As a professional traveller, I really ought not be surprised by what people do when they’re travelling. I’ve heard stories about missed flights that are really bizarre. I’ve seen some odd carry-on items. I get it, a lot of people don’t travel as often as I do. They’re just not adept at navigating the many TSA rules. And if someone doesn’t travel internationally often, there’s a whole set of other rules to follow when it comes to border control. It can be pretty easy to miss your flight, if you’re not careful. But I always assumed that some stuff is common sense. After witnessing the below, I’m not too sure anymore.
Without further ado, here’s how to miss your flight in one easy step.
how to miss your flight in one easy step
The other night, as I landed on an international flight from Europe, these two women came flying up the aisle to get off the plane first because they had a one-hour “connection with Delta” … I’m going to unpack that one first.
“We have to get off first, we have a one hour connection with Delta!”
Hang on a tick. DELTA? We were flying WOW Airlines. When you arrive from an international flight, you have to go through customs/immigration and get your bags. When you fly with another carrier, you need to arrive at LEAST one hour prior to departure to check in/drop bags. As these ladies were getting OFF our plane, Delta was close to CLOSING check in for their other flight. Also, this is not a connecting flight. It’s a totally different one.
There you go. That’s it. How to miss your flight in one easy step. Book a flight with a totally different airline only one hour after arriving on an international flight.
Ok, in all seriousness, this is why you use a professional. A travel advisor would NEVER book this.
all the problems with these two ladies who missed their flight
I actually beat them through customs (thanks Mobile Passport!) so I was in baggage claim to watch what happened next. It was sad – someone was obviously meeting them at the other end of the Delta flight – and they were stressed. I felt bad for them, since they probably ended up having to get a hotel in Baltimore and a new flight. It wouldn’t be cheap, and there’s no recourse when this happens. This was everything I overheard, and I’m sharing it here so you don’t make the same mistake!
“I can’t believe we have to get our bags.” – First of all, every single person coming off an international flight must get their bags. It’s been this way for … a long time. If you’re connecting, you need to recheck them with your onward flight. If you’re not connecting, well, you take your bags and exit. These ladies … not connecting – technically.
“This is taking too long.” – No, it’s taking the standard amount of time. 20 minutes is average for a major carrier, and a little longer for budget airlines. I’ve waited an hour for my bags before (that was, admittedly, unusual).
“I’ll go talk to that guy, he’ll know what we need to do.” – Meh. Maybe. He’s border control, not airline staff. He doesn’t really care if you make or miss your flight.
“Oh my god we have to go through customs AGAIN.” – No. No, you don’t. You have to walk your bags through the customs lines, but you just hand the officer your completed card/receipt that the immigration officer gave you. You do this in (almost) every country.
“Well, someone from Delta will be waiting for us outside here.” – Nope. From Delta’s perspective, you’re just two people who booked a flight from BWI with them. They have NO idea where you are coming from. If you miss your flight, you have no recourse with Delta – or with the airline you flew in on.
Finally, their bags arrived and they left. I watched them try to leave through the Global Entry exit though, and get redirected to the long, regular exit. Oops.
*
Moral of the story: if you’re going to book a “connecting” flight with a totally different airline/different PNR number, make sure you do your research. This is a super easy way to miss your flight! Plan for delays. I usually fly in a day early if I’m doing this in case of weather or mechanical delays. If you are going to insist on cutting it close, you have no recourse with either airline – one assumes that you are at your final destination, and the other considers it your starting point.
Have you ever missed a flight because you book two independent flights too close together? I would love to hear your story! Please comment below. Make sure your friends don’t miss their flights – pin this! >>> for future reference!