Comments on: Passenger charged an extra $2,600 after airline delay makes her miss flight

By: Ridiculous or not? I arrived at the airport on time, but I missed my flight

Ridiculous or not? I arrived at the airport on time, but I missed my flight — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:31:59 +0000

[...] But not everyone is so lucky. I recently wrote about a woman who missed her flight in Orlando under similar circumstances and had to pay $2,600 to fly home. [...]

By: Ridiculous or not? I arrived at the airport on time, but I missed my flight | Slinking Toward Retirement

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:45:11 +0000

[...] But not everyone is so lucky. I recently wrote about a woman who missed her flight in Orlando under similar circumstances and had to pay $2,600 to fly home. [...]

By: Charles Clarke

Charles Clarke — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:39:53 +0000

Obviously there is a dichotomy between the expert flyers who know all the tricks and the ones who have to deal with TSA and the airlines changing the rules a few times since the last time they’ve flown. The expert flyers can take care of themself. Unfortunately the airlines cater to them and don’t make the rules obvious to the non-expert flyers. Which is unfortunate because they could save everyone lots of time if they informed and served those better.

If you are an expert, please remember that the non-experts on here are doing their part by trying to learn the best ways to travel. Snotty remarks or name calling will only increase the odds that your comments are not listened to or viewed negatively. Also, for non-experts, saving an hour or two at the airport is only saving 2-8 hours per year for them and isn’t worth the cost of missing a flight. If you fly 100 flights a year, then if you figure out a way to save 5 minutes each flight, you’ve already saved more time per year than they possibly could. In fact, with your elite status allowing you to use the short quick lines, you probably save 1-2 hours each flight over a non-elite flyer. Don’t mock someone for allowing for the different times required because of the lack of status. Remember that they don’t get change fees waived either.

@David Z – If they recommend 2 hours before a flight, then a maximum of 45 minutes in a check-in line and a maximum of 45 minutes in TSA lines would be a good requirement. The other two 15 minute chunks is the rest of the walking time.

Not sure what to do against TSA if TSA exceeds this, but allowing passengers on the next flight with space for no change fee would get the airlines to put pressure on TSA. If the airline’s lines exceed this and someone misses their flight, give them the involuntary denied boarding compensation along with the next flight, on any airline, with space.

@ Lyngengr – This is a great example of expert vs. non-expert. You get one non-expert doing something wrong and the other non-experts will follow their example and hold up the whole line. Better signage through the whole line would help. If we’re waiting, then we’re probably bored enough to read the contract of carriage if they put it on a sign in front of us. Put tips on how to make it easier/faster for the agent to serve you.

@Kimberly – Agreed, some common sense would be nice. Taking one person at a time from the front of the peon queue wouldn’t unduly delay the elites.

Something I’m not sure how I feel about is the prioritizing of the folks who don’t have much time before their flight. While I have sympathy, since once I missed my flight due to car trouble and then a 2 hour check-in line, it could also be rewarding those who didn’t plan ahead.

By: noella

noella — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:31:41 +0000

American Airlines is a lowlife slum airline. They charged me $20 for calling a toll free customer service number. Nothing on the prompts said I would charged and neither did the CSR. Disgusting I will never ever fly their airline again. Spread the word, anyone but them!

By: DeeDee

DeeDee — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:41:57 +0000

A voucher? They sent her a voucher! That is not a refund. It only forces her to fly on American in the future. And unless she’s flying internationally again, that’s either a few trips or none at all. We’re not talking about a $200 ticket here. That’s not right. She deserved a refund, not the opportunity to experience their horrible customer service all over again.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:10:02 +0000

“… it is not always possible to forecast the number of customers who will need assistance…”

For every person that travels they know…
…when you checked in.
…what you checked in.
…when you hit the security check point.
…whether or not you boarded your plane.

Given the volume of air travel. They could utilize that information alone for a statistical analysis that would give a rather accurate ‘forecast’.

Then they could do the same analysis flight times, weather delays, etc. And refine the ‘forecast’ even more.

Then there is their own employees, times in/out. Unplanned time off, unplanned equipment failures, etc. And refine the ‘forecast’ even further.

Oh wait, they have done all of that (and more), have the proper forecasts, yet still choose to staff below acceptable levels.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:41:02 +0000

I had a problem once. We arrived a good 2 hours ahead of time to fly from San Francisco to San Antonio. The line was NOT budging. After about an hour I got really nervous about my son and I missing our flight. I observed a clerk at the “elite flyer” window take in “maybe” three customers during this timeframe. It seem totally stupid. There were not ANY other elite members in line…she was just standing there. I left my son in line and went to her window. She chastised that I was not an “elite member” (or whatever they called it)…I told her that my flight leaves in about an hour…the other line wasn’t moving so therefore I just promoted myself.

