent all day desperately trying to get there, including an expensive taxi from the station and ages on the phone to BA trying to troubleshoot.

The man on the British Airways desk was a total c*nt and actually laughed at me when I couldn't hold the tears back. In fact BA were absolutely no help at all. It's one of the many reasons I don't fly with them any more. Easyjet are much better.

Nearly missed my London to Manchester flight once. I was 18. I was sat smoking at the departure lounge (long time ago!) and just in my own little smokey world didn't hear the dozens of calls for my flight. 5 more seconds and I'd have been walkin home haha

I was meeting a friend in Brussels where she had organised a tour of the European parliament, talks from MEPs etc. They were students and catching an overnight coach, I was flying from Stansted. Mother gave me a lift to the airport on her way to work but traffic on the M11 was terrible and I arrived just as my gate closed. Pre mobile days so I couldn't let them know, but I managed to get another flight for just £40 and had only paid £7 for my original - this was before Ryanair started charging for everything. Managed to log on to my email at a pay-per-minute terminal and find the contact for the MEP we were due to meet in an attempt to get a message to my friends. Eventually got myself to the second meeting of the trip, about four hours late! Drank an awful lot of kreik that night to relax...

I got stuck in an accident tailback so close to the airport I could see the junction. Arrived just as the plane took off. EasyJet was really good and offered to put me on the next flight, but it would have arrived too late for me to make my meeting.

Many years ago DH and his colleagues regularly had to be called by name to get them out of the bar (badge of honour).

I was an idiot and misread the time so thought I was leaving at 5pm when actually my flight left at 7am. I got a few extra days on the beach though so it ended well.

My husband booked our honeymoon flights, all good on the way out and we had a great time. On our last day we were having a lovely, leisurely breakfast in bed before getting up to pack when we got a text from the airline telling us the gate was about to close! Turns out DH had booked return flights for 9AM, not 9PM without realising the crucial difference.
We were two hours from the airport. Needless to say we missed our flight and ended up having to pay for a flight from a different city a three hour train ride away. It was an interesting end to the honeymoon.
I am now in charge of all travel arrangements.

Travelling around the world with a scatter brained friend and we were separating - she was heading to another country for a few months and I was heading home. Got to the airport...her flight had been booked for 2 days earlier

Was last on a plane once (they held it for us) due to bad traffic after an accident- fatal motor bike collision - so even missing the plane would have been a first world problem. Rip.

Holiday away with group of friends...one friend got turned back at the airport as her passport expired in 3 months and the country insisted on 6 months left on the passport. She had to go home alone and miss the trip

I was in Los Angeles to catch a United Airlines flight and I went to check in at their domestic departures desk instead of international departures by mistake. By the time I got to the front of the queue and realised my mistake it was too late to get to international departures which was miles away. The airline were great, put me up in a hotel, taxis there and back and onto the same flight the next day.

Because my gate got changed between me seeing it up on the screen and completing the trek across Gatwick Airport. About 20 people missed it for the same reason.

I ran all the way from one end of the airport to the other. The gate was closed, but I could see the end of the queue of people getting on the plane. It was still there! I begged to be allowed on, but the captain said no. Then they had to wait to get my bag out of the hold anyway. It was SO pointless.

It took hours for easyjet to admit their mistake. The wrong gate only showed for about 30 seconds, but I saw it and set off. I always double check now!

I once tried to check in at Heathrow for a flight that left from Gatwick. Idiot.

Back when you could fly with easyjet for pennies, I used to fly between home and uni as it was cheapest option. Seeing as I did this quite a lot I got a bit lax with allowing enough time etc. Rock up one day with about 20 mins until check in closes to find the airport absolutely heaving, about 3 easyjet desks open with about 5 flights worth of people all trying to check in. Finally get myself to the front for them to say it had closed (despite the people in front being allowed onto the flight). Was sent over to the customer services desk, where the poor guy got an earful from me about how badly managed it was and that it was a joke etc. They put me on the next flight with no charge!

When I was a very young adult I nearly missed a flight because I thought you weren't allowed to go through security until they'd called the gate number. I sat waiting for it to be announced and got a 'special call' and ended up being whisked through security by a very nice man who was totally bemused by my idiocy. I made it, but only just.

My SIL managed to convince an airline (I don't know which) to let her fly, minus passport, plus infant in arms, minus infant's passport, between country of infant's birth and country of SIL's birth. She missed the first flight and had to get a document from the embassy to get the second one, and was utterly indignant that they hadn't just let her onboard in the first place.

(SIL is a bright woman and a regular flier; she just takes leave of her senses on occasion.)

Missed my flight because some terrorists flew a bunch of planes into the World Trade Centre and Heathrow stopped checking bags through to destination and added impossible security so I got stuck in transit for many hours trying to get onwards. I think maybe we could forgive Heathrow for this one eh?

I had my bag stolen in September at a train station in Spain, it took 48 hrs to get emergency passports so we had to book accommodation and then we had to buy new flights. That was an expensive short break! the insurance company are being useless

In case it helps, OP, DH used to work in the consular section of an Embassy and stolen passports happen more than one might think. He's heard stories of switching with a dupe before too.

Stanstead security. Bag got pushed through because apparently the playing cards in the front pocket combined with the material made it look like a can of juice. Woman was horrendously slow. People in front were complaining at her taking so long bag had to go through again then they drug tested it. Was just an utter nightmare and we missed the flight because of it. Easyjet put us on the next flight but cost us about £100. Was raging. Complained to Stanstead and they basically said tough even though we were at the aiport 2 and a half hours before the domestic flight departed. Refused to accept they had understaffed security. Wankers. Never use stanstead now.

Oh I'm sorry @unknownn, that sounds awful!

I'd definitely hassle your brother for insurance confirmation, ask him if he's funding your new flight and possible accommodation if he can't find it and maybe he'll look better

As far as I know those costs will be yours to pay if he didn't insure you, which is a bit crap. Keep your eye on accommodation and flight websites so you know where the cheapest options are if they're needed.

I had never changed the time on my phone so was an hour behind. I flew across the departure hall when my name was called over the tannoy "Miss Buzz, final call, the plane is waiting to depart"

Styled it out and strolled on board all casual though

I had booked a lovely trip around Europe with my bf at the time... we broke up 6 weeks before the holiday. So hurt I forgot to cancel the flights and so technically we missed it. I often wonder if they called our names at the airport.

We missed one because it was at 00.20 hrs and we got to the airport 24 hours late. We also got to the airport a month early for a return flight as I’d booked tickets for 25 June instead of May.