How to Cope With Missing a Flight

Sackbrate

Editor

posted on 17 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Whether it is your fault or the airline's, missing a flight can be an enormous hassle. Afraid this may happen to you? You need look no further than this article!

Steps

Before the Flight

Carry on things you'll need. The day before, pack backpacks or bags with toothbrushes, books or magazines, a laptop if possible, and any other things you'd need if you lost your luggage. This way you will have all necessary items in case you do miss a flight.

Know the airport before departing. You can probably find a map using Google or the airport's website. This will help prevent getting lost.

Run to the area of boarding if you think you are late. This can save precious time. Don't be embarrassed -- people will understand. Don't waste any time going to the bathroom or throwing anything out, because you can do that on the airplane.

After the Flight

Ask if it is too late. In some countries, they may let you get on the plane by the last second. Understand that the security in the US and international flights is high and you will usually not be let on.

Go to customer service. Ask for a supervisor or manager. They will reassign you a flight, which can be anywhere from a few hours later to a few days. If money isn't a problem for you, see if you can take a more expensive flight through another airline or airport. You may find yourself on "standby" for some flights, which means that you don't have a confirmed seat, but if one comes available, it's yours.

Ask for vouchers and overnight bags. Vouchers can save you lots of money in getting a place to stay, and overnight bags normally contain toothbrushes, hairbrushes, razors and shaving creams, and sometimes a t-shirt. If you have any nearby friends or relatives, and they don't mind, you can stay with them temporarily.

Find things to do near you. Even if you think you are in the middle of nowhere, if there's an airport, there are probably tourist attractions. If you have a laptop or an internet cafe available, Google "things to do in [city]". If you're staying at a hotel, they will usually have flyers and brochures near the front that you can look at.

Be patient. If you spend time working things out with customer service, it will normally only be a couple of days. Find a nice manager or other representative and ask for them every time you return to the airport.