Turned out they were having so much trouble because they were delaying flights due to a storm up north. Planes couldn’t get up there or down. HORRIBLE mismanagement all over.

Alas…I got served…got my new flight schedule…Afterwards I suggested she start calling for people who have flights scheduled in the next few minutes. If a “elite member” comes up apologize to the next customer in line and help them. I can’t believe I had to suggest that.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:36:38 +0000

American airlines is not worth spending the money. We had to wait overnight at airport because one of their pilots supposed to fly the airplane had worked for more than the allowed time limit and had to take rest. They are equally bad about how they schedule their pilots even.

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:58:16 +0000

I almost missed a flight back in May 2007. I was flying back home from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and I lost a lot of time trying to find the consolidated car rental facility. Luckily I had no bags to check-in, the Southwest Airlines kiosk sped up the check-in process, and the security line was small. If it weren’t for those three factors, I would have missed the flight and put on standby.

As Mr. Elliott mentions above, printing out the boarding pass online does help a lot. I can’t tell you how many times it saved me from missing the flight.

By: Daryl

Daryl — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:56:12 +0000

Carrie is correct; some airlines won’t allow you to print an international boarding pass in advance – ESPECIALLY if you are not an American citizen and require that the ticket agent check your documentation.

Elite status will probably get you through the check-in process quicker, but depending on the airport, may not get you through security any faster (for example, SLC has priority lines for Delta Medallion but not for other elites).

By: Lyngengr

Lyngengr — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:56:11 +0000

A lot of delay checking in and going through security is because of ignorance. Let me give you an example. I was flying out of LAX yesterday on United. I had checked in prior to arrival but didn’t have a boarding pass, and I needed to check a bag. The United domestic counter at LAX is huge – probably 50 terminals. The line waiting to check in was probably 50 people, not moving, and well over half of the terminals were empty. I waited a few minutes to see what was going on, and noticed a few people at the front of the line waiting, apparently to talk with a ticket agent. So these knuckleheads were holding up the entire line. Several people, including yours truly, ducked under the ropes, fired up the closest terminal, got our boarding pass, and checked our bags. When I finished, there were still a lot of people in line, so I told them they could just duck under the ropes and use any terminal. Well over half the line emptied out. A few asked me about bags – I told them they will take the bags right there. Sometimes United has an agent at the head of the line directing traffic, but yesterday they didn’t. The people in line didn’t know they could use the terminals, and didn’t have to wait to talk with an agent.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:38:31 +0000

That almost happened to me once. Due to some sort of computer screw-up, they didn’t finish checking people in until about an hour after the flight was scheduled to depart. They ended up holding the flight until every passenger had been checked in. That wasn’t great for passengers who had connections, but what should they have done? Taken off for a 15-hour flight with a 3/4 empty plane that should have been full, when the rest of the passengers were just waiting to check in?

By: Allan

Allan — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:03:18 +0000

I am not saying that American needs to do more planning and scheduling or hire more agents.

There was only one thing American needed to do.

Honor her ticket as-is on the next available flight.

By: Sevenseat

Sevenseat — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:21:40 +0000

I think there are two lessons here: first is that you have to be able to do a little math with hours and minutes; and second, you have to use all the tools you have available. I fly internationally several times a year, usually out of EWR. Getting to the terminal two hours early is plenty of time for an international flight if you have checked in online, printed your boarding pass and don’t have to check bags. Even if you need to use a kiosk you should be fine. You then have to start adjusting based on the other factors like weather, holidays, full moon, etc. and compensate for them. When I fly home from Europe, I can’t print my boarding pass online, I know I am going to have to answer questions about what electronic devices I have with me and stand in the non-EU line at passport control. I add time for these delays and if I get through faster, I have more time to eat breakfast.

By: Monica

Monica — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:50:37 +0000

Lisa said “Wow, I read these comments with awe and astonishment that so many consumers willingly give up 3, 4 and 5 hours of their time in order to fly. Why should consumers have to arrive more than 2 hours ahead of time because airlines choose to be short staffed and TSA agents are surly and unaccommodating?”

Consumers have to arrive that early because we know that – generally speaking – the counters are likely to be understaffed and are working in that compensation of time into the schedule. And we know that the TSA lines are long.

I agree… I shouldn’t have to check-in more than 2 hours. I don’t see airlines changing their habits anytime soon, though.