To wonder how people miss their flights?

[FleetMacWood]

I had a domestic flight today, at check in they repeatedly called out 6 names for final call. About 3 showed.

I get missing the flight in general, but how do you miss it when you’ve checked in? Or not even being at the gate?

I also couldn’t be bothered with the hassle/stress of having to get luggage back from another city/country.

I missed a flight to the US due to my first leg from Newcastle to Heathrow being delayed for high winds. I presume our names must have been called for that.

Ended up getting the next flight which was direct rather than a stop in Chicago so actually got there half an hour faster than if i'd caught the original flight!

I was happy with the time for transferring. I (fairly reasonably) hadn’t anticipated spending three hours in the plane on the runway waiting to depart Heathrow on the first flight because of heavy rain

So we have missed two flights. One to Delhi because my husband and FIL were way too casual about how long it would take to check in at Heathrow. I kept trying to tell them we were cutting it fine (I had worked for two airlines at this point!) and they just thought I was being anxious and over cautious 🙄. Fortunately there was a second flight later that day to Bombay.

The second time was my fault. I misread the times and turned up as the flight was taking off! That was awful as there wasn't another flight for 3 days and we had to find a hotel in high season at the last minute. Expensive and not even nice! Thankfully it was over a weekend so just one extra day off at work.

And they hold everyone else up. They are just rude arseholes. Planes shouldn't wait for these people. It causes them to lose their slot and then the whole plane of people is kept waiting for another slot. People have schedules.

In my youth, I fell asleep reading a book in Schiphol Airport. I’d had a big weekend. It was an early morning flight home and I hadn’t been to bed. Thankfully only had hand luggage and BA popped me on the next flight at no extra cost. This was many, many years ago and I doubt they’d be so generous nowadays.

Ever since then I set an alarm on my phone as soon as I get to the airport, even if it’s the middle of the day!

Not in America

Our luggage went to Las Vegas whilst we were still at our connecting airport.
They didn’t give announcements and the screen in a lounge area we were in stopped working

I've never missed a flight, but to be honest it winds me up that they have those tiny fonts in airports, and show eleventy billion flights that aren't departing for five hours, instead of showing the next twenty flights in a large font.

I did once get the tannoy call when then baby DS had a poonami just as they called boarding, thought I had time to deal with it but the toilets were miles away. Fortunately DH explained and they waited.

Other half's name would have been called last week. It was a connecting flight in US. First flight late. Took over an hour to get through security collect luggage and check that back in. He was given boarding card for next flight but told unlikely to make it and when he got to the gate he was told he'd just missed it. His luggage went with the missed flight. It was middle of the night and no airline staff around so he had to book himself a hotel for the night. We've had the same in Dubai but had airline staff call for people making a tight connection when arriving late and help them make it.

I think it’s people who travel all the time so they’re not as edgy/neurotic as people like myself who arrive at the airport 4 hours early and then proceed to check the screen every 30 seconds and then again to make sure I’ve got the right gate, and then I check again at the gate 🤦‍♀️ etc etc etc.

We nearly missed our flight recently. Was supposed to have disabled assistance. Was seen at disabled check in desk and they sent us to the completely wrong gate nowhere near where we had to be. No assistance whatsoever. We then had to run full pelt through the airport to where we had to be with two distressed autistic children who had never flown before.

Oh and we very nearly missed a flight from Bulgaria. We had gone to visit our Bulgarian friends who lived in a high rise building and they were on the top floor. We all got in this tiny lift with our suitcases and we were just too heavy for the lift so it ended up passing the ground floor and sinking to the very bottom of the shaft. All four of us had to climb out through a gap and it took ages. Then we raced to and through the airport. Fortunately our friend worked at the airport and got us onto the plane at the last minute. That was stressful 😅

Sometimes sitting the the bar and not realising the time.

I've missed a flight once and nearly missed one twice.
The one I missed - I'd got to a US airport to catch an internal flight. There was an issue and ALL the check in staff gathered around for this one issue and wouldn't see to any customers. Took ages.
One I nearly missed because I just forgot how far the gates were after you'd gone through security and was just ambling around.
The second was a connecting flight and our first flight was delayed. We ran through the airport and the staff actually cheered and applauded when we arrived all breathless and stressed. They were so happy to see us that the pilot invited ds to sit in the cock pit for a bit

I am the one who never had to be called but do get to the airport usually eith just enough time to walk from entrance to the gate at the time the gate opens. I often fly just with hand luggage and for few years kept testing to get the perfect timing of no wait unless delays😂
Secret is to check how many flights and where are the flights around yours going. That will tell you how big queues might be. Then buy fast track

Yeah I never understood it either. The amount of times on that BBC Airport show from years back they’d just find the missing passenger milling about duty free or sat in a restaurant and would have to whiz them to the gate…

How these type of people make it to work, school etc on time is beyond me

That is like an actual nightmare

Thankfully I've never had to take a connecting flight. I've only been short-haul. Connecting flights would send me over the edge.

Interesting I think it's the people in the middle; I fly more often than most and while completely blasé about the whole process have never been tannoyed nor missed a flight. But then I don't usually bother with airport shops / restaurants / bars / distractions either because I've been there and done that 1000 times.

Then there's people like you who are super early and super alert and unlikely to miss anything.

Then there's the third kind who are neither completely used to the process, nor extra-alert because they're not used to the process. They're trying something on in Ted Baker or sneaking in another drink at Wetherspoons or tucking into dessert in Jamie's Italian, or like many holidaymakers (I've worked 20 years in travel) they just wilfully leave their brain at home.

In international airports I suspect there's some issues due to language barriers too, especially the likes of LHR, LGW and MAN where we only bother with signage in the one language.

Yes - otherwise it would be a way to blow up the plane!

I did this once - was distracted by an important phone call, arrived at the gate in plenty of time for flight to Dublin, but turned out it was the Aer Lingus flight and I was booked on Ryanair - by the time I realised it was too late to get to the correct gate in time.

I think it's easy to miss a flight. Especially if its not a UK airport too. I've nearly missed a flight I muddled the boarding gate closure times up we were not called at all. Friend and I were chatting away casually looking around the shops it's easily done especially when they announce things it can be hard to understand because of the noise and last minute boarding gate changes.

Did you read the post you are quoting where the poster says they have already checked in?

I've missed flights where changing planes - tannoyed because the luggage had made it to the connection but the passengers hadn't due to distances/delays airport side. Its bloody annoying to hear a tannoy telling you to hurry up when the airport is responsible for the time it takes to change flights.

I've also nearly missed flights a couple of times whilst sitting in the airport lounge waiting because incorrect info was on the board.

BTW I had no hold baggage so I didn't delay them for that.

An elderly man travelling in a group with my df lost his passport after going through security.
He missed his flight home and another member of the group had to stay with him.
His passport was in his hat!